Beaumont Drillers Thread

[ronaldoswalt]

This will be the official site for all upcoming notes and events involving the Beaumont Drillers for OSC

[BananaCat]

How many returning players will there be? Or is that not known yet? What else will change?

[ronaldoswalt]

Logo, Colors, League, Administrative Staff, All will be released after press conference tommorrow

[exit322]

Same ownership? If so, then color most all of us highly skeptical.

[Gusher]

This is the start of something new, even if it would be with the same group the Drillers are still plugging away.

[exit322]

I give it no credence until they prove their eight years of futility won't be repeated a ninth time.

[Gusher]

Eight years sure is a long time in this sport. They must be doing something right. Right?

[exit322]

Yes...not being ousted by a legitimate ownership group that wanted to play in Beaumont. That's probably about it.

[Gusher]

Not sure what it takes to be a "legitmate owner" but they have played all games payed all bills and given me and southeast Texas a team to root for the past 6 years. Seems like progress to me. Maybe my standards are not as jaded as others. I'm not trying to show them through rose colored glasses but someone would have to be blind not to see that they have been doing this year end and year out when most would have quit.

[phydeaux72]

Eight years sure is a long time in this sport. They must be doing something right. Right?

I guess you could say the same thing about the NIFL.

[BananaCat]

I guess you could say the same thing about the NIFL.
Very nice.

You get the very first Yellow Banana Award from me for superior posting skills.

Recipients of the Yellow Banana Award
phydeaux72 ( awarded on 4 January 2008 )

[Gusher]

The NIFL have been a disapointment. But if you can look past all the bad there has been some good. That being the numerous teams that got there start in the NIFL. Even some leagues owe that to them.

[exit322]

I guess here's something good about the Drillers again...you'll have no trouble finding a good seat in the house.

[BananaCat]

The NIFL have been a disapointment. But if you can look past all the bad there has been some good. That being the numerous teams that got there start in the NIFL. Even some leagues owe that to them.
I'll grant you that there might've been some good sprinkled in over the years, but it was heavily overweighed by the enormous bad.

[Gusher]

Not that the league really helped any of the teams other than give them a schedule of other teams to play. My question is would there be the number of cities today that do have a team if they would'nt have started in the NIFL? Keep in mind there were very few options for most of the older teams.

[Gusher]

I guess here's something good about the Drillers again...you'll have no trouble finding a good seat in the house.Would you like for me to save you a seat?

[Minor League Man]

Not that the league really helped any of the teams other than give them a schedule of other teams to play. My question is would there be the number of cities today that do have a team if they would'nt have started in the NIFL? Keep in mind there were very few options for most of the older teams.
Believe me, there would be more.

The NIFL has burned several once-strong markets such as Dayton and Lincoln, and has made it difficult for several former NIFL cities to get indoor football again.

[preeths]

I'm with MLM. The game would have grown faster had it not been for the NIFL's scorched earth expansion.

[Gusher]

I am not saying the are the savior to indoor football. But I do wonder if teams not (mentioning any names) would have ever existed if they had not FIRST joined the NIFL. Not many teams older than five years that did not get a start in the NIFL. (excluding the arena system) If they would have not started then in the NIFL would they be here now. BUT yes you are right there have been some very good markets burnt, most times due to poor mgmt/ownership groups. Yes groups the LEAGUE allowed in.

[preeths]

I would guess, yes, many of these same teams would have started and more. Plus, more might still be alive today had it not been for the NIFL's way of doing business.

[Gusher]

But five years ago what options were there?

[preeths]

Had it not been for the NIFL, the IPFL most likely would not have died, so there's one. After OPE bought the IFL, I am sure you would have seen more leagues. The NIFL rushed in and, for better or worse, filled many of those jilted markets. If not for the NIFL, some other league would have formed for no other reason than to maintain the indoor game in the markets that had proven themselves. I don't believe the NIFL would have been the only option.

[ronaldoswalt]

01/05/2008
Drillers return in a different league
By PERRYN KEYS , The Enterprise

BEAUMONT - The Beaumont Drillers spent four years making token efforts to drum up support and stabilize the indoor-football franchise.

