June 23, 2011
Senior offensive guard Jack Cornell is working in the Illinois Media Relations office this summer. He will be providing weekly updates on what he's doing this summer.
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One week into the summer conditioning program and there is already a lot to be excited about. Classes are in full swing, the lifts are going great, and the team is in the best shape they have been in since I got here in 2007. The attitude is absolutely in the right place for something special to happen this fall. One of the most important things in the summer program is for the Illini to run drills specific to their positions and run plays so they are fresh in everyone's minds for Camp Rantoul when that comes around. We are running drills three times a week at 6 am, bright an early. While most of the campus and students at home are sleeping, the Illini are continuing to get better one day at a time, getting one step closer to our ultimate goal. Since the coaches are not allowed any contact with us, it is on our shoulders to run the drills and make sure everyone is working as hard as they can, furthering the leadership from within the team. This is the time of year when leaders emerge and the team sees who they are going to depend on during the season.
Another important aspect of the summer program is to build team cohesion. Not only are we grinding every day together, but we are also building team camaraderie off the field so we can be a tight group. One way we do this is by going to a campus hot spot for half priced burgers Wednesday nights. A big group of guys usually goes to watch a game or just hang out because after all, we are college students. By the end of the night, the teammates who show up usually get in arguments about who could eat the most burgers, but obviously none can hold water to the real team eating champion, yours truly. I've come a long way since this. (skip to the 5:03 mark)
Along with frequenting campus for the best food deals, the team also comes together through videogames, most specifically Call of Duty. If we ever have any down time during the day there are usually a large number of us online playing each other for COD supremacy as players are constantly competing to be the best on the team. In fact, there can be some pretty heated arguments in the locker room about who is the best, but the winner is never really decided. In my own personal opinion, I think the best on the team would be Tyler Sands, but I'm sure I'm going to catch some heat for posting that. And the worst, in my opinion, would have to be Miles Osei or Justin Lattimore. If you disagree, then play, simple as that.
We have plenty of work to do before the season begins, both on and off the field. But one thing I am confident in is that we will be ready when the time comes. We have the players and coaches to do it. We have the facilities to make it possible, and we have the support staff to keep things running. But most importantly, we have the attitude to do it.
