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Out of the gate
9/4/08 - Rantoul, Illinois
The first practice - the official launching point of the college football season for the Fighting Illini. In the sweltering heat of Rantoul, Illinois the 2008 Illini took to the field for a spirited workout. We were on the practice field for most of the afternoon - and were very impressed with the brisk pace of practice.
Be sure to check out my pictures from camp.
The heat and humidity were as hot as I've experienced since spending a week in Tulsa, OK in June of 2001. Despite the conditions Coach Zook and his energetic staff led the first practice of what promises to be a long 3 weeks for the players. None of the players wilted in the hot weather but they were thrilled to jump in the cold tub after practice.
Our day began early as we followed one of the student managers whose job it is to sound the air horn to awaken the players at 6:30 a.m.. We also got to witness Coach Zook's morning workout - very impressive considering the early wake-up call.
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Here comes camp
9/3/08 - Rantoul, Illinois
Camp Rantoul is almost underway. We arrived last night and spent today shooting a lot of the calm before the storm scenics as well as interviews with Coach Zook, Juice Williams, Brit Miller, Rejus Benn, Will Davis and Ryan McDonald.
My first impression of Camp Rantoul is that it is all about football. The rooms are located next to the fields and I'm struck by the business-like approach of the Illini. It is clear that they are here for a purpose.
The other thing that struck me was how many people are involved with the Illini program. From the 100+ players and coaches, to the support staff there are a lot of people here and plenty of stories to tell.
We are about to head out to shoot the team dinner and meeting - and then we will call it a night - as we have a long day ahead tomorrow.
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Full-court Press
7/29/08 – Chicago, IL
This morning, I was interviewed by John Supinie, a writer from GateHouse – a news service that covers the Decatur and Springfield region in Illinois. He was writing a story about "Illinois Football: The Journey" and wanted to ask me a few questions about how the show is produced – such as how many tapes we shot during the Minnesota show (approximately 250 tapes – each tape is 33 minutes long) and how many hours of editing goes into each episode (approximately 60 edit hours per 30 minute show).
No word yet on when the story will run – but hopefully it will help make people in that Illini-friendly region aware that we are doing this show.
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Blast from the Past
7/28/08 – Mankato, MN
I traveled to Minnesota Vikings Training Camp today to interview former Illinois great J Leman, who is trying to earn a spot as an undrafted free agent with the Vikings. For the first episode of the show I wanted to get a perspective from an Illini player that isn't on the team this year, someone who could put into perspective how special a season last year was yet could also talk about the challenges and opportunities that this year's squad will face.
The loquacious Leman was a fine choice. I have encountered few athletes during my time as a producer who are as entertaining to listen to as Leman is – and his interview will help make the first show a memorable one. We will begin shooting with the Illini as they arrive at Camp Rantoul on August 3.
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Media Day
7/24/08 – Chicago, IL
Today was Big Ten Media Day in Chicago – and the Illini sent Coach Zook, seniors Ryan McDonald and Brit Miller and junior Juice Williams to the event. I got a chance to speak with McDonald, Miller and Juice – all three of whom figure to be major contributors both on the field and to The Journey.
Miller is particularly interesting as he has a very outgoing personality and a sense of humor. I'm sure that he will be one of the players that we follow closely this season.
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First Step of The Journey…
7/21/08 – Champaign, IL
It is hard to believe that it has already been four months since we concluded shooting "Minnesota Basketball: The Journey" – and that we are ready to take the first steps in our second edition of The Journey franchise – 2008 Illinois Football.
Today, a contingent from our production team traveled to Champaign to meet Coach Zook and some other members of his staff. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Cassie Arner, the school's Football Sports Information Director at Illinois, and she gave us a tour of the impressive football facilities in Champaign as well as quick peek at the ongoing renovations at Memorial Stadium.
While Memorial Stadium is not yet done we could already see the signs of how the renovations will really add to the gameday experience. Other highlights of our visit included a trip to the equipment room where we got a chance to see the throwback jerseys the Illini will wear at their first home game on September 6th as well as a chance to converse briefly with Coach Zook on the veranda that is attached to his office and overlooks Memorial Field – quite a view!
Later, we had dinner with Coach Zook, Cassie, Adrian Melendez (Director of Football Operations) and Derek Neal (Assistant Sports Information Director) where we discussed the upcoming season and our vision for the show. Everyone walked away pleased with the exchange of ideas – and began looking forward to the beginning of our filming at Camp Rantoul.
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Tues., Sept. 2: Details to come.
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Come back after Week 1
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Producer photos from Illinois training camp.
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