This year, they say they're going to get it right.

Attempting to draw a line between old and new leadership, the Drillers announced the return of Bryan Blake as the team's head coach and general manager, as well as their move to a new league for the 2008 season.

The Drillers also unveiled a new logo, new uniforms and a new Web site.

The announcements were made Friday at a news conference at the Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau, attended by city officials and staff members from Ford Park.

The Drillers said Friday they will return to Ford Arena and play in the American Professional Football League, which started in the Midwestern United States in 2003 and now counts 11 teams as members.

The team has tabbed a Beaumont marketing firm to help advertise and build up a positive image in the area.

Blake said the Drillers also plan to fill their roster with local athletes and begin community-involvement programs with local schools.

"This is no longer somebody's hobby," said Blake, who coached the Drillers during their first two seasons in Beaumont from 2003-04.

"This is going to be a business, and it's going to be a 24-hour job. I didn't want to come over here and do this without doing it right."

The Drillers are still owned by Louisiana businessman Roy Reap, who started the franchise in Alexandra, La., and played as the Louisiana Rangers before moving after the 2002 season.

Roy Reap's son, Steven Reap, served as general manager and ran the team's day-to-day operations for parts of the last five seasons.

"Steve and I didn't really see eye-to-eye on things," Blake said. "He's no longer a part of the organization."

Blake left the Drillers in 2005 and founded the Katy Copperheads in 2006, serving as coach and general manager.

Last season, he sold his majority stake in the Copperheads to an Austin businessman. The Copperheads also relocated to the Cypress area of Houston and moved up to arenafootball2, a widely known and more well-respected league owned by the Arena Football League.

Blake coached the Copperheads last season but said he clashed with ownership, which wanted to hire its own assistant coaches.

"My career has been up and down a little bit," Blake said, "but I kept in touch with Roy, and he always wanted me to get back with it."

Meanwhile, the Drillers' league basically went belly-up in the middle of last season, leaving the Beaumont team to scramble for opponents.

The National Indoor Football League, rarely a model for consistency, had not gone through a season without one of its teams folding since 2003. In 2007, however, teams either folded or defected en masse, leaving the Drillers' schedule full of holes.

The team managed to meet all its commitments for home games at Ford Arena, shipping in teams from other leagues - including the APFL's Conroe Storm - for exhibition games that would eventually count toward the Drillers' NIFL record.

The team has suffered from low attendance almost from the day it arrived in town. The Drillers won their first three home games at the Beaumont Civic Center in 2003, but soon missed the playoffs as attendance nearly vanished.

When the Drillers finally made their first postseason appearance in 2006 - their second season in Ford Arena - fans were allowed into the game for free.

"We just need some people to get out and see some games. When they do, I think they'll want to come back," Blake said.

"We're going to do this thing the right way from now on. We're going to advertise, and our ticket prices are going to be very affordable. There (are) teams in this league that average 5,000 fans in smaller cities than Beaumont."

The Drillers will play in the APFL's South Division along with franchises from Bradenton, Fla., Fort Worth, Wichita Falls and Conroe.

The APFL expects to announce its schedule by the end of the month, media relations director J. Ronald Oswalt said.

The season is scheduled to begin in April.

[ronaldoswalt]

link is here from kdfm channel 6 in beaumont
http://www.kfdm.com/video/index.php?...d= 1366496424

[exit322]

So the Reaps still do own it. Well, color me skeptical...this is still a ticking time bomb before the Reaps decide it's too expensive or they can do it better or whatever.

[50 Yard Fan]

Had it not been for the NIFL, the IPFL most likely would not have died, so there's one. After OPE bought the IFL, I am sure you would have seen more leagues. The NIFL rushed in and, for better or worse, filled many of those jilted markets. If not for the NIFL, some other league would have formed for no other reason than to maintain the indoor game in the markets that had proven themselves. I don't believe the NIFL would have been the only option.

