Kicking Camp Set for Saturday

TULSA, Okla. - Perfect Practice's kicking coach, former TU and NFL kicker Jason Staurovsky announced today that two of his former pupils, Matt Hulse, TU and Tress Way, OU will join him in his quest to find the best high school kicker in the region on Saturday August 2 at his first annual High School Kicker Evaluation and Competition Camp at 10am at LaFortune Stadium in Tulsa. All high school kickers everywhere are invited to compete. The public is welcome to watch. Entry fee is $100 per contestant. Gate admission is free. Staurovsky trained both Hulse and Way throughout their prep careers at Jenks and Tulsa Union respectively. "I was very fortunate Matt and Tress were available," said Staurovsky, "these guys have been to many kicker evaluation camps and will be a big help. They will help with scoring and event organization as well as provide some personal testimony about the road to big time college kicking." There are currently kickers from Northwest Arkansas and the Oklahoma City area committed to compete as well as several of the Tulsa World's pre-season 'Top Ten' kickers. "I didn't know The World did a list," said Jason, "but I am going to try and call each of the Top Ten to personally invite them to compete. Polls are nice, but by the end of next Saturday we'll know who really is the best kicker around. I'd like to see a Josh Brown (Foyil HS, Seattle Seahawks) come out of nowhere and do well, that would be fun to see." The competition consists of tests created by Staurovsky based on the practical, real world skills kickers need. "The place-kickers will be scored for accuracy and kick quality," said Staurovsky, "the scores will be accumulated and the highest scores will indicate those most likely to succeed as a college kicker." Events for placekickers include Last Man Standing, Big 12 and the Toe-to-Toe Bracket Challenge. "The one thing most difficult to analyze in kickers is how they will perform under pressure. I have created events that add an element of pressure to the kick to simulate how a kicker might perform in pressure game situations." Nicknamed "The Great Plains Kick-off", the event's overall Champion will be presented with the Don Chandler Award for Outstanding Kicker in honor of the legendary Green Bay kicker and Tulsa resident. Jason will also reward scholarships to his college prep camp to be held after the football season. Results will be forwarded to college coaches and posted on the Internet. It is the vision of Staurovsky and event sponsors, Perfect Practice Athletic Center's Steve Yoder and Dan Hedman, to help as many other kickers get to colleges at all levels as they can. "There are hundreds of college football programs from D1 down to NAIA and they all need kickers," said the former New England Patriot. "There is a huge void out there when it comes to recruiting kickers," he said, "there is no combine for kicking and recruiters can have a difficult time analyzing kickers. We are going to fill that void." Kick-offs and punts will also be tested and will be scored by distance, hang-time and placement. Kick-off scores will be included in the Chandler Award calculations; punters will have their own separate champion. One entry fee gets the athlete into all competitions. Those who wish to enroll can do so at www.perfectpracticeok.com , emailing getfaster@faster-athlete.com or by calling 764-9175. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Perfect Practice Athletic Center offers baseball and softball instruction, place kicker instruction with former NFL kicker Jason Staurovsky, Quarterback & receiver instruction with Talons QB John Fitzgerald, lineman instruction with Bruce McClure of OU and the Georgia Force of the AFL; basketball instruction with former TU great Marcus Hill. PPAC is also home to Faster Athlete Athletic Development Specialists, where athletes from 8-Professional can develop speed, agility and the explosive power all athletes need under the instruction of degreed, certified sports performance professionals. Adult fitness and personal training are also available. Trial sessions can be scheduled by calling 764-9175.