"Winds whisper of high hopes. Victory is in the sky. A season awaits with glory in her eyes. One joins with many on summer's green field. Time to strive, to dare, for all not to yield."

The first seeds of the 2004 GCAA Thunder football season were sown this past week with the commencement of the third annual players' clinic. Beneath the majestic and watchful eye of Mother St. Paul, over 150 youths, aged 7 to 11, braved the July heat in partaking in three sessions of skill and agility drills that stressed the Thunder's fundamental techniques.

For over four hours, groups of players rotated among four stations where Thunder coaches conducted drills while stressing the proper stance, blocking, tackling and footwork mechanics. Days earlier the Thunder coaching contingent attended a clinic at Cluett Hall. The clinic featured various positional presentations by local coaches, including Chaminade High School's varsity staff of head coach Bill Basel, Jamie Atkinson, Joe Horan and ex-Detroit Lion linebacker Steven Boyd, along with St. Anthony's Mark Maier and Dante Bari of the US Merchant Marine Academy.

The clinic was coordinated by Atkinson, a three-year Thunder coach and former assistant at St. John's University and St. Francis Prep High School, who, prior to the 2001 Thunder season, was most instrumental at introducing and standardizing the program's training paradigm.

On the heels of one of the program's most successful seasons, the GCAA Thunder boasts an impressive 90 new enrollees, making the 2004 enrollment the program's largest ever, with 250 boys representing a NCYFL-high 10 teams. Thunder directors and coordinators include Tom Wright, Bob Jahelka, John Ernenwein, Bill Bolte and John Blair. Head coaches include Wright, 7-year olds; Jim Halaby and Blair, 8-year olds; John McDaid and Joe Gutterding, 9-year olds; Mike Welch and Ernenwein, 10-year olds; and Mike Licitra and Jahelka, 11-year olds. Team practices will begin the first week of August, with the season opener slated for Sunday, Sept. 12.