The season winds are picking up as the DC Breeze held its Open Tryouts February 24th at Dunbar High School in downtown Washington, DC. More than 65 players came out in the rainy but warm enough weather for the opportunity to join the Breeze for its sixth year playing in the AUDL. The talent has increased every year at these annual tryouts, and 2018 was absolutely no exception.
See many more photos in the Tryouts Photo Gallery
These players, ranging from talented high school students to seasoned club veterans, worked with and against each other to showcase their skills and levels of experience, attempting to prove to the coaching staff why they deserve to be a Breeze athlete. After participating in a grueling five hour tryout, only some will advance to next week’s first closed minicamp as Head Coach Darryl Stanley aims to fine tune his roster.
The team gives a special thanks to esteemed guest Dan Black, MedStar’s sports performance expert based right here in DC, who presented vital training and injury prevention information to the entire group before leading everyone in the warmups.
For those already signed it was a chance to work out with the best in town while assisting with the tryouts, watching over drills and also participating in many of them so they could best gauge who deserves a spot on the roster. With the Breeze having come so close to the top spot in the East Division these past few years, this team wants to win even more. Individual skills and talents are important, but also the ability to work together as a cohesive unit is important to winning games and establishing a true winner in 2018.
DC knows it will be prepared and ready for all battles, both at home and away. With less than a month and a half until Opening Night April 7 when the team hosts Montréal, there is little room for mistakes. Players will be chosen, train as a team, and prep for exciting victories in front of the growing fan base. If you have not bought your tickets yet, get them now because 2018 will be an explosive year full of epic layouts, awesome sky catches, and hopefully both big and nail biting wins.
Story by Charles Naurath
See many more photos here: Tryouts Photo Gallery