With fall camp right around the corner, let’s set the stage for your best year yet.

Some of you are coming in as freshmen and will be experiencing your first high school fall camp. Others are rising seniors looking to complete your final year. Whatever the case may be, it is important that you report to camp focused, in shape and ready to lead.

• Quitting is not an option. Fall camp is designed to challenge an athlete’s mentally and physically makeup. Yes, your coaches are looking to fill the starting lineups with the 22 best players and identify reliable backups. Yes, they are trying to answer personnel questions and decide what schemes will work best for this year’s class. But most importantly they are looking to see who is willing to sacrifice themselves for the team, be mentally and physically tough, and fight through the hurt, ache and pain of fall camp. If you don’t decide now, you will be vulnerable to giving up on your team when the going gets tough.
• All in from Day 1. Attending all of your team’s organized summer conditioning sessions is a crucial step in making sure you are prepared for camp and the season. You cannot wait until the week before camp to try and whip yourself into shape. Most summer conditioning programs are designed to progressively increase in intensity in an effort to make sure you are at your peak once camp begins. Going from zero to 100 at the last minute will not prepare your body for the rigor of camp, and you will be more prone to injury.
• Eat right – right now. It is important that you understand the impact the foods and liquids you consume will have on your body. Most teenagers do not have a nutritionist available to customize a nutritional plan to follow. You must have conversations early on with your coaches, athletic trainers and primary care physician regarding any dietary changes you need to make in order to stay heathy and have the energy and endurance necessary to compete at your best. Cleaning up your diet sooner rather than later could be the difference between cracking the starting line up or not. What you put in is what you get out.
• It all starts now. If you intend on being a leader for your team this year, it is important that you are present and available all the time. You are accountable to your teammates to do everything in your power to stay healthy and perform at your best. You are getting ready to face some challenging days this fall on the gridiron. You must be at your best physically and mentally to maximize the opportunity.

Work hard. Be great. 

Travis B. Key is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten safety for Michigan State University and co-author with former teammate Ashton Henderson of “Beyond the Gridiron: How to successfully transition into collegiate football,” a detailed account of what it takes to be a Division I college football player and successful in life. To learn more about their mission and purchase your copy today, visit www.beyondthegridironllc.com.