Frostburg was the end of the earth. Siberia just inside Maryland’s border. The townspeople were nice, the weather was cool and beer cost 50 cents a mug, but it felt like another world during the Redskins’ 1995-99 training camps. Carlisle wasn’t a whole lot better.
So why do I yearn for the team to spend a month in the boonies instead of opening camp at Redskins Park Friday for the fifth straight year? Maybe because isolation might be the better way to go than making summer workouts just another day in Ashburn.
Truthfully, there appears no direct correlation between camp’s location and success. The Redskins only reached the playoffs after their final Frostburg appearance following seven years of rebuilding. They didn’t make the postseason after Carlisle camps in 2001-02. Then again, they’re only 1 of 5 following Ashburn camps.
Some coaches say it’s not where you train, but how you train. Well, Marty Schottenheimer’s death camp in 2001 created an 0-5 start. So much for having them ready. Then again, Joe Gibbs’ Club Med approach last summer brought a 1-4 mark after an 0-4 preseason. Guess that didn’t work, either.
The real strength of training away is team bonding in a time when free agency and high roster turnover leaves some players barely knowing certain people on the roster. You sometimes know more about them than teammates. Steve Spurrier couldn’t name anyone on the defensive line — no kidding.
There’s something about enduring tough times together that bonds people. Certainly, some of my best friends are reporters with whom I summered (or was that suffered) in the dorms. Eat, sleep and work alongside people 24 hours a day for a month or more and you’ll return with a better chemistry. It’s boot camp without the bullets.
It’s not the same staying at a nearby hotel nowadays. Friends and family are still around and many players admitted to me of sneaking out to spend some nights at home. They are distracted and don’t feel free to get into some summer hijinks like torturing rookies. Sports are supposed to be fun and training away brings back some of that boy in the man.
Redskins owner Dan Snyder returned the team from summer exiles in 2000 to make money. Simple as that. Charging $10 admission in 2000 fell flat. Big crowds now come for free, but many fans once enjoyed the drive to camp as a summer getaway.
Training camp isn’t the money-maker Snyder expected so it’s time to move on whenever a new coach arrives. If Frostburg and Carlisle aren’t willing to forgive the team’s sudden departures, William & Mary wanted the team badly in 2001. Fans could combine Williamsburg fun with training camp. At least the Loch Ness Monster would be exciting.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
