Dec 3, 2008
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Dec 3, 2008 |
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The last year of the Jets on Long Island
July 23, 2008 This is the last season the Jets will hold their training camp at Hofstra, and they are going out in style. Beginning July 24, football fans will have a chance to get autographs, watch Kellen Clemens battle Chad Pennington for the starting quarterback job, try their hand in a skills competition and watch their favorite players vie for spots on the NFL team. All this for free - and sometimes twice a day. After this season, the team will move to a new state-of-the-art headquarters in Florham Park, N.J., near their Giants Stadium home field. "It's a very family-friendly and fan-friendly atmosphere," says Jets fan Ira Lieberfarb, 54, of Staten Island, who's been coming to Hofstra training camps for more than 40 years. But the real fun of training camp is getting a close-up view of the agile hulks who open their preseason schedule on Aug. 7 and their 16-game regular season Sept. 7. "What I do," says Lieberfarb, who goes to camp two or three times a week, "is I like to look at the younger players, the ones they drafted. And every year, I look for one of the undrafted free agents that have such a long shot to make the club. I try to pick out one of those and root for him.... I kind of grew up at Hofstra. My father used to take me there. It's like home to me. I'm going to miss it. My heart will be left at Hofstra." What you'll see Workouts are held on two fields - one grass and one with synthetic turf - both visible from 1,200 bleacher seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Jets Flight Crew cheerleaders will make appearances. At Generation Jets Fest, there will be an interactive theme park with inflatable slides and an obstacle course, plus skills challenges, concerts and giveaways throughout camp. While you're there Be sure to check the Jets' Web site for an updated schedule, because some workouts are closed and others wind up being canceled or rescheduled. No outside food or drink is permitted; vendors sell both. Cameras are allowed, but video recording devices are not, nor are pets. Restrooms are in the Generation Jets Fest parking lot. Team merchandise can be purchased at the Jets Shop tent. Getting autographs Sorry, there are no special tricks. At the end of practices, a player or group of players will be brought to fans standing behind fences that line both fields. There's no mingling, and most players go straight from the field to the lunchroom and locker room in the team's complex. Jets Family Day Aug. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Cost: Free Generation Jets Fest moves from north of Hempstead Turnpike to the south side. The club will hold a Green vs. White scrimmage at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium with a halftime ceremony involving owner Robert Johnson. After the game, current players as well as former Jets, including wide receiver Wayne Chrebet, will sign autographs. "That'll be an opportunity for Jets fans to come out and interact with the team," Matt Higgins, club vice president for business operations, said. "Everybody loves to get an autograph from a professional athlete and take part in skills tests.... Long Island fans are an inextricable part of our DNA, and we want to honor them." Things to do at Jets Fest One key thing to remember here is that most of the options available here involve running on inflatable tarp, so bring your balance. Double Slide This one requires some skill and quite a bit of stamina. It may look easy because it's inflatable, but it's not. To traverse the slide requires six steps:
It's a double slide, so two people can race each other for bragging rights on the car ride home. Obstacle Course It's just like those obstacle courses you used to see on those made-for-television Superstars competitions, only shorter and inflatable. You start by running through a tunnel, then fighting through inflated vertical towers. Once through the towers, there's a wall just waiting for you to climb. Upon your descent from the wall, there are three more inflated vertical towers obstructing your path. After those towers, there is finally about 5 feet of breathing/running room before a set of inflated horizontal bars gets in the way. They're two bars high and two bars wide, and you can either go through or over them. Make it through that ringer and then -- can you guess? -- three more vertical towers. Get through those and you've reached the end. 40-yard Dash This one is about as straight forward as possible. Line up at the start and run as fast as you can on the artificial turf until you reach the finish line 40 yards away. There, a Jets Fest staffer will tell you how fast you ran. A great competition for you and your friends. Quarterback Drills There's Justin McCareins open down the sideline. And Laveraneus Coles shook his defender and wants the ball in the seam. Those are the options available to you, the quarterback of the New York Jets. They give you the football and you try to throw it through the open hole in the inflatable receiver that represents a completed pass. Most throws start from about 6 or 7 yards, but you could feasibly drop back as far as 40 yards and throw bombs. Provided the line isn't too long, it's likely the Jets staff will indulge your football fantasy. 4th and Goal It's the last play and you need a touchdown. There are three inflatable, unmovable defenders in your way. Make it past them, then find a way to dive over the stationary linebackers. Sneak past the immobile secondary and dive into the end zone for the easy six. Resistance Training This drill requires some exertion. You put what looks like a life preserver on, only there's a huge bungee cord attached to the back. The goal here is to run as hard as possible while fighting the resistance from the bungee cord and see how far you can get. Team shop No Jets fan's wardrobe is complete without team gear. The Jets erected a team store adjacent to Jets Fest, complete with everything from Jets jerseys to Jets bikins to Jets pencils with helmet erasers. (For you throwback fans, New York Titans gear is also available.) FOOD AND DRINK Eat at Wayne's When you're done being a pad-less, helmet-less football player for the afternoon, keep it in the family and walk across the street to Chrebet's, the restaurant and nightclub owned by retired Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet. Try the shrimp cocktail and the porterhouse. For after the practices under the lights, Chrebet's turns into a pretty hopping two-floor bar / lounge. Within walking distance • Coliseum Deli - An all-encompassing deli with some indoor seating. A short drive away On Fulton Avenue • McHebe's On Hempstead Turnpike
At Roosevelt Field Mall • Grand Lux Cafe • Houston's Steakhouse • Food court Other places • Jim's Deli, on Front Street - Yes, they still serve the Donnie Henderson Special, a 12-ounce spicey burger with peppers, onions, chili and eggs on a roll. • Tin Alley Grill, on Stewart Avenue • Boswell's Deli, on Oak Street • McDonald's, on Stewart Avenue • Vincent's Clam Bar, on Old Country Road (across from mall) • Panera, on Old Country Road (across from mall) Copyright 2008 Newsday Inc. |