the bistro off broadway
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U.S. Navy recruiters from the Piqua post came to Bradford Thursday for a little pep talk to the football team.
The talk involved teamwork and leadership among other things. CNO Photos by George Starks
 
U.S. Navy invades Bradford football
By George Starks

BRADFORD- Thursday evening, during a conditioning practice, the Bradford Railroader football team was addressed by three United Stated Navy Recruiters.

On hand were Petty Officer First Class Douglas Hunter, Petty Officer First Class Shawn Lowe and Petty Officer Second Class Kenneth Schilling, the three talked about teamwork, leadership and always giving it you total best on and off the field.

“This is something I’ve been trying to do for a long time,” said Bradford coach Dave McFeely. We have a kid from Bradford, Daryen Booker, that’s in the Army stationed at Ft. Benning (Georgia) now. He’s living what these three guys are teaching us here today. Just having these guys here today means so much to me and my staff. I really can’t explain it. I just hope these kids take something away from this and can apply it to the team this season.”

Doing the majority of the talking, Lowe talked about always being there for your buddy, no matter who he might be.

“No man left behind. If you see someone that is struggling, pick him up and keep him moving. It’s all about the good of the team”, said Lowe. “Being a leader isn’t easy but anyone can be a manager. A leader sets examples for everyone else. A good leader encourages and motivates others and will go the extra mile to help someone that has fallen or is struggling. Good leaders make good managers but managers are not always good leaders.”

So what did it mean to Lowe to be out there?

“These kids are our future,” said Lowe. “When we come out here, we potentially give them the knowledge and motivation that they can be successful in life. “These kids may not know their actual full potential so we try to help them realize this. Initially they are going to leave here a regardless of what they do, they will have the chance to be successful. It doesn’t matter whether they go to college, go into the workforce or go into the military, it really doesn’t matter, they will all have the same opportunity for success. They need to know their ground level and how they can produce one hundred percent of their ability. They’re going to make a difference somewhere at some point in their lives.”

Just like most who’ve served, Lowe said it’s never about one person because no one person can make a team.

Just like all who have served, Lowe hears those same words from many of the kids he speaks to.

“Thanks for you service. That is the one thing I hear the most,” said Lowe. “They know the sacrifices we go through but honestly, I don’t see it as a sacrifice. It’s an honor to put that uniform on every day. There’s a sense of pride that comes with it. I love this country and I love what we have available to us where other people don’t. That is the uniform of our nation and when I put it on, I’m held to the highest standards of this nation. I’m expected to be the best I can be and to be a professional and to me, that’s important. My uniform is my driving force every day. Putting it on is the proudest thing I can do every day”

Thursday, McFeely picked his four team captains to lead the team through two-a-days and the rest of the season, starting Monday.

For Bryson Canan, it was a learning experience now that he’s been put in that leadership role.

“I think I can take what was said here and employ it next week with two-a-days,” said Canan. “Hopefully, I can get them motivated and get them to give 100 percent of themselves every day. We need to show them that we have their back at all times and they need to have each other’s back. If we can keep them motivated, then they won’t give up. I heard this several times from the guys that were here today and I hope I can do this as a team captain.”

“I heard everything about helping my team and working as a team,” said Masen Justice. “That makes me want to work harder and to push harder the people that are under me. I can also take this into the classroom by helping others. Being a leader in the classroom is just as important as being a leader on the football field. These guys really inspired me some today. I really needed that and I’m glad the coach brought them here.”

For senior Dillon Reck, it’s leadership by example.

“If we’re out here and someone slips and falls, I know it’s my job to pick that person up and help them,” stated Reck. “I have to keep the rest of the team motivated. If I’m out on the field in a game and I make a big play, then that could be a motivational factor for the rest of the team. In practice, I need to talkj to them and get them pumped up.”

Lastly, Chase Gambill weighed in on the Navy speech.

“This has meant a lot to me,” said Gambill. “I think a lot of us don’t realize that we’re winners yet and that’s the one thing I got from the main speaker. They made me understand that on this team no one is better than the next and we all rely on each other. It was big for these guys to be here for us today.”

Bradford will open at home on Friday, August 26 with New Bremen.


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Going off the instruction of Petty Officer Kenneth Schilling (a 2004 Versailles graduate) the
Bradford football team runs through a drill set in place by Schilling.
 

 
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