The Curse of Camp Ruidoso?

[UTEPDefense]

I was reading the UNM Message boards last year before UTEP opened the season against them. I remember that some of the UNM fans were questioning if having Camp at Ruidoso was very effective at toughening up the players? They mentioned how the players were staying in a resort and practicing in cool 60 degree temperatures. After 5 years of losing seasons, UNM finally pulled out of Ruidoso after last year and UTEP immediately went in this year, only to now have their own losing season.

I am saying this mostly "tongue and cheek" because I am sure that schools like Boise could stay in places like Ruidoso with no issues and our problems have much more to do with UNM/UTEP than it has to do with Ruidoso. But the fact is that no school/team has ever held Camp at Ruidoso and gone on to having a winning season.

When UTEP first started having Away Camps before the season started, they started the first year at Fort Bliss, they lived in the baracks and practiced in 100 degree El Paso heat. It was closer to the original Junction Boys. Fast forward to this year and Kugler compared Ruidoso to NFL Training Camps, but is it possible that maybe what works for NFL players doesn't work the same way for 18-19 year old kids? Is it possible that staying in a resort like The Lodge and practicing in cool 60 degree temperatures doesn't prepare 18-19 year old kids for Day Games in Arkansas Heat and West Texas(Lubbock) Heat?

Could any small link to our massive injuries this year be due to the fact that we held Camp in temperatures which were 30 degree's cooler than Game Days?

Anyways, this is not the sole answer(if it is any answer at all), but it's just a thought for a slow Bye Week.

 

[Minerforlife]

I will say this I thought this was way more physical than any camp ive seen. Its way more physical than NFL camps after the new collective bargaining agreement. Even when they were in shells they were hitting. The recievers were getting lit up going over the middle in shells. I think they were really beat up and worn down coming out of camp. This is not the reason for this years struggles, but in the future they should probably tone it down a little.

 

[Firstdowndash]

I was reading the UNM Message boards last year before UTEP opened the season against them. I remember that some of the UNM fans were questioning if having Camp at Ruidoso was very effective at toughening up the players? They mentioned how the players were staying in a resort and practicing in cool 60 degree temperatures. After 5 years of losing seasons, UNM finally pulled out of Ruidoso last year and UTEP immediately went in this year, only to now have their own losing season.

I am saying this mostly "tongue in cheek" because I am sure that schools like Boise could stay in places like Ruidoso with no issues and our problems have much more to do with UNM/UTEP than it has to do with Ruidoso. But the fact is that no school/team has ever held Camp at Ruidoso and gone on to having a winning season.

When UTEP first started having Camp before the season started, they started the first year at Fort Bliss, they lived in the baracks and practiced in 100 degree El Paso heat. It was closer to the original Junction Boys. Fast forward to this year and Kugler compared Ruidoso to NFL Training Camps, but is it possible, that maybe staying in a resort like The Lodge and practicing in cool 60 degree temperatures doesn't prepare 18-19 year old kids for Day Games in Arkansas Heat and West Texa(Lubbock) Heat?

Could any small link to our massive injuries this year be due to the fact that we held Camp in temperatures which were 30 degree's cooler than Game Days?

Anyways, this is not the sole answer(if it is any answer at all), but it's just a thought.

The curse came when the university changed it's name from Texas Western to UTEP in 67.

 

[unihorn]

I agree -- why not practice in the heat you'll be playing in for the first 4-6 weeks?

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

I'm sure the staff and athletic department don't want the players suffering from heat exhaustion practicing in 100 degree heat. I don't think having camp in Ruidoso is the problem. They get to get away for a couple of weeks, they focus on nothing but football up there (I would like to hope), and they build team unity.
I don't think this season has hinged on the quality of living conditions in Ruidoso, there are more glaring issues on this team in my opinion. I do agree with Minerforlife, all the hitting probably beat down the team and wore them down right before the season started. It seemed like they were losing players like it was mid season at one point.

 

[UTEPDefense]

I agree that it is probably not a big issue. Although regarding the heat exhaustion theory, every High School Football team in El Paso is holding their 2-a-days in 100 degree El Paso August Heat, which is significantly worse than UTEP's conditions in Ruidoso. Every High School in Houston is holding their 2-a-days in heat and humidity much worse than what the El Paso kids are going through.
Without doing much research into it, one would probably think that it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a climate for UTEP to hold Training Camp, that is not 30 degree's cooler from the weather where they will be playing their first 4 games.

 

[allminer]

The season runs into November. Ruidoso had nothing with the performance at Arkansas and Texas Tech or afterwards.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

You're probably right about the heat UTEPDefense. High schools and other colleges practice in the heat. I was just thinking about how people were making a big stink after a couple of guys died a while back from heat exhaustion.

 

[PositivelyPete]

I agree. These boys need to go back to Alpine.

 

[Epsilon00]

Haha practicing two weeks in 60 degree weather has nothing to do with us being the worst team in college football. You ain't gonna win many games when 90% of your offense is wearing street clothes on the sidelines watching the games. It's not 60 weathers fault for a coach who has had some of the worst recruiting classes in the country. We have no qb, wr's. We can't rin the ball to convert a 3rd and 1 to save our life. Our offensive play calling is predictable and very basic. We could have practiced in death valley and we still would have been crushed by Arkansas and Tech.

 

[UTEPDefense]

Haha practicing two weeks in 60 degree weather has nothing to do with us being the worst team in college football. You ain't gonna win many games when 90% of your offense is wearing street clothes on the sidelines watching the games. It's not 60 weathers fault for a coach who has had some of the worst recruiting classes in the country. We have no qb, wr's. We can't rin the ball to convert a 3rd and 1 to save our life. Our offensive play calling is predictable and very basic. We could have practiced in death valley and we still would have been crushed by Arkansas and Tech.

I guess you didn't read the sentences where I said: "this is mostly tongue and cheek", "our problems have much more to do with UNM/UTEP than it has to do with Ruidoso", and where I stated that "it is not a big issue".

But Thanks for stating the obvious and still providing the overly serious negative response!

 

[Epsilon00]

Could any small link to our massive injuries this year be due to the fact that we held Camp in temperatures which were 30 degree's cooler than Game Days?

Apparently you don't even read what you write. Thats the question you asked and I am answering it UTEPDefense. Practicing in 30 degree cooler temperature has nothing to do with the injuries and how bad our football team is. Most of our players are from hot weather climates, so they are use to the conditions in Arkansas and Lubbock. You make it seem like we recruit most of our players from Alaska, Montana, the summit of Everest. I don't even think it was in the 60's in Ruidoso in mid August. At least the mid 70's.

 

[66CHamps]

I guess you didn't read the sentences where I said: "this is mostly tongue and cheek", "our problems have much more to do with UNM/UTEP than it has to do with Ruidoso", and where I stated that "it is not a big issue".

But Thanks for stating the obvious and still providing the overly serious negative response!

 

[Tribalwarriorx]

The season runs into November. Ruidoso had nothing with the performance at Arkansas and Texas Tech or afterwards.

I was going to tell you you needed to repost that but I went ahead and did it for you. Haha.

 

[Tribalwarriorx]

Normally you probably could've gotten away with it being taken as humor, but I think people are too ticked off with the way things have gone this season to find it funny. Some of the problems with the team this season are natural occurrences of playing the game (injuries). The other, preventable parts, are man made.