The planning<\/em><\/p>\nAccepting the bid put the athletic department right to work. A trip halfway across the country would need ironclad itineraries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will do whatever we need to do to make sure they get that opportunity,\u201d said Hudson Valley director of athletics Kristan Pelletier. \u201cWe have a national tournament account, as well as a fund balance. We always have funds set aside, but as I like to say, \u2018If you can\u2019t afford to be in the business, get out of it.\u2019 Football is a part of our business.\u201d<\/p>\n
First and foremost, the Vikings had to find a way to Hutchinson. A bus ride would take about 22 hours. That would have additional costs, too, such as longer hotel stays and more meals. Instead, Hudson Valley decided to charter a plane through Southwest Airlines.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough it wasn\u2019t the most cost-effective, logistically, we decided the best way to get here was to charter everybody out here, that way we weren\u2019t at the mercy of available seats or people taking different flights,\u201d Muehling said.<\/p>\n
There are also academics. School does not stop for a bowl game.<\/p>\n
Hoyt said each player maintains a minimum 2.0 GPA; otherwise, they become ineligible. Athletes were told to meet with instructors to create a plan to make up any missed classwork during bowl week. Professors have been accommodating to the athletes, understanding this is a rare opportunity.<\/p>\n
Hudson Valley wide receiver Chris Osterman said he and his teammates committed to finishing any academics they could early this week, clearing time for football.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t let it slide \u2013 we still have to do the work \u2013 but they definitely gave us extensions,\u201d Osterman said. \u201cThey said, \u2018Hey, when you get back, it\u2019s due.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n
The hotel and suggested meals were provided by Hutchinson, easing the logistics. Pelletier prepared backup plans for potential hiccups \u2013 a player hospitalized, disciplinary concerns, supervision \u2013 and breathes a little sigh of relief knowing each day brings the Vikings closer to a football game.<\/p>\n
The send-off<\/em><\/p>\nMuehling handed out checklists to his players on Tuesday. Pack cleats. Jerseys. Gloves. Shoulder pads. He made them double-check on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always worry about that because we\u2019ve done it all year long. I can\u2019t tell you how many games we\u2019ve gotten to and a kid comes up, \u2018I didn\u2019t bring a helmet. I didn\u2019t bring shoulder pads.\u2019 We\u2019re a little bit different in that we don\u2019t pack everything for the kids,\u201d Muehling said. \u201cHopefully they\u2019ve brought everything, but then we also make sure to bring plenty of extras.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wednesday was a busy day for the Vikings. It started with a send-off party at Hudson Valley.<\/p>\n
The president of the university spoke, and the bowl announcement video was shown. Fans lined up to show support. There was music, pictures and interviews.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe president of the college invited the faculty and staff, encouraged them to come and wear their green and white Viking gear. The students were encouraged to come, as well, out of their class \u2013 a lot of teachers brought them over,\u201d Hoyt said. \u201cYou could really see the joy in the student-athletes\u2019 faces.\u201d<\/p>\n
Soon after, the team was bused to Albany, about a 10-minute drive from the college. Hudson Valley boarded the plane.<\/p>\n
The plane arrived in Wichita on Wednesday evening, with buses on the tarmac, ready to transport the squad to its hotel in Hutchinson.<\/p>\n
The temporary home<\/em><\/p>\nThursday morning and early afternoon offered time to unwind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the jacuzzi a little bit, trying to get some relaxation in there,\u201d Osterman said. \u201cOther than that, we\u2019re going to try to stay out of trouble, stay in the hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some players wandered. There may be a trip over to the Hutchinson Mall, or the movie theater, or the Underground Salt Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve found, at least with our kids, the best situation for us when we have free time, provide them things they are able to do and able to attend, but not required to,\u201d Muehling said.<\/p>\n
Some may not go anywhere at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found it\u2019s a little bit better to let some of these kids bring their PlayStation or XBox with them and relax in their room and play with their friends,\u201d Muehling said. \u201cIn fact, I know one of my coaches went out and purchased a PS4 the day before we left (for a Madden tournament).\u201d<\/p>\n
But there is a football game upcoming. Thursday evening included a practice, and this morning will as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity we don\u2019t take lightly,\u201d said Hudson Valley defensive lineman Sean Copeland.<\/p>\n
The game<\/em><\/p>\nSaturday, Hudson Valley will take the field for the first time in more than a month.<\/p>\n
Practices here in Hutchinson will strictly focus on fundamentals and some individual drills. The team practices were completed in earnest before the Vikings ever boarded a plane for Kansas.<\/p>\n
Muehling wants his team adapted to its new surroundings by game time. No jet lag, no wondering about field conditions, no whining about the change in time zones. This is an away game, but the intricacies should not come as a surprise on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat way, there is no apprehension, no tension, no excuses for the kids when Saturday comes around,\u201d Muehling said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Published:<\/strong>\u00a0Fri, 05 Dec 2014 13:28:03 +0000 by\u00a0d.gardner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Hutchinson (Kansas) News welcomed Hudson Valley Community College’s football team with the following article: Hudson Valley has whirlwind…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chronicle.hvcc.edu\/wpdev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}