"Tweet!"

Coach Alex Van Dyke, a former NFL wide-receiver and All-American at the University of Nevada, Reno and the operating owner of AVD's Going Vertical!, blows his whistle (Alex loves his whistle!) to rally the Game Plan Academy (GPA) student-athletes to huddle up.

"GPA on three. One. Two. Three. GPA!"

Coach Gio Carmazzi, a former NFL quarterback and National Scholar-Athlete at Hofstra University, leads the weekly GPA huddle cheer to conclude the football session during week four of eight this past Sunday, marking the half-way point of GPA.

"Half-time!"

Energy, enthusiasm, and excitement levels were high this past Sunday at GPA as student-athletes relished their opportunity to train as one large group in the football stadium (*see camp photos above) at Hiram Johnson High School, GPA's gracious host. Displaying deft touch on their throws, leaping for balls high in the air, and pushing their bodies physically to stretch their conditioning abilities, GPA student-athletes put on quite a fabulous, entertaining show this past week. Parents, community members, and mentors in attendance were thoroughly impressed by this athletic display.

Following this fantastic football session, students enjoyed a healthy lunch while listening and responding to Joe Thomas's interactive workshop on how to be a 'Triple Impact Competitor'--a component of the Positive Coaching Alliance's curriculum.

When the day concluded, GPA reached 'half-time' successfully.

After the Easter break this Sunday, GPA will embark upon its final four weeks, starting back up on April 19th, running every Sunday until the final week on May 10th. With Marty McNeal, one of Sacramento's most well-respected sports journalists, speaking at the GPA graduation ceremony, the final four weeks of GPA promise to provide lots of positive, valuable life lessons for all those involved.

In many sports, from soccer to basketball, half-time represents an important opportunity for players and coaches to reflect on the 'first half' and then develop a Game Plan for achieving success in the 'second half '. In this light, the Game Plan Academy mentorship team will spend the next ten days reflecting and 'game-planning' for the second half of GPA to ensure that each week provides GPA's student-athletes with valuable, empowering experiences. At the same time, GPA student-athletes will utilize this time to rest up, train individually or with teammates, enjoy time with their families, and strategize ways to make the most of their remaining weeks at GPA.

We look forward to seeing community members, especially local coaches and educators, out at Hiram Johnson on April 19th, from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM, watching this grassroots program in action.

Contact Brent Pottenger at (916) 955-1892 or at info@gameplanacademy.com if you are interested in donating to GPA. You can find more information on our Web site, www.GamePlanAcademy.com, as well. Thanks!