DeKalb Finds Strength In Off Season Program

Head coach Steve Trapp and his staff at DeKalb County High School have found a solution to the grind of a football off season, the tiger pride program.

At the first team meeting in early January, Trapp laid out the program to his players. Each player was placed in a group (gold, silver and bronze) based on their height and weight and each group has specific athletic standards for those players to achieve. Along with those standards, Trapp said it is important for his players set goals for themselves.

“Just trying to develop the heart and the mind of these young kids to not have everything set for you,” Trapp said. “But also learn to set some goals for themselves, but then also work through a process to get there. Because, each and every one of these kids that were here on January 5th, they are physically and mentally different now.”

When players achieve their goals, they earn “yards.” These goals extend beyond the weight room and field, players are rewarded “yards” for academic performance and for being on the team all four years. Trapp said it’s his goal for every player to reach 1,000 yards by the time they graduate.

“Part of the tiger pride program helps develop that mental side of the game as well as that brotherhood and bond that it takes to have a special team,” Trapp said. “And then again, just having these guys make the choice to do it. Knowing what you’re doing helps you to be physical also. So, just all of those come into play throughout the year within our program.”

Trapp said the program has proved to be successful and he sees the biggest jumps in his underclassmen, but the jump from being a junior to season is the most important one.

“Juniors becoming seniors, their jumps are a little smaller, but they’ve been within the program for a few years,” Trapp said. “But you definitely see the difference. And we tell them, when you got people patting you on the back and saying ‘Man, you look like you’re bigger and stronger’, then that’s just us getting verification that what we’re doing is working.”

At the end of the year, the player in each grade that has earned the most yards is named the “tiger king.”