Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Endure Downpour
8/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 12, 2004
Practice No. 3:
While the Demon Deacon football squad is getting early physical and mental tests on the practice fields, the new surfaces themselves passed a major test with flying colors on Thursday. Tropical depression Bonnie dumped almost four inches of rain during the afternoon, but the Deacons endured the torrential downpour on the new practice fields. During a one-hour period, three inches of rain fell and the showers continued throughout the afternoon.
Nonetheless, the team practiced without interruption while major street flooding caused havoc all over Winston-Salem and surrounding areas. The heavy rains had virtually no effect on the new FieldTurf surface despite the three-hour practice session.
Quoting Head Coach Jim Grobe on playing through the heavy rain storm:
"Our kids thought we were crazy to try to play through it, but we did. Once the rain slowed down, the field dried up very quickly and I thought we got a lot accomplished today. More than anything else, we're just learning how to practice against each other and I think we're making good progress."
On The Sideline:
Fifth-year senior Joe Salsich again sat out of practice. On Wednesday, Salsich wore a protective boot over his ankle. Today, however, the boot was gone and the offensive guard is considered day-to-day.
Upcoming Practice Schedule:
Practice continues Friday on the campus fields with a 2:30 p.m. session. Looking ahead, Sunday's practice has been moved from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Here is the team's practice schedule for the next couple days:
Friday, August 13 2:30-5:45 p.m. (Campus Field) Saturday, August 14 2:30-5:45 p.m. (Campus Field) Sunday, August 15 3:30-6:45 p.m. (Campus Field)Player Q&A's on the Web:
Visit www.WakeForestSports.com for the latest information on the Deacon football team. In addition to all press releases and practice reports, a Q&A series with Deacon football players will be posted on a regular basis. On Tuesday, redshirt freshman Jonathan Abbate led off the series on Wednesday.
