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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 10, 2004 Grizzlies ahead of schedule By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland High football team lacked a lot of things last season, namely wins. Although the Grizzlies can't do much about that in June, the guys are taking steps to keep the 0-6 Southern Oregon Conference record of 2003 from happening again. "We're just cleaning up the fundamentals, but the kids have really retained a lot from last year," Ashland High head coach David Coldiron said. "One of the things I'm really happy with is some of the things the kids have done in the off-season." When play concluded at the end of October, the Grizzlies sat down with Coldiron to lay Ashland high head coach david coldiron (with ball) runs a drill at the Ashland High practice field Tuesday. The Grizzlies are already preparing for the 2004 football season with daily practices and soon will shove off to Gold Beach for a summer camp. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings out basic goals for the off-season. The team focused on strength and conditioning and, in the seven months since, the guys have exceeded a lot of the aims they set for themselves. "One of the big, huge goals we looked at was just our strength," Coldiron said. "We needed to be a lot stronger. The next thing we're working on is trying to make sure we're fundamentally sound. We're really trying to build up their base of knowledge." Coldiron believes the team has improved significantly, especially in the depth and skill of the offensive and defensive lines. The Grizzlies have gotten together over the past couple of weeks for six practices, with their last team workout scheduled for Friday before the squad travels to Gold Beach for the annual summer training camp. "It's a tradition Jim (Nagel) started probably 15 years ago," Coldiron said of the team camp. The Grizzlies will camp on the beach for five nights, which is a nice way to bring the group together before the season even starts. During the day, the Grizzlies train with 16 or 17 other squads from all over Oregon and northern California, as well as a team from a military academy in Great Britain. "It's a pretty big camp," Coldiron said. "It's quite a mix." Between practice, a passing league, conditioning, strength training and a handful of individual competitions, the camp forces the football players to be in tip-top shape before they even arrive. "The kids are pretty busy," Coldiron said. "We get them up at 7 a.m. for breakfast. Believe it or not, we don't walk off the field until 11 p.m." But the level of commitment the Grizzlies have shown in the off-season appears to have made an impact already and will only serve to help the squad through team camp. Following camp, the Grizz will get back in the weight room for more lifting and utility-type training. In mid-July, passing league begins and doubles kick off in early August. Before long, it'll be football season again and, hopefully, those wins will come back to Ashland. Coldiron thinks it could happen. "The kids have worked hard and we're really excited for next year," he said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams