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Bearcats to Visit Paramount's Kings Island
WEST HARRISON, Ohio - The Bearcats reached the dog days of preseason football training camp, but a couple of non-football activities should alleviate the hum-drum of the practice sessions.
The UC gridders completed their 12th day of drill and their 17th practice session on Saturday at their off-campus training site at the Higher Ground Conference Center with visits from family and friends at the annual Family Day. Head coach Mark Dantonio then gave the team all of Sunday off from practice. The Bearcats will spend a good part of the day at the Paramount Kings Island theme park.
"I think we accomplished a lot today," stated Dantonio. "We had a lot of parents and families who saw practice today and that was nice. We went live for a few snaps and there was a lot of emotion out there today. Today's practice dictated how much we practice tomorrow.
"Family Day was started before I came to Cincinnati, but we have continued the Family Day tradition," Dantonio added. "This is the third year I have seen this day and we have close to 300 people here today. Other than our banquet, this is probably the biggest event for the families all year."
The trip to Kings Island is a feature that Dantonio installed as a break to the preseason monotony. The Bearcats will be at the park, beginning at approximately 1 p.m. where they will ride the rides and interact with fans. The players will sign autographs, and as a switch, ask others to sign their t-shirts with a team contest to see who can collect the most signatures. The intent, according to Dantonio, is to see how many people the players can reach out and touch during the excursion.
Practice resumes Monday with a pair of practices as preparations for the Sept. 2 home opener vs. Eastern Kentucky continue.