Sign up for the Cecil Martin Camp at SFX! Lights are being installed on the new field at St. Francis! Camp will run from 5:00 to 9:00pm on June 12 and 13th. Instead of a cook out, we'll close the camp with a build your own sundae bar for players and parents on Wednesday, June 13th.
Everyone who is attending, must mail in a registration form! Please register on or before June 7, 2012.
You don't have to be a member of St. Francis or Wisconsin Heights Youth Football to participate.
There are only 134 days (as of March 26th anyway) until the first practice at 5:00 on August 7th, 2012 at the SFX Fields.
Get your gear for the 2012 football season!
August 5th
7th & 8th Grade -- Time to be announced (typically has been late afternoon/early evening)
August 6th
4th, 5th & 6th -- Times to be announced (typically have been staggered in the late afternoon/early evening)
Wondering when the first games will be? 7th & 8th will start their Junior High Alliance League season on August 28th. Grades 4-6 will again compete in the DCAYFL and will have their first game on September 8th.
Former UW Badger and NFL player Cecil Martin will be hosting the 2012 Cecil Martin Camp at SFX on June 12th and 13th this year. Look for the registration form to be posted in the next week or so.
from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association website
Lightning Guidelines
The following guidelines should be followed when making decisions as to whether to suspend or restart a contest/practice based on the presence of lightning.
1. Assign staff to monitor local weather conditions before and during events.
2. Develop an evacuation plan, including identification of appropriate nearby shelters.
3. Criteria for suspension and resumption of play:
- When thunder is heard, or a cloud-to-ground lightning bolt is seen, the thunderstorm is close enough to strike your location with lightning. Suspend play and take shelter immediately.
- Thirty-minute rule. Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard or flash of lightning is witnessed prior to resuming play.
- Any subsequent thunder or lightning after the beginning of the 30-minute count, reset the clock and another 30-minute count should begin.
Source: NFHS Rule Book
Lightning Safety
- Education and prevention are the keys to lightning safety.
- Practice and competitions should be immediately suspended as soon as lightning is seen or thunder is heard.
- All athletes and spectators should seek shelter during severe weather.
- Play should not resume for at least 30 minutes after the last lightning strike or thunderclap.
Significance
Lightning is one of the most consistent causes of weather-related deaths in the U.S. According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, there are approximately 100 lightning-related deaths and over 1000 injuries yearly.
Background
Lightning-related injuries mainly occur between May and September. Most lightning casualties happen between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. with the majority of those occurring between 2 p.m and 6 p.m. Therefore, the risk of lightning-related injury appears to be highest during some of the most active periods for outdoor athletic activities. The average distance between successive lightning flashes is two to three miles which means that risk is present WHENEVER lightning can be seen or thunder can be heard.
Game administrators, officials and the sports medicine staff can be aware of adverse weather by following local forecasts and by monitoring the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS issues storm watches and warnings during times of severe weather. A watch means that the conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop, whyle a warning indicates severe weather has been reported and appropriate precautions should be taken. It must be remembered that any thunderstorm poses a risk of injury, even if not deemed "severe" by the NWS.
Management
As soon as lightning is seen or thunder is heard, practice and competition should be suspended immediately. A Lightning Safety Plan should be a component of the Emergency Action Plan and should be in place for every sport and facility. This plan should contain instructions for participants and spectators, designation of safe shelters, and designation of warning and all clear signals. This plan must be disseminated to the proper personnel and reviewed and practiced on a routine basis.
There should be also be a systematic plan for monitoring weather. The weather forecast should be closely followed throughout the day prior to any practice or competition. A weather radio is helpful in providing current information. Weather can also be monitored over the Internet or through the use of lightning strike monitors. However, such technology should never be a substitute for directly hearing or seeing dangerous weather. There should also be one person designated to monitor threatening weather and make decisions regarding participation. However, if anyone hears thunder or sees a lightning strike, appropriate action should begin.
If lightning is imminent or a thunderstorm is approaching, all personnel, athletes, and spectators should be evacuated to safe structures. A list of the closest safe structures should be announced and displayed on placards at all venues. The ideal safe structure is a fully enclosed building with plumbing, telephone and electrical service, which aid in grounding the structure. A fully enclosed automobile or school bus with all the windows rolled up is a reasonable shelter, although care must be taken to avoid contact with any metal inside the vehicle. The hard metal frame and roof, not the rubber tires, dissipate the current around the vehicle. Golf carts and convertible cars are not safe shelters. Dugouts and golf shelters are not safe shelters and are not grounded for the effects of lightning.
Avoid the use of shower facilities and do not use showers or plumbing during a thunderstorm as the electrical current from lightning can enter the building through plumbing connections. It is also unsafe to stand near utilities or use a landline telephone during a thunderstorm because of the risk of the current traveling through the lines. Cellular and cordless telephones are considered to be safe.
