by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
A solid week of intensive training and playing football in Daytona Beach was grueling work for 12-year-old Kristoff Kowalkowski, but it’s a week the Sartell quarterback said he will never forget because it was so much fun.
“It was a lot of fun even though the weather the first part of the week was so hot and humid,” he said. “The best part was getting to play with some of the youngest, best football players in the country and getting to meet all those people.”
The son of Dr. Thomas and Stacy Kowalkowski, Kristoff was chosen to take part in the All-American Bowl Game by the Offense-Defense Football Camp association. The “Game” was actually a week-long workout of training and two games, both of which were won by Kowalkowski’s team. The participants from all across the nation had more than two hours of training and workouts for the first two days, followed by a game, then two more days of training and one more game. There were a total of 25 teams at the event. Kristoff trained and played in the seventh-grade division.
Kristoff’s father and brother, Tristan, 6, all flew to Florida for the week-long stay.
In his young life, Kristoff has already attended about a dozen Offense-Defense football camps in several states, including two in Ohio, one in Indiana, one in Georgia and several right here at home in Minnesota.
Like his father, who played football for St. John’s University, Kristoff, a student at St. John’s Prep School, has a natural aptitude for football. His skills would seem to be definitely a genetic gift.
The youngsters at the Daytona Beach camp had also trained and played in Offense-Defense camps throughout the nation, and Kristoff had previously met many of the coaches at Daytona Beach because he had worked with them at various camps. The teachers and coaches at the camps come from a pool that includes many Hall of Famers, both players and coaches. For a half century, Offense-Defense, based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has been the national leader in football camps for ages youth through college.
During an interview with the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader, Kristoff was asked if the thought of possibly getting a concussion concerns him.
“No, not really,” he said. “I have a really good new helmet, and I just don’t worry about it.”
Kristoff is looking forward to going to more football camps in the future, possibly another one in Georgia.
He first played football in third-grade, and he loves the sport so much that his dream is to become an NFL quarterback someday. He also loves to play basketball and baseball. Not surprisingly, his favorite thing about school is physical education, and his favorite subject is science. He enjoys spending time in warm weather at the family cabin on Big Watab Lake.
Kristoff is the oldest of six children, the others being Tristan, Victor, Nikolai, Gloria and Sophia.
Kristoff Kowalkowski of Sartell recently returned from the All-American Bowl Game at Daytona Beach, Fla. He was one of a few young people selected to attend the training camp and games.
Kristoff Kowalkowski, quarterback, prepares to throw the ball during a game at Daytona Beach, Fla.
A football goes flying skyward after a pass from Kristoff Kowalkowski during a game at Daytona Beach, Fla.
