When the weather warms up and the days get longer the pigskins start flying and you know its time for spring practice. UW-Platteville’s Pioneer football team started their spring practice schedule on April 7.

“It’s great to be out of the off season in the weight room and on the field again playing football,” Jimmy Spehn, sophomore wide receiver, said.

The Pioneers are allowed to hold a total of 16 practices during the spring season. Practices are held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and end May 7.

Photograph by Kate Olsen
The linemen work on their blocking skills in Spring football practice April 14. The Pioneers hold practices on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Second year defensive coach Nolan Krajco said that spring practices are a great way for the team to get back out on the field after a long off season of weight training.

“It’s a chance for the team to get back out on the field and learn some new techniques and make our fundamentals more sound,” Krajco said. “With spring practices we are able to learn new plays and that allows us to practice more during the regular season; it takes less time to learn implementation if they know it coming into camp and the regular football season.”

Krajco also said that spring practice is a way for the coaches to see how the off season weight training and fundamentals translates onto the field.

“Instead of seeing Xs and Os we get to see the actual plays on the field and how the guys run them,” Krajco said.

Spring practice is also a time for new members who weren’t on last year’s roster to practice with the team and to test out if they have what it takes to be a Pioneer.

“Spring practice also allows us to evaluate the talent of the new guys trying out for the team; we get to see the work in the off season get put onto the field,” Krajco said.

The upcoming 2009 football season looks to be better than the last. Krajco says with spring ball the team hopes to become a better all around team and the

Pioneers look forward to the upcoming season. Camp for the Pioneers begins in August.

“Spring practice allows the team to fine tune our fundamentals”, junior offensive linemen Mike Tharp said. “We get to knock out the rust from the winter and learn new plays and new formations. It also allows us to come together as a team which is something we strive for.”