'MIAC Camp Tour' kicks off

By Matt Higgins, MIAC

It's that time of year again!

The time when student-athletes across the MIAC begin showing up on campus full of anticipation for the start of a new sports season and school year. The time when all the hard work during the off-season begins to manifest itself. The time when teams come together and really start working toward those common goals.

Also, it's that time of year where the MIAC office hits the road to get a first-hand look at how teams around the conference are preparing for the start of the season. This unofficially started two years ago, in 2013, when I visited Saint John's practice for a story I was working on, and enjoyed it so much I worked in a few other stops.

Last year, I took it a step further by hitting all nine MIAC football camps, with a blog and a video from each stop, and wrapped it up with a story and video to serve as a springboard into the 2015 season.

This year, I'm hitting the road again, starting tomorrow. Between Aug. 18-26 I'll again hit all nine MIAC football practices and plan to file my observations and a behind-the-scenes look at training camp from each stop. Below is my tentative Camp Tour schedule, and expect social media posts that day from each stop, and a blog and video to follow a day or two later.

2015 MIAC FOOTBALL CAMP TOUR

Tuesday, Aug. 18 - Gustavus - St. Peter, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 19 - Bethel - Arden Hills, Minn.

Thursday, Aug. 20 - Augsburg - Minneapolis, Minn.

Friday, Aug. 21 - St. Olaf and Carleton - Northfield, Minn.

 Monday, Aug. 24 - St. Thomas - St. Paul, Minn.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 - Hamline - St. Paul, Minn.

Wednesday, Aug. 26 - Saint John's and Concordia - Collegeville and Moorhead, Minn.

However, we have exciting news regarding this "Camp Tour" idea. We're doubling down on the concept this fall, and are happy to introduce our first-ever MIAC Volleyball Camp Tour as well! Our new intern, Kelsey Whaley, joined us in early August, and she's excited to start visiting campuses and filing similar reports from as many volleyball teams as she can visit in the next two weeks. In future years, we're hoping to rotate among the fall sports and get men's and women's soccer and maybe even golf and cross country involved as well.

A huge thanks in advance to the coaches, student-athletes and sports information directors for accommodating us and allowing us to get an all-access look at their teams before they line up for their first games and matches of the year!

If you have any pressing questions you'd like asked on our Camp Tours or anything you're particularly interested in seeing, let us know on Twitter at @MIACathletics, or leave a comment at the end of this blog. We can't wait to see the latest crop of MIAC student-athletes in action, and we're excited to help promote their hard work as they prepare for another great season on the field and on the court.

Before we kick off the 2015 tour, let's take a look back at the highlights from 2014's trip around the MIAC!