The IPFL was not a great league itself. And just because other leagues MAY have started, there is no evidence that any of those leagues would have lasted or been any better.
I am not saying the NIFL was a great or even good league, but how many leagues have we seen try to start and never even make it to the first game.
(the original AIFL, UIFL, new PIFL)

Just my two cents

[50 Yard Fan]

Not sure what it takes to be a "legitmate owner" but they have played all games payed all bills and given me and southeast Texas a team to root for the past 6 years. Seems like progress to me. Maybe my standards are not as jaded as others. I'm not trying to show them through rose colored glasses but someone would have to be blind not to see that they have been doing this year end and year out when most would have quit.

I guess you could say the same thing about the NIFL.

Even though the NIFL has been around that long..they did no play all their games or pay all their bills.... ;)

[preeths]

The IPFL was not a great league itself. And just because other leagues MAY have started, there is no evidence that any of those leagues would have lasted or been any better.
I am not saying the NIFL was a great or even good league, but how many leagues have we seen try to start and never even make it to the first game.
(the original AIFL, UIFL, new PIFL)

Just my two cents

The IPFL was a fairly solid league before the NIFL teams pulled out. Granted, this is all conjecture, and we're talking about what could have been. We don't know for sure, but I believe conditions would have led to a startup or two. Looking at the whole of minor league sports, you'd also be hard-pressed to find organizations that stumbled as badly as the NIFL, a league that essentially gained much of the strength it possessed by being on the scene to acquire all the displaced IFL markets. Its weaknesses were inherent and its leadership badly flawed from the beginning. I would submit that another entity could have done it better and, judging by the relative stability of other minor leagues, probably would have.

[BananaCat]

The IPFL was a fairly solid league before the NIFL teams pulled out. Granted, this is all conjecture, and we're talking about what could have been. We don't know for sure, but I believe conditions would have led to a startup or two. Looking at the whole of minor league sports, you'd also be hard-pressed to find organizations that stumbled as badly as the NIFL, a league that essentially gained much of the strength it possessed by being on the scene to acquire all the displaced IFL markets. Its weaknesses were inherent and its leadership badly flawed from the beginning. I would submit that another entity could have done it better and, judging by the relative stability of other minor leagues, probably would have.
I agree. Most of the newer leagues are light years ahead of where the NIFL was. Stable ownership is first and foremost in my mind as the most important thing a league should have with its teams. The NIFL brought in a lot of bad owners and poorly run league teams. Burned markets is an understatement.

[Drillers1]

I do not defend or support the NIFL, but you seem to forget that the original PIFL in 1998 was started by Carolyn Shiver. She and the PIFL were the first to challenge the Arena Football paten on the game, and actually won a judgment in court. They then changed the league name from the PIFL to the IPFL. Some of the owners then split from her to remain in the IPFL when she stated the NIFL. There have been several league spawned from the NIFL due to owners distancing themselves from Carolyn, but it would be hard to say that indoor football would be where it is today without the original PIFL.

I guess someone else would have eventually challenged the AFL, but who knows.

[exit322]

Shiver owned a team in the PIFL. She did not start the league. Dick Suess started the PIFL, and still owns its naming rights. Shiver also owned a team in the IPFL; she was not its league owner, either.

She started the NIFL when the IFL cities opportunity arose, and when the IPFL wouldn't let her run roughshod over everything.

Even though the IPFL did die as a result of losing a few (admittedly crap) organizations...they were right in telling Shiver to kiss off.

That's what's funny about the UIF...they only did to Shiver what she did to the IPFL.

[preeths]

I do not defend or support the NIFL, but you seem to forget that the original PIFL in 1998 was started by Carolyn Shiver. She and the PIFL were the first to challenge the Arena Football paten on the game, and actually won a judgment in court. They then changed the league name from the PIFL to the IPFL. Some of the owners then split from her to remain in the IPFL when she stated the NIFL. There have been several league spawned from the NIFL due to owners distancing themselves from Carolyn, but it would be hard to say that indoor football would be where it is today without the original PIFL.

