Spartan Football Goes Global
As the Spartan varsity football team headed off to a pre-season game on August 20, the team took with it two unlikely cohorts: American-style football players from Innsbruck, Austria.
Fabian Abfalter and Martin Schild, high school seniors and teammates in the Austrian national program, participated in St. Stephen’s football training camp this summer with the goal of taking their athletic skills to the next level. “We have played American-style football in Austria for many, many years now, but Texas football is something very different,” Abfalter said. “The intensity level is so much higher.”
Schild agreed with his friend. “I tried playing soccer, but I like the team dynamic of American football so much more,” he explained. “You have to work together as one.”
Their dedication to the sport was obvious to their training camp teammates and to St. Stephen’s football coaches. “They are great guys and are serious about football,” said Ed Wolkind, head football coach. “Last year Fabian contacted schools across Texas, California and New York and sent out something like 300 emails, asking to be included in their training camps. I was very impressed with him, so we worked out the details.
“Fabian came last year and then wanted to come back again this year and bring Martin,” Wolkind said. “Both boys are being hosted by the Hanks family.”
Ryan Hanks, a member of St. Stephen’s Class of 2016 and a running back on the school’s varsity team, enjoyed the comradery he shared with the Austrian players. When asked if he was surprised by anything about these summer teammates, he replied with a laugh: “Well, they REALLY like Gatorade.”
Although team rules prohibited Abfalter and Schild from playing in the August 20th game, they accompanied the Spartans to Dallas to support the team. “I came here to improve my skills on the football field,” Schild noted, “but I got to know some really nice people as well.”
Address: 6500 St. Stephen's Dr., Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 327-1213
Phone: (512) 327-1213