I’ve never been a camper. I don’t like the idea of ‘roughing it’ for the sake of team-building and experiencing the outdoors. Sure, I’ll hike, bike, swim, but give me a lodge to relax in at the end of the night or it’s no dice. Let’s hope the Sun Devil footballers don’t share that sentiment.
August 14th-18th marks the first time since 2007 that the Sun Devils have graced the gridiron up at Camp Tontozona. The total cost for such an endeavor? $150,000 – just under the $160,000 that the team raised through various fundraising efforts under the banner of a “Return To Camp T” campaign. More than 500 individual donors contributed, and the White Mountain Sun Devil Club Alumni chapter matched $65,000 worth of donations received after May 2nd. That’s a lot of money to send a team to Payson, AZ – where cell phone reception is spotty at best, and August festivities typically consist of fiddling festivals and a ‘never-ending’ rodeo. But, that just might be part of Coach Graham’s plan – get the team away from the city, away from distractions, and to a place that is steeped in that great ‘T’ word: tradition.
Establishing a new tradition is top of mind for Graham and ASU’s Vice President of Athletics Steve Patterson. Sun Devil football has long been considered by some as a sleeping giant in college football, and the new leadership wants to expand the good and eliminate (or at least forget) the bad. The first priority is getting a young team to bond under new coaching (and a new set of expectations for behavior and performance, on and off the field). Camp Tontozona fits perfectly into this plan, as does the scheduled guest appearance by legendary ASU coach (and the namesake of Sun Devil Stadium’s field) Frank Kush. The philosophy of getaway camps for group-cohesion dictates that isolation and togetherness forge strong teams. Does a strongly connected team win more football games? Let’s hope so.
Another key component to the Camp Tontozona experience (and larger piece of strategic planning on behalf of Patterson and ASU) is the fan support. Former players have been interviewed, fans have been interviewed, and nearly all are singing the praises of the team’s return to the North. With the new coach and new athletic director, ASU Athletics (football in particular) has become a primary focus of the university. Which not only means getting more people to games, it means changing the fan culture of the university. Fans leaving at halftime to get to Mill Avenue before the post-game crowd? Not if Todd Graham has a say in it. Granted, tailgating in 107 degree heat can take its toll, but ASU wants its fan base to be hardcore – get there early, stay late, and protect this house (as the shirts of my college years used to say). While the fans don’t have a part in Camp Tontozona (aside from attending the scrimmage on the last day), it’s being viewed as a foundation to a successful season. And, after all, that’s what the fans want.
Sidenote: I may have been mistaken about Bercovici’s swagger gaining him the starting role under center; Taylor Kelly has been the #1 QB for the past week. I’ll fully admit to being wrong if the Sun Devils rout NAU with Kelly as the starter on August 30th. Until then, we’ll see.
