PLAYERS, COACHES GEAR UP
FOR 2008 KANSAS SHRINE BOWL

Months of preparation and anticipation all begin to come together this week when East and West coaches and players report to their respective training camps to prepare for the 35th Kansas Shrine Bowl.
This year's game will be at Welch Stadium at Emporia State University on Saturday, July 26th. Sixty-eight players, twelve coaches, plus managers and trainers will gather at two Kansas locations to begin a week of practice before kickoff. Coaches and managers will assemble on Thursday (July 17) for meetings and last-minute preparations, then greet players on Friday for the first practices.
The teams will prepare at two long-time venues. The West will practice at St. John's Military Academy in Salina, while the East will get ready at Emporia State University. Shrine Bowl veterans who have several years experience "under their belts" will serve as camp directors. The East will be directed by Ray Terrell, in his 10th year as camp director, while the West will be directed by Myron Converse for the 7th year.
"Both camps provide great atmospheres for the teams," says Shrine Bowl Executive Director Dave Mize. "We have excellent facilities and wonderful community support in both Salina and Emporia. The people in both cities take pride in having the camps, and are able to provide the logistical support needed to feed and house the players and coaches for a week before the game."
The two head coaches, Matt Garber of Sabetha, and Gary Guzman of Wichita Southeast, will have staffs of 5 assistant coaches each. Coaches will be busy installing offensive, defensive, and special team schemes in a matter of a few days, often counting on the experience and athletic ability of the All-Star players to compensate for only a week of practice.
The players will barely have time to get acquainted before when they'll load into buses in the wee hours of Saturday morning and head for one of the great Kansas Shrine Bowl Traditions, the trip to the Shriners Hospital for Children in St. Louis. The teams will fly to St. Louis from Kansas City for a full day of activities, including a visit to Ram's Park, the sprawling training complex for the NFL's St. Louis Rams. The highlight of the day, of course, will be the visit to the hospital, where the players will learn more about the mission of Shriners Hospitals before spending some quality time with young patients.
Mize says the hospital visit is an important experience for both players and coaches because it helps them to understand why the game is being played. "It gives them a sense of being involved in something larger than themselves," he says. "Many say that the hospital visit is just as much of a highlight of their week as playing in the game itself."
The teams will fly back to Kansas City late Saturday afternoon and be treated to a hamburger feed at the Abdallah Shrine in Overland Park before boarding buses back to Emporia and Salina, where practices will begin in earnest on Sunday, leading up to Saturday's 7 PM kickoff. Both teams will attend the annual Shrine Bowl Banquet on Friday night, July 25th, and be in the Shrine Bowl parade on game day, Saturday, July 26th.
The Kansas Shrine Bowl All-Star Football Game is an annual event featuring two football teams composed of 68 of the best graduated high school players from the East and West. Kickoff for this year's game at Welch Stadium in Emporia is scheduled for 7 PM on Saturday, July 26. Proceeds from all Shrine Bowl events support the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic, burn, and spinal care to children under 18. Children are admitted free to Shriners Hospitals for Children without regard for race, religion, nationality, creed, or relationship to a Shriner.
Advance reserved chairback tickets for the game are $20.00 in advance. Adult general admission tickets are $9.00 in advance. Student tickets (K-12) are $5.00 in advance. Other Shrine Bowl events scheduled in Emporia on July 26th include an open 5K Road Race that includes 60 Cross Country All-Star Runners, a 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk, a giant Shrine Parade, an Arts & Crafts Fair; a Kids Fair, a High School Combine, a Poker Run for Bikes, Autos and Trucks, and a Free Fashion Show. Additional information and tickets can be purchased through the Shrine Bowl office by calling 1-800-530-5524. The Shrine Bowl web site address is ksshrine.com and the e-mail address is ksshrine@kansas.com