I guess someone else would have eventually challenged the AFL, but who knows.

The Shivers were the owners of a PIFL team, the Louisiana Bayou Beast. The league itself was founded by Dick Suess. The PIFL did not win a judgement. They settled out of court with the AFL, still a "victory" in that the AFL recognized the rights of indoor leagues to exist. I believe you are correct in stating that had the PIFL continued on, with Suess as its leader, that it would have failed. But Mike Storen took over the league in the second season, implemented a stronger front office (one of the things Mrs. Shiver did not like) and strengthened the league, until the defection of Shiver and company a couple years later. Her defection helped kill a good league (one that played its games, kept stats, issued press releases, etc.) and replaced it with the aberation that was the NIFL.

[preeths]

That's what's funny about the UIF...they only did to Shiver what she did to the IPFL.

Could not agree more. There are a few folks who hate UIF for pulling out of the NIFL or the way in which they did it. These UIF critics don't recognize that Shiver did the same exact thing when she started the NIFL! Of course that doesn't necessarily make it right, but you can't argue with the karma.

[ronaldoswalt]

Drillers Set First Tryouts At Ford Park
Drillers ready to get this season started

BEAUMONT – The Beaumont Drillers, the Golden Triangle’s professional indoor football club, is pleased to extend an invitation to all professional and non-professional football players ages 18 and over.

Tryouts for the spring 2008 season will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 AM. IMPORTANT: Those players that are not pre-registered should arrive no later than 8:30 AM.

The tryouts will be held at Ford Park in Beaumont, Texas on Interstate 10. For information and directions to Ford Park visit www.fordparktx.com.

The Drillers are looking for players at all positions and each athlete will be required to participate in offense and defensive drills. Players will complete at one of the following positions: WR, DB, FB, OL, DL, QB, LB, & K.

Players should arrive one hour prior to tryout start time for registration. All participants will be required to sign a waiver and pay a $50.00 cash only registration fee. Players should dress in workout gear and have the appropriate shoes. The surface of the stadium is astro turf. Pads will NOT be worn. All players will be given an official training camp workout shirt.

The workout will consist of running the 40-yard dash and 20-yard short shuttle. Players will then go through position and one-on-one drills, both offensively and defensively. Players will also be able to showcase their skills during a 5-on-5 game situation scrimmage.


For more information or get photos for media outlets or to get your 2008 Beaumont Drillers season tickets, contact the Drillers office at (713) 732-0107 or by electronic mail at beeblak@aol.com or contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Director of Media Relations at ronaldoswalt@gmail.com .

[phydeaux72]

I'm anxious for the Beaumont & Conroe schedules to be released. I'd like to catch one of their games when I'm in Houston, if possible (hopefully against each other).

[BananaCat]

I'm anxious for the Beaumont & Conroe schedules to be released. I'd like to catch one of their games when I'm in Houston, if possible (hopefully against each other).
I hope Beaumont is able to beat them again, just like last year.

Is it true that most of the starters didn't play for either team in the game last year?

[Dubs]

I have slept a few times since then, but if I remember correctly, I am pretty sure the Drillers played all of their starters. It was a very hard-fought game by both teams.

[Gusher]

I am sure both teams will have some rooster changes but it will again be some great games.

[ronaldoswalt]

