KALISPELL — In the third annual Win the Day Camp, the future of Kalispell Flathead football was put through rigorous drills to help improve their skills as players.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Flathead alum and Super Bowl champion Brock Osweiler said he returns to his hometown every year because, among all of his career achievements, his time in youth football camps has stuck with him.
“I remember my very first one and head coach Bob Applegate was running it, and I truly remember it like it was yesterday,” Osweiler said. “It really is some of my best memories in my entire career coming out to Legend Stadium in the heat of summer with friends and competing and playing this great game of football, and that's what I've seen today.”
New at the camp this year is the Braves' head coach, Mac Roche, who took the job back in February.
For Roche, the Win the Day Camp was one of the first opportunities he had to see how his high school players could be leaders on the field.
“How you treat these young kids is what's going to make or break the camp,” Roche said. “Right now, I couldn't be more proud of our high school guys as far as just bringing excitement, bringing energy, and showing these middle schoolers what it's like to be a part of our Flathead Brave football program.”
Future football players like eighth-grader Kellen Bigelo said being a part of this camp inspired them to keep working hard at their game.
“I want to be a quarterback when I get older, just like Brock,” Bigelo said. “So when I was doing the quarterback thing, I was just working on my footwork. He kind of shouted at me a little bit, so I just kind of felt that in me."
Bigelo was one of many athletes Osweiler encouraged throughout the day because he remembers what it was like to be in their shoes.
“I see myself in these kids running around playing football,” Osweiler said. “You know, it was some of my fondest memories of summer, so to see these kids running around with a smile on their face, playing ball with their buddies, getting better at the sport they love, it's really special.”
