Southwest Kansas Storm Playbook: The Bye Week

The Southwest Kansas Workhorses er.. Um Storm, finally get a break! No team has put in the hard work and sweat that this organization, players, and coaches have to get Arena One Football kicked off. They’ll have Week 4 off and then be back in action in Week 5 with a cross-state rivalry game in Salina, Kansas. 

The Ringer 

Through Week 3, they are the only team to have played four games, playing in each week, including the Week 0 kickoff game. Not only did they play each week, but it was all across the country. They opened at home in the comfy confines of United Wireless Arena. Then it was a trip to Everette, Washington, to take on the Wolfpack. They traveled back to Dodge City before taking off to Albany, New York, on the other side of the country to face the Firebirds. This all happened within 14 days. 

Then it was back home to Dodge City where, despite all the travel, all the wear and tear on their bodies, the Storm stormed out to a huge lead in the first half against the Oregon Lightning. In the second half of that game, 20 hours on the road, 18 hours in the air, and another 20 hours spent in airports, oh yea, and three football games caught up to the team. The Lightning defeated the Storm on the final play of the game to send them into their bye at 2-2. 

A Much-Needed Break

Head Coach Gary Thomas said it’s been nice to not think about or worry about football for a few days. After the grind of camp, then going straight into those four straight weeks of games, Sunday was the first real day off the team has had in over eight weeks. The Storm gave their players the entire week off to just decompress, go home and be with their families, and take a mental break. 

The small nagging injuries have been there, this gives players a chance to get treatment and rest their bodies. The Storm are staying active in the community with a youth football camp on Saturday, and you can’t keep them away from game film. They’ll be keeping an eye on the Salina Liberty on Sunday night on VICETV as they begin to prepare for next week’s opponent.