Drillers*Name*Media*Relations*Director*
Oswalt*Brings*Extensive*Arena/Indoor*Experience*
January 7, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: J. Ronald Oswalt 832-754-7666
ronaldoswalt@gmail.com
BEAUMONT – J. Ronald Oswalt has been named the Beaumont Drillers Director of Media Relations, General Manager/Head Coach Bryan Blake announced today.
“People always say that the next generation is full of exceptional people who possess incredible computer skills, and he is certainly the proof," said General Manager/Head Coach Bryan Blake. "Ronald loves sports, and he is creative, smart and extremely talented. He is definitely the total package, and I am confident he will handle his new responsibilities well."
Oswalt worked as the media relations director for the Katy Copperheads of the National Indoor Football League in 2006 and followed the team in the same role in 2007 when the team joined the Arena Football League 2 and moved to Houston.
Upon his arrival in Texas he has served as a freelance sports writer for the 1960 sun and Tomball Potpourri both are Houston Community Newspapers which are a part of Westward Communications. He currently serves lonestargridiron.com and lonestarprep.com as the VP of Corporate Development.
“I am very excited about moving into this position,” Oswalt said. “I have enjoyed every minute of my time with indoor/arena football, the teams I have worked with have been very successful in the media arena.” While serving the Copperheads in the af2 last season his department received an af2 “Best Award” for their media guide publication.
Great locations are still available for the 2008 season! Act now to reserve the best seats. Call a Season Sales Representative today at 409-839-4475 to reserve your seats today.
The Beaumont Drillers are committed to being a premier team in the APFL and being involved in the community for which we serve.
For*more*information*or*get*photos*for*media*outle ts*or*to*get*your*2008*Beaumont*Drillers*season*ti ckets,*contact*the*Drillers*office*at*(409)*839‐44 75*or*by*electronic*mail*at*beeblak@aol.com*or*con tact*J.*Ronald*Oswalt,*Director*of*Media*Relations *at*ronaldoswalt@gmail.com*.
*
*
******

[ronaldoswalt]

bryan blake's interview will be live in 56 minutes at klvi am 560 in beaumont and it can be heard via internet on radio station listed above sorry for late note

[ronaldoswalt]

4098955584 call in to chat with the coach

[Gusher]

I was out of town can you give some details as to what was said?

[ronaldoswalt]

they had blake play trivia and he got to talk about the tryouts this sunday the 20th, new logo, colors, and season tickets email me ill send you pic of season ticket holders tshirts they look great

[ronaldoswalt]

Drillers Ready For Pick-A-Seat Party
Mark Your Calendars and Get A Special Gift
January 6, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: J. Ronald Oswalt 832-754-7666
ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

BEAUMONT – The Beaumont Drillers are pleased to announce they will be hosting a Pick-A-Seat Party on Sunday, January 20, 2008 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Ford Park. The team, coaches, and staff will be on hand to assist you in finding that perfect seat. Pick your seat while locals and free agents tryout for the 2008 Beaumont Drillers.

Being at the party will ensure you get the best seats available and there are tickets and payment plans to meet every budget. Fans that attend this party can purchase season tickets as low as $35 each with the Pick-A-Seat discount on January 20, 2007 and family gusher packs with four season tickets for only $99 each.

Season Ticket Holders get:

• Free VIP Parking for all Season Ticket Holders

• Authentic Season Ticket Holder Shirt Free (1 Per account)

• Interest Free Financing

• One Special Announcement On Jumbotron For Free

• No Waiting In Lines On Gameday

• Seating Priority in a Great Facility

• Preferred Seat Assignments

• Savings on Gameday Box Office Prices

• Flexible Renewal Payment Schedule

• Same Guaranteed Seat Every Game

• Priority on Playoffs With Your '08 Renewal

• Same Seat Renewable Season to Season

• Priority on Seat Upgrades / Relocations

• Priority on Individual Game Tickets - Prior to Public Sale

• Priority on Additional Playoff Tickets - Prior to Public Sale

• 10% Merchandise Discount at Drillers Team Store (with season ticket holder card)

• Drillers’ E-Connect Media List Access

• Exclusive Drillers’ Player Meet & Greet / Photo Day

• VIP Access to Select FanFest Events

• Dedicated Account Executive

• Premium Gift Item (1 per account)

• On-field Photo with Head Coach Bryan Blake (max 4 people)

Access the very best locations and guarantee your seat for every Drillers home game.

Great locations are still available for the 2008 season! Act now to reserve the best seats. Call a Season Sales Representative today at 409-839-4475 to reserve your seats today.

The Beaumont Drillers are committed to being a premier team in the APFL and being involved in the community for which we serve.

