In this edition of SI Blitz we talk to former camper Casey McDonnell. Casey is a freshman center and long snapper for the Endicott College Gulls in Beverly, MA. The Gulls finished the season 9-3 and won the NEFC Conference Championship. He attended the New England Camp for eight years. It was the Sports International Football Camps that he credits for making him the football player he is today. In fact it was where he got his start.

Casey speaks highly of the people that coached him throughout his time at camp. It was coaches like Carl Tomie that made his time at camp great. "He was an awesome coach who made sure everyone was having a good time, but he still made sure there was a level of discipline and respect among the players. He didn't treat the camp like a camp, but rather an actual football team and it made the experience all the more better because guys were almost instantly coming together as a team with that kind of conduct coming from Coach Carl."

In addition to the high school and college coaches that are teaching at the camps, campers also get the valuable experience of learning from NFL players. Casey stated that his favorite player was Matt Light of the New England Patriots because of his fun attitude and helpful manner.

"It's unbelievable. It's weird because whenever I got tips from an NFL player, I would think to myself 'I'm getting coached up by a pro...SWEET!!' What was even better to me was when the pros gave you tips, you felt like you needed to pick it up a little more and you focused harder on doing whatever you were doing right because if the pro is telling you something, the fact that he is a pro would suggest that he knows what he's talking about."

Camp isn't just hard work, it's a place you can make lasting friendships. "A lot of kids do it for a year or two, but it was the others who kept on coming back that I would continuously hang out with and even have some of those 'Remember when' moments. You always have a group of guys you hang out with throughout the camp each year and I have been very fortunate to find them online and still keep in touch with a lot of them."

In addition, the Sports International Football Camps helped Casey gain exposure to colleges around the country. Casey became a member of the Gridiron Elite (formerly Top 30 Club) and had his information sent to over 1,500 college coaches. He said that he received a lot of interest letters from schools after the information was sent out.

It is rewarding to see that Casey has enjoyed success on the football field.  He was captain of his high school team and a New Hampshire All-State honorable mention. And of course he is now playing in college. In fact the head coach of the Gulls, J.B. Wells has recognized Casey on multiple weeks for his hard work during practice.

But Casey states that two of his greatest accomplishments he achieved because of what he learned at camp. Casey became the 7^th person in his high school's history to win the Super Ironman Award, given to players who never missed a single practice over their four years. And during his senior year he was given the Leadership of the Year Award. Casey says that, "They were both honors that I would not have received without learning how to be a leader or a hard worker at this football camp."

"I don't mean to be a promotional tool here, but without a doubt, this camp is an amazing experience that helps you become the best football player you can be. I miss spending days during the summer sleeping in a dorm and playing football with guys I would soon call close friends. It's an experience like none other."