Interview with Harpreet Mann-Singh '12

Grinnell College SID Ted Schultz interviews the George B. Critchett '25 Service Award winner, Harpreet Mann-Singh '12

Rob Seer '12 and Harpreet Singh-Mann '12 Win Major Awards

A half-dozen male senior student-athletes were honored at the annual Grinnell College Honor G Banquet Sunday at Herrick Chapel. 


Among the 6 honorees were two Pioneer Football players. Harpreet Singh-Mann '12 claimed the George B. Critchett '25 Service Award (most varsity letters earned - Harpreet had 12) and Robert Seer '12 won the Coaches Award (given to the student-athlete whose contributions both on and off the field set an example for all student-athletes). 


Congrats guys and enjoy today's graduation!


Photos by Ted Schultz, Grinnell College SID

Four Pioneer Seniors Named to Hampshire Society

Four Grinnell College football players have been named members of the 2012 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.


Those earning the honor were Jimmy Borrasso '12, Logan Granera '12, Chris Jarmon '12 and Brian Westerlind '12.


The society is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who maintained a 3.2 GPA or better. A total of 727 players qualified for membership in the society's sixth year.


Congrats guys!  And congrats on graduation!

Thriller Video by Harpreet Singh-Mann '12

Grinnell holds a College Film Festival every year called Titular Head, and this spring wide receiver Harpreet Singh-Mann '12 created and starred in a video that finished in 2nd place.  Inspired by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and late night science studying, this is his video:

Congrats Preet!  

Ryan Creps' First Job

For a guy that had never been out of the country before enrolling at Grinnell College, local Grinnell High School product Ryan Creps '12 sure has come a long ways.  He spent a semester abroad in South Africa during his junior year and now, after graduation this May, he'll be heading to Egypt for his first job:

Upon graduation, I am moving to Egypt where I have accepted a position as a Presidential Scholar in the Development Office at the American University in Cairo (AUC) for the 2012-13 academic school year. As the Development Intern, I will work closely with the Associate Vice President for Development on various tasks, such as writing grant proposals and coordinating administrative duties.

The Presidential Scholars Program at AUC is designed to provide recent college graduates with the chance to work at an international university, learn Arabic, and live in the cultural center of the Middle East. I am excited for the opportunity to live abroad, to gain valuable experience working at a premiere international university, and to learn more about the Middle East.

Congrats Ryan and good luck in Egypt! 

Cody Weber's Summer Job

Cody Weber '13 landed a job in Nashville this summer at a sports performance institute.  Read Cody's thoughts on the job:

This summer I've been blessed with the opportunity to work as the Corporate Marketing and Public Relations Intern for D1 Sports Training and Therapy in Nashville, Tennessee.  Not only will I be learning the numerous aspects of how the business side of a fast-growing sports performance company is run, but along with that I have the opportunity to train and play football with incredibly high level college and pro athletes everyday.  The level of coaching and training provided is some of the most elite in the whole country--they pride themselves on providing all members with a D1 atmosphere as well as character development.  The fact that the company is faith based (its motto is "Iron Sharpens Iron" from Proverbs 27) is perhaps the most exciting aspect of all.  The only way I was able to make this internship happen is through the incredible funding Grinnell College provides for summer internships.  I applied for and received funding for my relocation, food, and housing costs for the summer, meaning I'll break even even though the internship is unpaid!  I'm so blessed to be at a school where they value my future just as much as I do.  I'll be spending all 12 weeks of my summer running football camps such as the Eric Berry DB camps as well as learning day to day operations and assisting with grand openings of new locations in Detroit (MI), Orlando (FL), Raleigh (NC), and Abilene (TX).  I'm pumped for the experience and ready to take on this new challenge.  A summer of physical and athletic preparation while working at D1 Nashville will make me more than ready for the upcoming season.  Watch out Nashville, GC Pride coming your way!

PS~I can't wait to hit the live music scene and open mics. Maybe I'll get signed so I don't have to finish college! I'm just kidding... But seriously.

Have fun Cody, and if you do get signed and become world famous, don't forget Pioneer Football!

