By Zack Peterson
Staff Writer
In all his 40 years of coaching high school football, coach John Castelamare has used the Iron Man challenge to determine how prepared his team is for the upcoming season.
Through small private school rosters and large public school squads consisting of 80 players, the Iron Man has stood the test of time, gauging fitness for all football players.
Castelamare, who coached at Wesley Chapel from 1999-2009, has brought the tradition to Academy at the Lakes, where — for the second year running — the Wildcats have experienced everything the Iron Man has to offer.
“Today, we’re going to see how tough you are!” Castelamare exclaimed as the players sat in the gym stretching, calmly waiting in the eye of the storm on Aug. 8, the first day of fall practice.
“But don’t be afraid, you’ll get through it,” the veteran coach chuckled.
After stretching, the 19 Wildcats are put into small group; ready to dive into the Iron Man’s tradition.
“We’ve got to get into better shape as time goes on,” said senior quarterback A.J. Carlson.
The Iron Man includes shuttles, a vertical jump test, a 10 and 40-yard dash that are timed together, an 880-yard run and over-and-unders, where players measure how many times they can leap over their partner and crawl back underneath their spread legs during 30 second intervals.
“It’s a good test of seeing who’s in shape and who’s getting stronger,” Castelamare said. “You can always tell.”
The Wildcats finally divide into small groups and cycle through the Iron Man’s phases. The summer heat pours down on the players’ heads. Beads of sweat gather and roll down the players’ red, huffing cheeks.
Eventually, they all “get through it” just as Castelamare predicts.
Next, everyone is ushered into the locker room where Castelamare outlines his personal rules and reveals to the players his “Quit List,” a series of five rules built on his years of experience that explains why players quit.
For Castelamare, it’s all about preparation and hard work. With that inspiration in mind, the players rally together to face the looming 880.
The Wildcats take off together, expending the last reserve of their energy. One by one, they cross the finish line, but despite this, they’re closer than ever.
“It’s all about teamwork, hard work and staying together,” Castelamare said to the group as they all took a knee at the conclusion of the Iron Man.
Evan Gordy, a running back and defensive end, finished first, while Carlson finished second.
