BY MURRAY MCCORMICK, LEADER-POST MAY 12, 2012
The Regina Riot is looking to reap the benefits of the team's first year of full-contact football.
In 2011, the Riot was 2-2 during the squad's inaugural season in the Western Women's Canadian Football League. The Riot kicks off its second season Sunday in Saskatoon against the host Valkyries. Adrienne Zuck, a safety who has been converted to linebacker, has noticed a difference in the Riot in the team's second season compared to 2011.
"Last year was the first year for our coaches coaching women,'' Zuck said. "They weren't sure about the experience about football and there was a lot of learning from both sides. It was totally different this year with the rookie camp and everything else. Most of us knew exactly what we needed to do and what positions we were playing. This is a skill-building year. The learning pace is a lot faster. A lot of plays and calls are much more detailed than last year.''
Jon Baxter, head coach of the Riot, adopted a fundamental approach this year with the women even though it was the second season for the team's veterans.
"We went from a sandlot team in 2011 to an actual organized football team this year,'' Baxter said. "Because we had nearly as many veterans as rookies, we went to basics. It started with them learning how to stand properly and we worked our way up from there. We did a lot of work in the gymnasium without equipment so they understood what was required once they did get their equipment on. It worked really well for us. A lot of girls from last year learned some new techniques.''
The Riot has 41 players listed on the team's roster this season. Baxter said that 26 of those players are returning from 2011.
"At the beginning of training camp I noticed a huge difference between the rookies and veterans,'' Baxter said. "Right now not so much except the veterans have more game savvy. They understand the speed of the game and what is required.''
The Riot tuned up for Sunday's game last Saturday by going 3-0 in a four-team pre-season tournament in Edmonton. Baxter felt the experience helped the Riot, but playing in an actual game will be different for the first-year players.
"The speed of the jamboree was one thing, but the speed of a game will be even more,'' Baxter said. "The veterans were able to pass that information on to the rookies. Things take place a lot faster than they expect.''
The Riot is expecting a stiff test in the team's first game of the regular season. Last year, the Valkyries defeated the Riot 36-6 in a semifinal en route to beating the Edmonton Storm 35-7 in the league final. Saskatoon also beat the Riot 56-6 and 42-2 during the regular season. Zuck is still looking forward to playing the league's best team in the season opener.
"Their standings have shown that they are the best team in the league,'' Zuck said. "You can say it's a good thing because they will show us what we need to do and what we need to work on. It would be nice to play a team that we've beaten before because we could build up our morale. I'm just excited to play.''
Due to the renovations at Mosaic Stadium, the Riot won't play at home until June 10 when the team plays host to the Winnipeg Nomads Wolf Pack. On May 27, the Riot is in Brandon to play the Manitoba Fearless. The Riot concludes the regular season on June 17 against the visiting Valkyries.
