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Apr. 22—JAMESTOWN — Thomas Mayhair coaches football for six months out of the year.
Month one starts in April.
"There is a football program called Gridiron that is held every week from April to July," Mayhair said. "It starts at kindergarten and it goes all the way up until eighth grade. It's a flag football league and it's a lot of fun."
Mayhair coached the Gridiron kindergarten and first grade team last summer.
"Flag football is essentially non-contact," Mayhair said. "You do get accidental contact sometimes but in some leagues you get penalties for making contact.
"It's a really good way to get your kid introduced to the sport," he said. "Everybody gets to learn the catching and throwing mechanics because there isn't really any lineman in flag football. You learn how to do drills, cuts and agility — the sport focuses on those aspects. I had a blast with it and I think the kids loved it too. They come out just full of energy and it was a lot of fun."
Once the Gridiron program wrapped, it was on to tackle football for Mayhair.
"Tackle football is full contact — you have all of the gear on, helmet, shoulder pads everything like that— everybody is running at each other," Mayhair said. "It's full-on football."
The 2024 season marked Mayhair's first season at the helm of Jamestown's fifth and sixth grade tackle football program. Prior to becoming the head coach of the tackle program, Mayhair acted as an assistant coach on defense.
"I really enjoy spending my time with the kids," Mayhair said. "I grew up as a football person and actually went through this program myself. I want these kids to have a good time coming into football and make sure that they are learning the things they have to learn but also are having a good time and enjoying the game."
Practices for the fifth and sixth grade season usually begins in late August. The teams will practice three times a week at the Hillcrest Softball Complex. The competitive season runs through the middle of October. Mayhair said Jamestown's fifth and sixth grade teams played games against Valley City, Edgeley and Carrington last year. Mayhair said some other towns are tentatively on the schedule for this coming fall.
Mayhair said he shoots to play games on Saturday mornings but said depending on the week and opponent, games may be held during the week. Game location is dependent on field availability.
Jamestown's fifth and sixth grade teams also played each other throughout the year. The teams ended the year with a round-robin tournament that Mayhair coined "The Retro Bowl." The tournament was played at Charlotte and Gordon Hansen Stadium.
"That was a lot of fun," Mayhair said of The Retro Bowl. "We plan on bringing that back this year."
Mayhair said there were 68 kids in the tackle football program last fall which was enough for four teams. In 2023, the program only had enough participants to warrant two teams.
Mayhair said as the season gets closer, flyers advertising the program will be sent through the schools. The program is also advertised on Facebook. The cost to participate in tackle football is $150 per child.
Some people might have the question, "Can my fourth grader play?"
"In the past we've tried to open it up to third or fourth grade kids but our practices are an hour and a half long and the size difference — even between fourth and fifth graders — there is a large difference and you kind of get into some safety issues," Mayhair said. "Fifth and sixth grade is the peak where kids can physically and mentally take on the tackle aspect of football."
What about girls?
"I highly encourage girls to — if they want to come out — come out," Mayhair said. "I have had boys trying to get their sisters to play. It's like yeah, come on out, we'll throw some pads on ya. Football is for everyone.
"If people want to sign their kids up for football, I think it is a great sport to get involved in," he said. "If they are hesitant they can always reach out to me or any coaches they know. We're open to answer any questions you may have."
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Month one starts in April.
"There is a football program called Gridiron that is held every week from April to July," Mayhair said. "It starts at kindergarten and it goes all the way up until eighth grade. It's a flag football league and it's a lot of fun."
Mayhair coached the Gridiron kindergarten and first grade team last summer.
"Flag football is essentially non-contact," Mayhair said. "You do get accidental contact sometimes but in some leagues you get penalties for making contact.
"It's a really good way to get your kid introduced to the sport," he said. "Everybody gets to learn the catching and throwing mechanics because there isn't really any lineman in flag football. You learn how to do drills, cuts and agility — the sport focuses on those aspects. I had a blast with it and I think the kids loved it too. They come out just full of energy and it was a lot of fun."
Once the Gridiron program wrapped, it was on to tackle football for Mayhair.
"Tackle football is full contact — you have all of the gear on, helmet, shoulder pads everything like that— everybody is running at each other," Mayhair said. "It's full-on football."
The 2024 season marked Mayhair's first season at the helm of Jamestown's fifth and sixth grade tackle football program. Prior to becoming the head coach of the tackle program, Mayhair acted as an assistant coach on defense.
"I really enjoy spending my time with the kids," Mayhair said. "I grew up as a football person and actually went through this program myself. I want these kids to have a good time coming into football and make sure that they are learning the things they have to learn but also are having a good time and enjoying the game."
Practices for the fifth and sixth grade season usually begins in late August. The teams will practice three times a week at the Hillcrest Softball Complex. The competitive season runs through the middle of October. Mayhair said Jamestown's fifth and sixth grade teams played games against Valley City, Edgeley and Carrington last year. Mayhair said some other towns are tentatively on the schedule for this coming fall.
Mayhair said he shoots to play games on Saturday mornings but said depending on the week and opponent, games may be held during the week. Game location is dependent on field availability.
Jamestown's fifth and sixth grade teams also played each other throughout the year. The teams ended the year with a round-robin tournament that Mayhair coined "The Retro Bowl." The tournament was played at Charlotte and Gordon Hansen Stadium.
"That was a lot of fun," Mayhair said of The Retro Bowl. "We plan on bringing that back this year."
Mayhair said there were 68 kids in the tackle football program last fall which was enough for four teams. In 2023, the program only had enough participants to warrant two teams.
Mayhair said as the season gets closer, flyers advertising the program will be sent through the schools. The program is also advertised on Facebook. The cost to participate in tackle football is $150 per child.
Some people might have the question, "Can my fourth grader play?"
"In the past we've tried to open it up to third or fourth grade kids but our practices are an hour and a half long and the size difference — even between fourth and fifth graders — there is a large difference and you kind of get into some safety issues," Mayhair said. "Fifth and sixth grade is the peak where kids can physically and mentally take on the tackle aspect of football."
What about girls?
"I highly encourage girls to — if they want to come out — come out," Mayhair said. "I have had boys trying to get their sisters to play. It's like yeah, come on out, we'll throw some pads on ya. Football is for everyone.
"If people want to sign their kids up for football, I think it is a great sport to get involved in," he said. "If they are hesitant they can always reach out to me or any coaches they know. We're open to answer any questions you may have."
Continue reading...
