September 2010 Update 10.03.10 To all Alumni and Friends of X-Men Football      I have been overwhelmed at the amount of positive feedback I have received since launching the Xtra Yard Club in my last update. Many of you have already taken the initiative and joined the club, while another large number of you have expressed positive interest and will, I’m sure, be joining soon. Many of you have inquired about the tax credit involved in these donations, and all of that information can be found in the attachment included with this e-mail. Also, I am pleased to announce that we have added an on-line button to our booster club site. The link to the on-line donation button can be found at http://www.xmenfootball.ca/xtrayard/ . This button will allow you to make instant on-line donations. Currently, our Xtra Yard Club total has risen from 17 to 20 yards. I’d like to also take this opportunity to officially welcome Robert “Beaver” Cullen back into the X-Men Family. Beaver will serve as Administrative Assistant to the X-Men Football team, assisting in matters related to the Xtra Yard Club.      Besides joining the club and donating to our program, there is another way you can help make the Xtra Yard Club a success. I am looking to appoint a few “Regional Honorary Captains” who will assist me in getting the word out about this program to alumni in different areas of the country and abroad. If you are interested in assisting with this, please contact Robert Cullen at football@stfx.ca      The X-Men Coaching Staff once again participated in our annual Coaches Retreat a few weekends ago the Keltic Quay Lodge in Cape Breton. It was a great weekend of professional development and bonding, and we left the retreat all on the same page. This retreat is becoming a great tradition and I am confident that it pays dividends during Training Camp and the throughout entire season. The 2010 season previews have been released for all CIS team. You can read the write up on the 2010 StFX X-Men Football Team by following this link: http://english.cis-sic.ca/sports/fball/2010-11/files/previews/2010_StFX_Football_Team_Preview.pdf      I have been very pleased with the first few days of the 2010 X-Men Training Camp. The returning veterans have come into camp in great shape, and many incoming rookies have impressed the coaches during the first 2 days of 3-a-day practices in Antigonish. A couple of position battles are still being fought, and the players are doing a great job of making the decisions difficult on the coaches. The X-Men should have a strong core of linebackers, with All-Canadians Tom Lynch and Henoc Muamba returning. The secondary is looking good, with some great returning talent mixing with some athletic rookies. Rookie corner Raye Hartmann has impressed the coaches in the first few days of camp. Offensively, the offensive line has looked impressive during drills and in team periods, and the large number of O-Linemen in camp has made for some great positional battles. There are many new faces playing WR for the X-Men, and rookies Jordan Catterall and Devon Bailey have looked good so far. The quarterbacks are playing well in camp, and with the position still undecided, the X-Men are looking forward to seeing what each of them brings to their Blue and White scrimmage this Sunday at 6:00pm at Oland Stadium.      I am very pleased to announce the following players as new recruits to the X-Men: OL Jainyme DaSilveira - 6’2’’ 275 Everett High School, Massachusetts, USA - 2008 Top Linemen by Reebok at Harvard Stadium - Boston Globe All-Scholastic - 2010 Unsung Hero Award - 2010 All-Star http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfb4iGLjHI DE Alan Dancewicz - 6’1’’ 215lbs Everett High School, Massachusetts, USA - State qualifier in 400m hurdles - 2008 Track team MVP - 2008 Winner Unsung Hero Award Hail and Health,