Football Off-season Ramps Up with Competition Day

It must be about three weeks or so away from the start of spring football. That is the case as spring ball begins on March 9. That means the three weeks of Competition Day competition begins Tuesday.

STILLWATER -- It is the most fun in what can become the drudgery of weight lifting and condition building in the winter off-season. Football teams have to work to get bigger, stronger, faster, and in better condition. However, it always helps if you can do some of it with a fun activity involved.

Oklahoma State's director of speed, strength, and conditioning Rob Glass, when he was hired away from Florida by brand new head football coach Mike Gundy back in 2005, brought a lot of new concepts and ideas with him. One of those that Glass brought with him was competition day. 

Before the Sherman Smith Training Center was built, Glass and his staff including Gary Calcagno, Joel Tudman, and Mark Smith, would take the team, divided up in to eight teams, out on the floor of Boone Pickens Stadium to compete. 

Glass preaches that the Competition Day activities encourage the competitive drive in players, teamwork is involved in some of the events, and leadership is fostered by the captains of each team and with players within the teams using their influence to push teammates to greater performance. 

Rob Glass brought the Competition Day idea with him from Florida and it has flourished at Oklahoma State.

Pat Kinnison - Pokes Report chief photographer

The first week serves as the first round and sends the four winning teams to the championship side of the bracket and the other four to the consolation side. The next week serves as the semifinals for the championship and also determines the match-up for third place, fifth place, and seventh place. 

The events range from tractor tire toss, weighted sled pull, 5-10-5 agility, cone drills, bag drills, tug-of-war and one-on-one tug event, and an obstacle course.

This year's teams are captained by quarterback Spencer Sanders and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, running back L.D. Brown and linebacker Devin Harper, cowboy back Jelani Woods and safety Jarrick Bernard, cowboy back Logan Carter and defensive lineman Israel Antwine, wide receiver Braydon Johnson and defensive tackle Cameron Murray, wide receiver Dillon Stoner and safety Tre Sterling, wide receiver Landon Wolf and corner Rodarius Williams, and offensive tackle Teven Jenkins and deep snapper Matt Hembrough.

The captains drafted their teams last week by category, drafting skill players at one time, jumbo skill players at one time, and then linemen at one time. 

The fun begins again on Tuesday, Feb. 18 with the first round.