Ramblings from Day 1
Aug. 18, 2008 @ 9:10 p.m. by Joannaby joanna
I spent the afternoon out at Kapaun Mount Carmel’s practice today and it was very interesting. I spend a lot of my time joking around with coaches, but that just can’t happen at practice — especially the first day of practice. The coaches were obviously enjoying themselves, and they were as ultra-intense as you would expect from any football coach. Especially on that first day of practice. At about 4 p.m., one of the coaches yelled, “Come on, sprint there, we’ve only got an hour left to practice!”
I was surprised to no end to see Mike Gehrer out there in a Kapaun T-shirt. He’s now an assistant at Kapaun, after several years away from coaching football. (He was the former coach at Collegiate).
There were several dads and one grandpa out watching the action. One grandpa talked about how hard his grandson has been working this summer.
It was kind of crazy at one point watching the Crusaders doing jumping jacks and say, “We are K-A-P-A-U-N” as a jet flew over very low, drowning out the players.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Gehrer pimps himself out, chases what he thinks is the next metro area winner.
Film at -11.
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August 19th, 2008 at 2:39 am
Mike doesn’t need to pimp anything out or chase anything. Do you even know the man. He is hell of a coach. I do not think he has anything to prove. He has already done that. I hope they win every game but one- the first won. My son plays for NW. Sorry, Mike. LOL
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August 19th, 2008 at 8:38 am
If you know anything Gehrer played for and was a star player for Kapaun. Who do you think he played for? Coach Ed K. need we say more.
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August 19th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Flim at 11:
You are so wrong on this. I have not personally met this man, but I have the opportunity to talk to a lot people from many different schools and I have NEVER heard one negative thing said about him. Kapaun is lucky to have such a coach helping out!
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August 19th, 2008 at 9:31 am
This blog never fails to surprise me. First I saw that there were a lot of responses in the late evening Monday and early the morning. I think I need to start posting each morning at 5.
Second, I never thought I’d see someone call out Mike Gehrer. About blew my mind. Gehrer was at Collegiate from 1990-2004. He took over as the fourth coach in four years, took a program that was oh-fer the year before he came and turned it into a 6-3 team. He had one losing season, his second, when he was 4-5, still winning more games than the previous four years before he took over. He also won two 3A titles, and was one of the classiest guys I’ve ever worked with.
I certainly don’t know if he’s perfect, but I know he was never snarky or smarmy, I trusted him about things concerning my job — even when they were difficult for him to have to talk to me about.
Now, if you have a problem with Mike, fine, but I’m not sure how he’s pimping himself out and chasing the next metro winner. He was at Collegiate for an awful long time, and now he’s with a Kapaun program that isn’t picked in the top three of the City League.
I guess I’m missing something.
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August 19th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Coach Gehrer is one of the most postitive and motivational people there is when it comes to dealing with kids and sports. I took both my daughters to his softball catching camps for years back when he still had them at collegiate. I looked forward to going every year and hardly ever missed staying at a session,just to listen to what Coach had to say. He has such a way with dealing with kids of all ages always postive and upbeat. I still have one daughter in high school and she never missses his preseason work out camps in Jan. and Feb. Good luck at Kapaun Coach Geher you are one of the best.
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August 19th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Having seen Mike in action, coaching my older son and now training my younger ones, I know he is certainly Not perfect. He has his issues and I have heard him ‘do his thing,’ bringing players to tears (90 degree weather, encouraging them as a coach would) and angering parents (their child didn’t make first string, etc..), but my husband and I have come to understand that it’s more about him caring about his players and trying to push them out of their comfort zone to give their all, to help them move towards success. He is a tough, yet caring and awesome trainer. He pushes my young boys but they love it, learn, and always want to go back for more.
As far as him pimping himself out, I doubt it. (It’s his old school) How many pros have you seen retire and then come out of retirement because they love the game?? Again, no one is perfect but Mike is certainly a helluva coach. My opinion is it’s all for the love of the game.
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August 19th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
in response to film at 11— u must not know mike.if u did u would never say that he is pimping himself out.my guess is that in fact u were pimped out at one time n your life and u r still bitter over it.
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August 20th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Slim you said it all . He does it for the love of the game and being around the kids. He’s got coaching and teaching in his blood and thats something you can’t just walk away from. It’s really a insult to coach Gehrer when some one says he’s just pimping his self out.
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