A new tradition of Saturday morning yoga has come to Lakeland Football in the 2023 season. Ms. Melissa Gentile, English and theater teacher at Lakeland Regional High School and local yoga studio owner, hosts weekly, morning yoga sessions with the team in the West gym. These sessions are held to perfect balance, coordination, focus, and other skills related to football, and is a fun and relaxing way to recover from Friday night games.
When asked how Saturday yoga started, Ms. Gentile told the Ledger, “It was all Mr. McCarney’s [LRHS head football coach’s] idea! He knew I was a yoga teacher and advisor of the Yoga Club here at Lakeland and he approached me about it. I thought it was a terrific idea, as the benefits of a regular yoga practice among students and athletes have been well documented over the years.” Ms. Gentile describes the class skills and attentiveness by saying, “Students have been engaged and really doing the best they can. There is a balance of challenging and relaxing poses in each of my classes and everyone seems to be progressing nicely!”
While some may be skeptical about the overall seriousness of the sessions, considering it’s a team of teenage boys, Ms. Gentile assured the boys enjoy and engage in the sessions, saying, “The only way to do yoga ‘wrong’ is to not try. They have been trying their best to be in the moment and for this, I am very proud of them all!”
When asked about her favorite moment of the season, Ms. Gentile exclaimed, “There are many… but one that stands out is the Saturday we did a ‘team building’ yoga class where we created a ‘yoga pyramid’ and did some group balancing poses. Everyone worked together and there were a lot of smiles that day.”
The Lancer football team (8-3) has enjoyed a very successful season behind first year head coach and Lakeland staff member, Mr. Ryan McCarney. The Lancers finished the regular season 6-3, and won their first two playoff games with a score of 14-7 over the Pequannock Panthers and 33-28 over the undefeated Caldwell Chiefs. These wins extended the Lancers win total to eight, matching their total from the previous two years combined.
The Lancers will play this Friday at Bernards High School in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2 Group 2 Title Game, looking to make their first state championship appearance since 2017, and earn another session of Saturday morning yoga. Interested in taking the fan bus to the BIG GAME on Friday? See the attached document for key information: https://forms.gle/mdY7HBszYvDvnaPt9