If a suitable safe shelter is not available, it is best to avoid tall objects (trees, light poles, etc.) that allow lightning an easy path to the ground. It is important to avoid being the tallest object. In an open field, people should crouch with their legs together, the weight on the balls of their feet, arms wrapped around their knees, and head down with their ears covered. The person should minimize contact with the ground and should NOT lie flat.
People who have been struck by lightning do not carry an electric charge. Therefore, it is safe to perform CPR, if needed. Ideally, injured persons are moved into a safe shelter. Lightning-strike victims show signs of cardiac or respiratory arrest need emergency help.
Return to Playing Field
The NFHS recommends following the 30-minute rule when making return-to-play decisions. After the last flash of lightning is witnessed or the last thunderclap is heard, it is recommended to wait at least 30 minutes before resuming practice or competition. Given the average rate of thunderstorm travel, the storm should move 10 to 12 miles away from the area, reducing the risk of local lightning strike. Any subsequent lightning strike or thunder after the beginning of the 30-minute count should reset the clock and another count should begin.
Prevention
In order to prevent lightning-related injuries, it is important to formulate and implement a Lightning Safety Plan and provide adequate education for all athletes and personnel. The plan needs to be reviewed and practiced periodically. The plan also must include a systematic approach for monitoring local weather activity and recognizing signs of nearby danger (thunder and lightning strikes). Criteria for suspension and resumption of activity should be clear. Appropriate safe shelters for each athletic venue should be clearly identified.
References
Bennett BL. A model lightning safety policy for athletics. Journal of Athletic Training 1997; 32:251-253.
Cooper MA, et al. Lightning injuries. In: Auerbach PS, ed. Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies. 5th ed. C.V. Mosby, 2007:6-108.
Holle R, Lopez, R. Lightning-impacts and safety. WMO Bulletin 1998;47: 148-155.
National Collegiate Athletic Association. Guideline 1d: Lightning safety. 2010-11 Sports Medicine Handbook (21st edition).
Material from the NFHS Sports Medicine Handbook (4th ed): 37-39
This article, written by John Donaldson, was originally published Thursday, January 6, 2011 in the News-Sickle-Arrow. Reprinted with permission.
Tom Murphy, director for the St. Francis Xavier football program, has been named a recipient of the Green Bay Packers Community Quarterback Award.
Because of Murphy's selection, St. Francis football will receive a $1000 grant from the Packers organization. Murphy is one of just 20 nominees selected for this award.
The 20 recipients will be honored at a recognition luncheon on Wednesday, Feb. 2. The luncheon will take place at the Legends Club at Lambeau Field.
Murphy, Packer fan that he is, is no doubt hoping the luncheon is postponed. The e-mail from the Packers organization, authored by Bobbi Jo Eisenreich, indicates, "Please note that in the event the Green Bay Packers advance to Super Bowl XLV, this luncheon will be rescheduled."
"We can have it another time," chuckled Murphy.
Murphy was nominated by Patty Loew, who describes herself as a "Former Football Mom". She first met Murphy when her oldest son – now a college sophomore – was 12. Since then she's had another son go through the St. Francis program, and her husband was a coach with the organization.
"Tom is the first one on the field and the last one to leave," wrote Loew of Murphy. "He's a humble man who deflects compliments about St. Francis Xavier Football onto the parents, coaches and players. He has influenced thousands of children with his gifts of time and energy."
When Murphy took over the St. Francis Orioles in 1991, there were 23 players on one team. This year, there were 227 boys and girls on ten teams.
"I believe the success of the high school program is directly attributable to the youth program Tom Murphy has built in Cross Plains," added Loew.
True to Loew's characterization, Murphy says he is humbled by the award.
"It's way past my expectations," he said Monday night, shortly after learning about the honor. "I never thought my volunteerism would reach something like this."
Murphy admits this award is especially significant to him because it is coming from the Green Bay Packers.
"Very much so," he said. "What the Packers do for youth sports is fantastic. They reach out in many different directions and I think it's great what they try to accomplish within the state."
Murphy said the money will be put to good use. St. Francis for the past several years has been raising funds to finish off its new athletic field, which is nearing completion.
“It takes a lot of work and a lot of people and obviously, donations are important all around,” he said.
The camp was a success! Thanks to all the volunteer coaches, the athletes, and all
those behind the scenes that made the camp possible.
WPT's In Wisconsin profiles the St. Francis Football program. Watch it online!
It's the little Catholic School that could. It has 200 kids that play football and
that's the same as the entire population of the school. The program has such a great
reputation kids from all over the area come to play for St. Francis Xavier in Cross
Plains. They have a rich tradition of sportsmanship and winning. It's viewed as
a feeder program for the perennial powerhouse Middleton High School Football Cardinals.
One of their players has even gone pro. Patty Loew reports on the secret to their
success.
