THE TEAM, FOOTBALLING. This season, the EC Crush welcomes former rival coach Bobby Diaz into their... pack? herd? drove? flock?

Now that the snow is long gone, the grass is getting greener by the day. As the sun is slowly warming up, so is the Eau Claire Crush team as they begin training for their upcoming season.

The Crush is a non-profit team with a volunteer staff and volunteer players, and they donate the proceeds from every game to several charities. This year is no different. The only difference is the new players that will bring fresh talent to the field along with their new coaching staff.

“The brand new coaching staff brought a lot of excitement,” board member Teresa Paulsrud said.

New in the EC Crush family is head coach Bobby Diaz. As a former coach for the Predators, Diaz’s team played against the EC Crush last year. Diaz said when he saw them there was something missing.

“Going against them I didn’t see a unity,” Diaz said. “My main expectation is to develop a cohesive team.”

Diaz said there’s a lot of talent in the team and he is starting to see them become the unified squad he wants them to be.

“I thought the last two practices we had were solid,” Diaz said. “We had close to 40 men out on the football field and I saw an excitement in them that was different. They were gelling as a unit. It took us several practices to get to that point.”

The night before practice, coach Diaz reviews the tape of the previous practice. He then spends the next day preparing practice plans and reflecting on what he wants to accomplish with the team. As the clock draws closer to six, players arrive and get on their gear. As coach Diaz blows his whistle, players gather around and wait for instructions.

“I try to give them some motivation before we go into practice,” Diaz said. “I set our goals and tell them what we are going to accomplish.”

    For coach Diaz, the off-season is key; it’s a time for each player to maintain their body. “They know what they have to be like before they get to that first game,” he said.

And Diaz said this off-season has been pretty good.

“This is not last year,” he said. “We are going to try something different. I’m very optimistic if not more. I’m excited because their executions have gotten better.”

The Crush has been in the finals the past two years, never able to bring the championship home.

“The league is pretty tough; the Dragons and Pioneers are getting better,” he said. “As long as we keep our team healthy and maintain team unity, we have a shot.”

Team doctor and board member Teresa Paulsrud echoed these thoughts and said it’s going to be a tough season since the league has stepped up, but they are looking forward to it.

“We want to see good teams,” she said. “We don’t want a blow out and not have competition.”

Brad Paulsrud, former player of the Crush team and now the general manager, said he sees this year’s team as more competitive and he is certain the league title will be theirs.

“Anything other than the championship would be a disappointment,” he said.

The team will play their first game against the Kilbourn City Hawks at 6 pm on May 1 at Carson Park. Diaz said this game will give them an opportunity to see who will start in the next games and also help them adjust the roster for the team. As far as the season goes, Diaz said he “won’t take any team for granted.”

“It could be anybody’s game,” Diaz said. “We are going to play as if (they) were the Super Bowl champions.”