TicketsBy Dan Hoard
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI – In the never-ending quest to win championships and appeal to recruits, the UC football program unveiled a secret weapon last week: The inflatable obstacle course.
You know, the type of thing you might see at an elementary school fundraiser where the kids crawl through tunnels and climb up walls before gliding down a slide toward the finish line.
It was part of a "carnival" orchestrated by strength and conditioning coach Brady Collins to wrap-up winter conditioning workouts before the start of spring football.
"I scared them," Collins said with a grin. "I told them it was going to be the hardest thing and all this stuff. I had the lights off and put them in the garage. Then we opened up the practice bubble, hit the lights, and they saw all the inflatables and just went nuts."
In addition to the obstacle course, there was also a bouncy battle ring with giant paddles, a dunk tank, and much more.
"Brady and his guys are pretty creative," said Coach Fickell. "I'm not the creative mind by any means. The great thing about this one is that nobody knew. Not a single coach knew."
The team also staged a dunk contest at Fifth Third Arena won by safety James Wiggins. It was all meant to be a "thank you" to the players for their hard work in the weight room.
"They worked their tails off and had great attitudes so we want to have some fun," said Fickell.
"Being able to do that means that we're working hard and being rewarded for what we're doing," said tight end Josh Whyle. "They understand that we're trying our best."
"It's a big family thing and a big brotherhood thing," said running back Michael Warren.
Cincinnati's "work hard/play hard" message is also going out to recruits as the football program's director of new media Kelsey Sharkey posted videos of the carnival on social media.
"We're showing them that we're not only pushing you hard mentally, physically, and emotionally, but we also love to have fun," said Collins. "I think recruits need to see that. They need to see that it's not always a grind."
"(The recruiting benefit) is one of those things that I don't think as much about," said Fickell. "Then all of the sudden you see a video and you say, 'Hey, I want to make sure that they see what we're doing.' We work really hard and have incredible expectations and we're going to grind it out, but we're going to have some fun doing it as well. And nobody's off limits."
Including the head coach.
The carnival concluded with a one-on-one race through the obstacle course between Fickell and Collins.
"That was the finisher which I thought was pretty cool and unique," said Collins. "Everywhere I've ever been I've never seen the head coach and the strength coach go at it. Deep down I was like, 'Heck yeah I'll do it,' because I'm competitive and I know he's extremely competitive."
So who won?
"Coach Brady," said Warren. "But I applaud Coach Fick for going out there. Coach Fick is a big guy. He teaches us to be competitive and never back down so why would he?"
"It was fun," said Collins. "We got near the end and I felt an arm grab my leg and I thought, 'Oh no. The former big-time wrestler is going to put me in a suplex and I'm done.' Luckily with my speed I was able to outrun him. But he sends me a text every night saying that he's going to get me back somehow."
There was one other potential benefit from the carnival. Collins established ties with a local company that rents inflatables.
"Coach Fick's got six kids and I'm about to have my second here soon, so if we have a little party we know who to call," he said.
I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net
If you're on Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
// LOOKING AHEAD
UC opens the 2019 campaign against UCLA on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats finished 2018 with 11 or more wins for the third time in program history (2008, 2009) and knocked off Virginia Tech in the 2018 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. Looking ahead at 2019, UC is set to return more than 85% of its roster, over 5,000 yards of total offense, 10 of its Top-15 tacklers and 14 starters from the 2018 squad.
// SEASON TICKET DEPOSITS
New season ticket deposits for the 2019 season can be reserved for $50 per seat. The home schedule consists of matchups against UCLA, Miami (OH), UCF, Temple, Tulsa and UConn. Fans can reserve their seats prior to the public on-sale date of May 13, 2019.
Click HERE to make your deposit to join us in Nippert Stadium in 2019!
// TICKET RENEWALS
The football season ticket renewal period will take place from Feb. 11-March 31, 2019. If you purchased 2018 football season tickets, you will receive renewal information via email in early February. 2018 season ticket holders DO NOT need to place a 2019 deposit.
// STUDENT SEASON TICKETS
Student season tickets for football are on sale now at GoBEARCATS.com/tickets for a reduced rate of $60 ($10 per game) until May 3, 2019. Students who renew before the deadline will be entered into drawings for a pair of tickets for UC's game at Ohio State, two tickets to the Bearcats road game at Marshall, Under Armour gear and more! Students should visit the ticket website (GoBEARCATS.com/tickets) and log into their account and renew or purchase their seats today.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati football, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati football (@GoBearcatsFB) and Coach Fickell (@CoachFick) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI – In the never-ending quest to win championships and appeal to recruits, the UC football program unveiled a secret weapon last week: The inflatable obstacle course.
You know, the type of thing you might see at an elementary school fundraiser where the kids crawl through tunnels and climb up walls before gliding down a slide toward the finish line.
It was part of a "carnival" orchestrated by strength and conditioning coach Brady Collins to wrap-up winter conditioning workouts before the start of spring football.
"I scared them," Collins said with a grin. "I told them it was going to be the hardest thing and all this stuff. I had the lights off and put them in the garage. Then we opened up the practice bubble, hit the lights, and they saw all the inflatables and just went nuts."
