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Bigger...Stronger...Faster When walking into the state-of-the-art weight room at Enid High School during Summer Pride, it is hard not to notice how hard these students are working. And that work is clearly paying off, both in physical appearance and on the field. In 2019, the Plainsmen went 0-10 with a new coach and a new scheme. 2020 showed improvement with a 3-7 record, but some of the losses were runaways. Even with a similar record in 2021, Coach Woods was encouraged by the progress of the team. “Even though we were 3-7, we had 3 games we lost by 7 points or less (Lawton Mac, Edmond Memorial and Norman) and we should have won those games. We were that close to being 6-4 at the 6A-1 level. We were able to at least be competitive, but we know it is important to take that next step and finish those games. We were able to score points and move the football and get stops. We are definitely improving and continuing to get better.”
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The players have really seemed to buy in as well. When Coach Woods started at Enid, about half the players came out for Summer Pride, now it’s almost every one that will play snaps. “We average over 70 football players a day, which makes a difference in the fall. Every single guy is better than when they started. When we got here we were being physically dominated, not anymore.”
And the football players aren’t the only ones getting bigger, stronger and faster. Every program has seen improvements in participation numbers, with about 300 kids at the high school level, from every girl’s and boy’s sport EHS offers. Enid Public Schools Athletic Director Billy Tipps said. “Our strength and conditioning program has provided our teams with better athletes to compete in 6A. The importance of strength and conditioning has been emphasized to This improvement has come from several places, but one very importour athletes and they ant factor has been Enid’s Summer Pride Program. “We go four days a have responded and it week, Monday through Thursday, 7:30 to about 9:30. We lift, we run, is paying dividends. 6A and work on skills on the field after. Even though Enid had a Summer is the highest classificaPride program before I got here, having a certified strength and contion of sports in Okladitioning coach like homa, and for us to be Coach (Tracy) Bald- able to compete, it must win, makes all the be a priority.” difference in the world because he Student-athletes do knows exactly what not have to wait unto do. We trust him, til high school to start and he’s made a real summer training. Each difference. Coach middle school is now Baldwin spent 20 offering summer pride to 7th and 8th graders run by the middle school years at places like coaches under the direction of Coach Baldwin. “The idea is to get these Oklahoma State and kids involved as early as possible, doing the same thing at the middle just knows what stu- school level that we do at the high school level, so that we can build dent-athletes need,” the strength and physicality necessary to compete with the other big says Coach Woods. schools. We have over 150 middle schoolers that regularly participate and you can already tell by the success we are having at that level.” 20 | JULY 2022 | ENID MONTHLY