For more information or get photos for media outlets or to get your 2008 Beaumont Drillers season tickets, contact the Drillers office at (409) 839-4475 or by electronic mail at beeblak@aol.com or contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Director of Media Relations at ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

[ronaldoswalt]

Drillers Girls Holding Free Tryouts
Do you have what it takes to be a professional cheerleader?

January 13, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: J. Ronald Oswalt 832-754-7666
ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

BEAUMONT –The Beaumont Drillers announce that the dance team auditions for the 2008 edition of the Driller Girls will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at Ford Park. The sponsor for this event will be IRULE dance studio, they are located in the Dance Emporium 430 Calder Avenue in Beaumont. The Director of IRULE is CharLee Hanna-Rule, former Houston Oilers cheerleader, they can be reached at 409-892-RULE.

Registration/check-in starts at 12:30PM
Tryouts begin at 1PM

For more information and to pre-register, call Jeri Flurry at (409)-384-0968 or go to www.myspace.com/drillergirls

Be prepared to stay until late afternoon and bring snacks and water
Candidates advancing to the final round will return for the final dance audition and professional interview at a later date. (location to be announced to finalists at auditions)

Requirements
Must be at least 18 years of age by January 20th and must have a high school diploma
2 piece dance attire (half top or sports bra and hot shorts/bikers), hose or tights (must match skin tone) and dance or tennis shoes (no heels or boots).
Bring a non returnable photo (head or body shot), a dance/business resume and the audition application

Great locations are still available for the 2008 season! Act now to reserve the best seats. Call a Season Sales Representative today at 409-839-4475 to reserve your seats today. The Beaumont Drillers are committed to being a premier team in the APFL and being involved in the community for which we serve.

For more information or get photos for media outlets or to get your 2008 Beaumont Drillers season tickets, contact the Drillers office at (409) 839-4475 or by electronic mail at beeblak@aol.com or contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Director of Media Relations at ronaldoswalt@gmail.com .

[exit322]

I like the free cheerleader tryouts. I'd like free player tryouts, too, but that usually nets you about 500 tryout players, haha.

[ronaldoswalt]

Drillers will hold PickASeat For Season Tickets, Player Tryouts, and Cheerleader Tryouts On Sunday at Ford Park for details email ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

[indoor]

Is there any truth to the rumor that the Drillers might play in the IIFA this season?

[Dubs]

Is there any truth to the rumor that the Drillers might play in the IIFA this season?

No, I haven't heard anything to that effect.

[chardale]

I guess you could say the same thing about the NIFL. Hey, what ever happened to the team u and pop were going to have in EL PISO,for the 08 season? The accountant dollar doesnt go as far as you thought?

[ronaldoswalt]

Oswalt Promoted To Assistant General Manager

January 27, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: J. Ronald Oswalt 832-754-7666
ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

BEAUMONT – The Beaumont Drillers announced that Ronald Oswalt has been promoted from media relations director to assistant general manager. He already oversees all aspects of the media relations department, in which he already works.

“I’m thrilled about the opportunity that (Drillers General Manager/Head Coach) Bryan Blake has given me to be able to help the Drillers organization reach their goal of putting the best team possible on the turf every night and bringing home a championship in 2008,” said Oswalt. “I look forward to working with Coach Blake and the Drillers organization and I know that together we’ll do everything possible to make that happen.”

Oswalt will handle the team’s day-to-day media operations and assist in marketing the team in the golden triangle area. Oswalt will also work with area schools in the Drillers Adopt-A-School program that will assist area students.

“I have worked with Ronald for three indoor/arena seasons and I’m very familiar with the media and marketing expertise that he possesses,” said Blake. “He has served in many different capacities for the teams I have worked for and I’m proud to say that we’re promoting not just a sharp sports management mind, but a quality person as well.”

Oswalt has worked for the Katy Copperheads of the National Indoor Football League, Texas Copperheads of the af2, and his new duties with the Beaumont Drillers will be effective immediately.

Great locations are still available for the 2008 season! Act now to reserve the best seats. Call a Season Sales Representative today at 409-839-4475 to reserve your seats today. The Beaumont Drillers are committed to being a premier team in the APFL and being involved in the community for which we serve.