In addition to the obstacle course, there was also a bouncy battle ring with giant paddles, a dunk tank, and much more.
"Brady and his guys are pretty creative," said Coach Fickell. "I'm not the creative mind by any means. The great thing about this one is that nobody knew. Not a single coach knew."
The team also staged a dunk contest at Fifth Third Arena won by safety James Wiggins. It was all meant to be a "thank you" to the players for their hard work in the weight room.
"They worked their tails off and had great attitudes so we want to have some fun," said Fickell.
"Being able to do that means that we're working hard and being rewarded for what we're doing," said tight end Josh Whyle. "They understand that we're trying our best."
"It's a big family thing and a big brotherhood thing," said running back Michael Warren.
Cincinnati's "work hard/play hard" message is also going out to recruits as the football program's director of new media Kelsey Sharkey posted videos of the carnival on social media.
"We're showing them that we're not only pushing you hard mentally, physically, and emotionally, but we also love to have fun," said Collins. "I think recruits need to see that. They need to see that it's not always a grind."
"(The recruiting benefit) is one of those things that I don't think as much about," said Fickell. "Then all of the sudden you see a video and you say, 'Hey, I want to make sure that they see what we're doing.' We work really hard and have incredible expectations and we're going to grind it out, but we're going to have some fun doing it as well. And nobody's off limits."
Including the head coach.
The carnival concluded with a one-on-one race through the obstacle course between Fickell and Collins.
"That was the finisher which I thought was pretty cool and unique," said Collins. "Everywhere I've ever been I've never seen the head coach and the strength coach go at it. Deep down I was like, 'Heck yeah I'll do it,' because I'm competitive and I know he's extremely competitive."
So who won?
"Coach Brady," said Warren. "But I applaud Coach Fick for going out there. Coach Fick is a big guy. He teaches us to be competitive and never back down so why would he?"
"It was fun," said Collins. "We got near the end and I felt an arm grab my leg and I thought, 'Oh no. The former big-time wrestler is going to put me in a suplex and I'm done.' Luckily with my speed I was able to outrun him. But he sends me a text every night saying that he's going to get me back somehow."
There was one other potential benefit from the carnival. Collins established ties with a local company that rents inflatables.
"Coach Fick's got six kids and I'm about to have my second here soon, so if we have a little party we know who to call," he said.
This week was all about having fun before getting back to work on the field tomorrow.
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) March 8, 2019
Looks like we did a pretty good job 🤷♂️#Bearcats pic.twitter.com/GTOMr6I3Xu
It's all fun and games until… wait - it actually IS all fun and games.
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) March 6, 2019
The #Bearcats swapped out mat drills for some carnival fun this morning. pic.twitter.com/5lYAv8yYXQ
That #FridayFeeling when spring ball is less than 2️⃣4️⃣ hours away!#Bearcats pic.twitter.com/tCN3dGVasA
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) March 8, 2019
Back by popular demand!
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) March 7, 2019
It's time for another #Bearcats football dunk contest.
👀 @jameswigg32 sets the bar early with a monster jam. pic.twitter.com/ngSoljxeB9
Hey @JoshWhyle81,
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) March 7, 2019
We all know this dunk isn't going to win.
But we still respect it. pic.twitter.com/woKsdEUWei
Don't sleep on @ajpierce00 🤫
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) March 7, 2019
The freshman is making some noise in this competition. pic.twitter.com/e600UXwTUk
I'd love to hear from you at Dan.Hoard@Bengals.nfl.net
If you're on Twitter, you can follow my tweets at http://twitter.com/Dan_Hoard
// LOOKING AHEAD
UC opens the 2019 campaign against UCLA on Thursday, Aug. 29 in Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats finished 2018 with 11 or more wins for the third time in program history (2008, 2009) and knocked off Virginia Tech in the 2018 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. Looking ahead at 2019, UC is set to return more than 85% of its roster, over 5,000 yards of total offense, 10 of its Top-15 tacklers and 14 starters from the 2018 squad.
// SEASON TICKET DEPOSITS
New season ticket deposits for the 2019 season can be reserved for $50 per seat. The home schedule consists of matchups against UCLA, Miami (OH), UCF, Temple, Tulsa and UConn. Fans can reserve their seats prior to the public on-sale date of May 13, 2019.
Click HERE to make your deposit to join us in Nippert Stadium in 2019!
// TICKET RENEWALS
The football season ticket renewal period will take place from Feb. 11-March 31, 2019. If you purchased 2018 football season tickets, you will receive renewal information via email in early February. 2018 season ticket holders DO NOT need to place a 2019 deposit.
// STUDENT SEASON TICKETS
Student season tickets for football are on sale now at GoBEARCATS.com/tickets for a reduced rate of $60 ($10 per game) until May 3, 2019. Students who renew before the deadline will be entered into drawings for a pair of tickets for UC's game at Ohio State, two tickets to the Bearcats road game at Marshall, Under Armour gear and more! Students should visit the ticket website (GoBEARCATS.com/tickets) and log into their account and renew or purchase their seats today.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati football, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati football (@GoBearcatsFB) and Coach Fickell (@CoachFick) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.