Clinton Township Newsletter

2 5 m a r c h 2 0 1 9 i n S p i r E B E l i E v E a c h i E v E w i T h J r l i o n s C h e e r a n d f o o T b a l l ! Jr Lions Cheer and Football Community Night will be held Monday, March 18th from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at North Hunterdon High School in Cafeteria B! This is a great opportunity to meet the coaches, cheerleaders, football players and their families, learn more about the Jr. Lions Cheer and Football Program, ask questions and register in person! Cheer and Football Teams K-8th grade. To register or for more information, please visit: www.jrlionscheer.com and/or www.jrlionsfootball.com. Our program believes that cheerleading and football are rewarding and exciting sports that teach teamwork, dedication, sportsmanship, leadership, team spirit and hard work. Our goal is to build confidence and inspire each and every child so that they may reach their goals both individually and as a team in a supportive, fun and safe environment. Jr Lions Cheer and Football is a feeder program for the Nationally Ranked NHHS Cheer and Football Program. We follow the same UCA competition rules and work closely with the High School to build the fundamental skills and philosophies that will be necessary for our athletes to compete at the High School level and beyond. Registration is now open for our Fall Season. The Jr Lions Youth Football program, which offers youth football to the North Hunterdon High School sending district, was originally founded in 1999 by Mike Moreland and Mark Saharic with the support of former North Hunterdon High School Head Coach Dennis Haughey. The purpose of the program was to be the North Hunterdon football feeder program. The program was to be synonymous with the high school program by running the same plays, using the same terminology, and to be a part of the North Hunterdon football family. Mark Saharic, who has never had a child in the program, is still fully involved in the success of the program along with many other exceptional volunteers that dedicate countless hours to maintain this philosophy as the premier program for future North Hunterdon Football players. The program started in 1999 with just two teams comprised of 6th, 7th and 8th grade boys. The teams were a limited weight and an unlimited weight team. The program has continued to grow to offer football to all kindergartners through 8th grade children. Jr Lions 14u coach, Mark McManus, has been with the team since 1999; he has witnessed this growth first-hand and is excited for the future of the program. "The Jr Lions football program has continued to expand since the beginning and now has strictly age-based teams for all the different age groups, including 7u Flag, 9u, 11u, and 14u Tackle." Coach McManus said. "We are hopeful that our program will continue to grow and are excited for the future after a very strong showing by our 7u Flag team this past season." Over the past 19 seasons, the Jr Lions football program has had many years of success, including three Jr Skylands League championships in 2005, 2007 and 2017, one Mercer County Football League championship in 2003, one New Jersey Unlimited Weight Youth Football Association championship in 2010, and three additional Jr Skylands Championship appearances in 2006, 2008 and 2010. In 2018 the conference the Jr Lions helped establish became affiliated with the AYF (American Youth Football, Inc.) and the conference changed the name to The Greater NJ AYF Conference (GNJAYF), where they compete against the same local high school feeder programs for a bid to the AYF National Championship held in Orlando, Florida. However, for the entire sport, there are waves of change rolling in. People have concerns about player safety and teams everywhere are adapting to make the game safer. In an effort to make football safer, the Jr Lions adopted the USA Football Head's Up Tackling System in 2013. "Football is under attack and we have to do everything we can to make it safer for our players. This Heads Up Football tackling technique is completely different from when I played football at North Hunterdon." said former player and now 14u Coach David Garrison. "We were always taught to 'bite the ball' or 'get your head across', putting players' heads in a vulnerable position at the point of contact. Heads Up Football takes the head out of the equation by keeping it behind the runner and focusing on using positional leverage, lower pad elevation, and the players shoulder to make the tackle. It is much safer and more effective than the old form tackle." Just as described above, Head's Up Football focuses on using that positional leverage by having players get into a "swoop" position to lower pad height and track the opponent's near hip with their near shoulder, while keeping their head behind the runner in a much safer location. In addition to that, the team utilizes Heads Up Football to take a safer approach to practices, using more drills on air and bags. "The Jr Lions are always seeing the big picture for the sport, league, team, and most importantly the kids and their safety." 14u Head Coach Bob Bartnett said. "We are always looking to do whatever we can to make the game safer for all of the kids." Coach Bartnett added "the success of Heads Up Football for the Jr Lions can be measured by looking at our 2017 season, the 14u team had zero concussions from contact." In a study by USA Football, High School teams that employed Head's Up Football saw an 88% reduction in the rate of concussions in practice, 57% reduction of all injuries in games and 43% reduction in time-loss from injuries in practice. Jr Lions Youth Football, PO Box 656, Lebanon, NJ 08833. www.JrLionsFootball.com. T h e J r l i o n s f o o T b a l l p r o G r a m i s C e l e b r a T i n G i T s 2 0 T h a n n i v e r s a r y ! Don't miss the Jr. Lions Community Night on March 18, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm at North Hunterdon High School. Meet the coaches and ask questions about their Football and Cheer Program! h u n T e r d o n m e d i C a l C e n T e r a u x i l i a r y n e e d s v o l u n T e e r s ! The Hunterdon Medical Center Auxiliary, which helps to support the Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation's fundraising efforts is looking for volunteers. For more information or to RSVP, call: 908.788.6591 or email: ddalley@hhsnj.org. Thank you in advance! m a n e s T r e a m s u m m e r d a y C a m p o p e n h o u s e 10-3 pm April 7: 83 Old Turnpike Rd., ManeStreamNJ.org, 908-439-9636 Facility tour of the therapy clinic, inclusive summer day camp activities and adaptive riding program. Mane Stream is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals with physical, developmental, emotional and medical challenges through a diverse program of equine assisted activities, therapy services and educational initiatives.

• Cover