Training camp missing something
The Albany Firewolves of the National Lacrosse League will open their first training camp this weekend at Times Union Center without any coaches because of visa issues.
Firewolves coach Glenn Clark and assistants Clem D’orazio and Darryl Gibson, who all live in the Toronto area, haven’t received their P-1 visas for those coming to the United States for an athletic competition.
There will be 27 Firewolves players at TU Center, including Canadians who have gotten their visas. Team captains Brett Manney, John Lafontaine, Reilly O’connor, Joe Resetarits and Adam Bomberry will run the practices this weekend, Clark said.
“We’re unable to cross (the border),” Clark said. “We’ve had meetings all week with our captains and done our practice plan. Everything’s run as per usual. We’re going to videotape the sessions. We just won’t be there running them ... It’s what we’re dealing with. It’s a COVID world and things have been a lot more complicated this year, but it’ll be OK. We’ve got good people in place. The plan is there, the structure is there.”
The Firewolves are holding an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at TU Center for fans to come to the arena, watch practice and select seats for the 2021-22 season.
“It’s just another bump in the road,” said Resetartis, a Ualbany graduate, on the coaches’ absence. “We’d rather get it out of the way early before it happens during the season. There could be a lot worse things that could’ve happened. It’s our first weekend. We’re going to go out there and work. We’ve got to utilize the floor time when we have it.”
Firewolves president George Manias noted his team is in better shape than some other NLL franchises that are having trouble getting players over the border.
The Firewolves open the regular season on Dec. 4 at the Toronto Rock and hold their home opener on Dec. 18 against the Rochester Knighthawks at TU Center.
“The good is for us, all our players are able to (come) and it’s just our coaches’ situation, which will be rectified prior to the season, probably, realistically next week, most likely,” Manias said. “It’s just the timing of the expedited rush didn’t happen by training camp. It’s basically the P-1s and just getting guys legalized to work in the United States because the majority of guys are Canadian, and all of our coaches are Canadian.”
So is the Firewolves’ athletic training staff. Orthony will provide trainers this weekend.
Clark pointed out some of his players haven’t played in 18 months because of the pandemic, so the team will come back slowly this weekend. They planned to have a team dinner on Friday. They’ll undergo physicals on Saturday morning, then hold two practices on Saturday and another one on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s almost going to be a shootaround type thing,” Clark said of the first Saturday practice. “Get guys moving again, traveling in space, getting their sticks working, not really pushing them too hard from a physical standpoint. It’s going to be more about getting acclimated back to the game.”
After this weekend, the Firewolves will continue their training camp near Hamilton, Ontario, at Iroquois Lacrosse Arena the following three weekends and then play an exhibition game against the Knighthawks in Rochester.
Clark explained it was important to have the first weekend of training camp at TU Center, even though the coaches can’t be there. The Firewolves will be practicing on brand-new turf installed in the arena.
“A couple of reasons,” Clark said. “One reason is, the league mandates you have to have entry physicals for training camp that have to be performed by your team doctors. Two is, you have media day and all the stuff that’s important in market, video for season ads. And to get acclimated to the building, the city and people like yourself (the media) and everything else.”
Because of COVID restrictions at the border, Clark still hasn’t been able to visit TU Center since the Firewolves relocated from Mohegan Sun over the winter. Manias has sent him videos of the interior, including the locker rooms.
“It’s incredibly frustrating,” Clark said. “I’m supposed to be on a plane right now heading down. It’s been a frustrating 18 months for everybody. It’s tough getting stuff done.”