For more information or get photos for media outlets or to get your 2008 Beaumont Drillers season tickets, contact the Drillers office at (409) 839-4475 or by electronic mail at beeblak@aol.com or contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Assistant General Manager at ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

[ronaldoswalt]

Hospice Of Texas Joins Drillers Team

February 1, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: J. Ronald Oswalt 832-754-7666
ronaldoswalt@gmail.com

BEAUMONT – The Beaumont Drillers has announced that it will partner with Hospice of Texas as a new Official Sponsor.

Hospice of Texas is available to provide a special kind of care for the terminally ill, their families and caregivers. They believe an individual’s quality of life is as important as their length of life.

Although there are several hospice organizations in the Golden Triangle, Hospice of Texas is the leader in overall experience and caring for the terminally ill. Their staff has over 100 years of experience in providing health care. Hospice of Texas utilizes an Interdisciplinary Team to provide care; they believe you should Cherish Every Moment.

Beaumont Drillers Assistant General Manager Ronald Oswalt said, "We are absolutely delighted to have Hospice of Texas as one of our new official sponsors. The company is the best at what it does in the medical arena in the Golden Triangle area, and we are excited about what it can offer the Drillers."

“There is a great synergy between the two brands in terms of recent dramatic growth and success, levels of performance and market targets."

Great locations are still available for the 2008 season! Act now to reserve the best seats. Call a Season Sales Representative today at 409-839-4475 to reserve your seats today. The Beaumont Drillers are committed to being a premier team in the APFL and being involved in the community for which we serve.

For more information or get photos for media outlets or to get your 2008 Beaumont Drillers season tickets, contact the Drillers office at (409) 839-4475 or by electronic mail at beeblak@aol.com or contact J. Ronald Oswalt, Assistant General Manager at ronaldoswalt@gmail.com .

[Gusher]

That is great. I am proud the Drillers are becoming more invoved in the community.

[Drillers1]

Drillers Bring Football to Lamar Early
Tryouts to be held at Ty Terrell Track Facility

BEAUMONT – The Beaumont Drillers, the Golden Triangle’s professional indoor / Arena football club, is pleased to extend an invitation to all professional and non-professional football players ages 18 and over.

Tryouts for the spring 2008 season will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2008 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 AM. IMPORTANT: Those players that are not pre-registered should arrive no later than 8:30 AM.

The tryouts will be held at The Ty Terrell Track, it is home to the Lamar University Track & Field team. The track is a Monsanto all-weather Astro-Turf facility with a granular surface. For information and directions to the Ty Terrell Track http://lamarcardinals.cstv.com/facilities/ty-terrell-track.html

Recently Lamar students have approved a fee that would help fund the return of a football program dormant since 1989.

Football would return in 2010 if the Texas State University System Board of Regents approves the plan at a meeting on Feb. 22. With board approval, the school said it would start renovating Cardinal Stadium and looking for a head coach.

The Cardinals would return to the Southland Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision, known as Division I-AA the last time they played.

The Drillers are looking for players at all positions and each athlete will be required to participate in offense and defensive drills. Players will complete at one of the following positions: WR, DB, FB, OL, DL, QB, LB, & K.

Players should arrive one hour prior to tryout start time for registration. All participants will be required to sign a waiver and pay a $50.00 cash only registration fee. However, the fee is only $25.00 for Lamar University students will a valid student id card.

Players should dress in workout gear and have the appropriate shoes. (Track & Grass) Pads will NOT be worn. All players will be given an official training camp workout shirt.

The workout will consist of running the 40-yard dash and 20-yard short shuttle. Players will then go through position and one-on-one drills, both offensively and defensively. Players will also be able to showcase their skills during a 5-on-5 game situation scrimmage.

For more information or get photos for media outlets or to get your 2008 Beaumont Drillers season tickets, contact the Drillers office at 409-839-4475 or contact General Manager Bryan Blake by electronic mail at beeblak@aol.com