Grinnell Launches New Athletics Website

Today, Grinnell College launched its new athletics website in association with Sidearm Sports.  Check it out for yourself!

http://pioneers.grinnell.edu/index.aspx

Chris Jarmon Accepts Job with ESPN

We've been a little heavy with Chris Jarmon's goings-on lately, but man has he deserved it!  This past week, Chris accepted a job with ESPN, as a member of their Content/Production Associate Program.  Chris had an internship in a similar capacity this past summer and here are his thoughts on his first job:

I'll be starting out as a Production Assistant in ESPN's Content Associate Program at the Bristol, CT headquarters. This means I'll be working on various projects in the company's three main Production areas: Event, International, and Studio. My first assignment this summer is to help with ESPN's production of the 2012 EURO Cup in soccer. I really enjoyed my time there as an intern last summer, and I'm very excited for a new challenge.

Good luck Chris!

Esera Tuaolo

On Thursday, Esera Tuaolo was on campus doing a number of speeches, talks and sessions with people all across campus.  If you don't know Esera's story, he's the most-prominent, and only 3rd, openly gay current or former NFL player.  His experiences in the uber-jock environment provided plenty of ridicule and difficult times and he's sharing those stories. His message revolves around eliminating hatred and disrespect of all types, from generic bullying to the homophobia that can be so prominent within male athletics.

Official Pioneer Football photographer Alysia Horcher '15 was on hand for Esera's speech to the students, where roughly 80% of the audience were student-athletes!

A few of the Pioneer Football guys with Esera Tuaolo post speech.

Blind Side Blog

Chris Jarmon '12 continues producing amazing work on his second blog, Blind Side Blog, about football's X's & O's with a particularly biased focused on line play!

Check out Chris' latest post about the Y-Stick concept and picking up blitzes and twists upfront:

When teams choose to use empty protection in the pass game, the offensive line is under more pressure than usual. Essentially, empty pro (also sometimes referred to as "big on big") is a pass protection concept that only involves the offensive line.

Most pass plays involve an extra blocker; teams either keep the running back or tight end in to pass protect (or have him at least chip a defender while leaving for a route), or motion in a slotted tight end to help out. There are plenty of creative ways to protect the quarterback on pass plays, but empty protection is by far the riskiest.

That's why it's nice to tie empty protection in with a good route combination that will come open early, especially if the defense blitzes. The Y-Stick concept is popular among Air Raid and Pro Style offenses alike, and it's a perfect match with empty pro. Let's take a look at why this is so effective:

2012 Season is Underway!

With the start of our Spring Ball practices this past Tuesday, the 2012 season is officially underway!

Official Pioneer Football Photographer Alysia Horcher '15 was on hand to capture some of the early morning workout.

Coach Jason Martinez talks with the defensive front seven

Coach Ben Cooprider works with the defensive backs set-up

TJ Schaid '13 runs away from Colton Feller '14 and Kevin Hwang '13

Coach P leaves the field after practice #1

Drove Highlight

Our own Brian Taylor '13 put together this off-season video of our Drove (Pioneer Offensive Line) Highlight.

Enjoy!

Grinnell Set To Host NCAA Indoor Track Meet

While nearly everyone has attended an outdoor track and field meet, that’s not necessarily the case for the indoor version of the sport.

Fans will get a chance to do exactly that, though, when the NCAA Division III National Indoor Track and Field Championships come rolling just over five weeks. The event is slated for Friday and Saturday, March 9-10, at the Charles Benson Bear ’39 Recreation and Athletic Center Field House.

Fourteen individual events and two relays will be contested in both the women’s and men’s divisions. The men’s championship field will consist of 13 qualifiers in each individual event and 10 teams in each relay. For the women, it’s 15 qualifiers in individual events and 10 teams per relay.

Overall, approximately 500 athletes are expected to compete during the weekend.

-Ted Schultz, Grinnell College SID

See the full information page here.

Pioneer Hoopster Named Central Iowa College Sports Athlete of the Year!

Grinnell College men’s basketball player Griffin Lentsch ’13, who made a big name for himself this season, has been rewarded for his efforts by being named the Central Iowa College Sports Male Athlete of the Year.

The award was presented Sunday by the Des Moines Area Sports Commission, which serves under the umbrella of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Other finalists in the contest were Iowa State wrestler Jon Reader, Iowa State football player Kelechi Osemele and Drake football player Mike Piatkowski.

Lentsch, a 6-4 guard from Forest Lake, Minn. (Forest Lake), made national headlines in November when he erupted for an NCAA Division III national record 89 points in the Pioneers’ 145-97 victory at Principia College.

See the full release here.

Two More Reasons Why Grinnell College Is Awesome!

From a couple recent media pieces...

Grinnell College is seeing a 52% increase in applications for the Class of 2016, twice the improvement as any other school on this list, published by The New York Times Blog.  And more than U of Chicago, Claremont-McKenna, Northwestern, Tufts, and Yale combined!

Also a USA Today story on the success of liberal-arts educated graduates over the rest of college graduates:
(The study) found that students who had mastered the ability to think critically, reason analytically and write effectively by their senior year were:

•Three times less likely to be unemployed than those who hadn't (3.1% vs. 9.6%).

•Half as likely to be living with their parents (18% vs. 35%).

•Far less likely to have amassed credit card debt (37% vs. 51%).

Three Pioneers Make Dean's List

Three Pioneer Football players were named to the Grinnell College Dean's List for the Fall Term 2011:

 

        Trent Baker '15                    Drew Blumberg '13                          TJ Schaid '13

These intelligent guys were three of 62 Pioneer student-athletes named to the Dean's List.  Congrats men!

A Note From Grinnell's President

On Monday, Grinnell College's President, Dr. Raynard Kington, posted an editorial in the Des Moines Register to clarify some misinformation about the College's tuition and financial aid packages:

The Jan. 8 Sunday Register story regarding the “list of things that will be more expensive in 2012” exemplifies the widespread misunderstanding about the published price of college tuition, room and board versus the much lower net price that most students actually pay.

At Grinnell College, thanks to generous financial aid policies, our price is “discounted” by an average of 64 percent because of college-funded aid and grants.

Only 15 percent of our students pay the full tuition, room and board. Overall, although our fees may be greater, Grinnell graduates have a much lower average debt ($18,578) than do graduates of either the University of Iowa ($27,391) or Iowa State University ($30,062), according to The Project on Student Debt .

— Dr. Raynard S. Kington, president, Grinnell College, Grinnell

Chris Jarmon Keeps Blogging!

Senior offensive guard Chris Jarmon is quasi-famous for his blog The D3 Experience where he wrote about playing small college athletics and his time at Grinnell, following his collegiate start at Colorado College.

Now Chris is at it again!  He's started a new blog, Blind Side Blog, where he'll analyze and dissect the game of football from a lineman's perspective.  For example, here's a part of his take on Monday night's BCS National Championship Game:

Everyone on the left side is still doing their job, but the right side is in DEFCON-1. The right tackle over-set his feet because he knew he had help to the inside, and he had to respect Hightower's outside rush speed. Now he's realizing his only help will come from the center, and the help won't make it in time. Jefferson has the bubble open, but it's well-covered and won't get enough yards for the first. He's looking for something deep to come open, but there isn't nearly enough time.

Gifts From Pioneer Football!

Last year Grinnell Football raised $324 for the Susan G Komen Fund to support breast cancer research.  In 2011, the Pioneers continue to be in the giving spirit.

We recently donated $275 to deliver youth sports equipment, primarily soccer balls and volleyballs, to a high school in Sabce, Burkina Faso.  We are providing support for the work started by former Grinnell citizen Wendy Munyon, who has joined the Peace Corps and is teaching in Sabce.  Right now the group of Grinnell College students and faculty, led by Judy Hunter, are the only source of athletic equipment for the schools in Sabce.

If anyone would like to help us support these great people and causes, please don't hesitate to contact Head Coach, Jeff Pedersen at pedersej@grinnell.edu.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Pioneer Football program!