What's Up With All Of This '#10Strong' Stuff?

If you’ve been paying much attention to fall camp for Appalachian State’s football team, you may have noticed something “#10Strong” is associated with the program’s media releases and other things all encompassing.

It’s a slogan that was devised early in the offseason and meant to carry through the completion of the campaign that commences Sept. 1, when the Mountaineers visit Penn State.

So, what is #10Strong?

It’s a leadership effort where the coaching staff broke down the team into 10 parts with each assigned a leader for that group. The groups are quarterbacks, tight ends, receivers, offensive line, running backs, defensive line, outside linebackers, inside linebackers, the secondary and special teams.

So what does “#10 Strong” mean, and how did it materialize?

“So, what we did, we took a leader from each of those groups in the offseason, (strength and conditioning) coach Mike (Sirignano) and myself, we met once a week and we went over a John Gordon book, The Energy Bus, and it’s basically different aspects of leadership,” App State Coach Scott Satterfield said.

“It’s a great time for us to share with each other stories and how far they’ve come as players. And for them, to take what we’ve learned throughout that week and apply it to their position group. They did that throughout the spring, throughout summer, and will continue this leadership study throughout this fall, as well.”

Satterfield isn’t sure what the overall effect on his football team will be having implemented this approach to motivation, but says there’s to it than simply setting up football success.

“(It’s) just something that maybe it helps you win or lose, who really knows,” he said. “But, I know this, it will help these guys as they go through life and hopefully stay positive. Because life throws adversity at all of us, particularly in football. And I think that’s one of the things that it teaches you, is how to face adversity and how to fight through it.”

The thing is, leadership isn’t always innate in players, it can be brought out. So, while much of this is for the others players in each of the 10 groups, the effect should also benefit the leaders, as they come in all shapes and sizes.

“It was for leadership, because I think leadership can be taught,” Satterfield said. “Everybody has their own different personalities of what their makeup is, but I also think you can take that and garner that (and) put it in a direction that will benefit the rest of the guys.

“Some guys have it inside of them (but) they don’t know how to take it out, how to share it. So part of that is enabling them to share what they have inside of them,”

The team has bracelets that say “#10Strong” on them. It’s a binding force, as all teams adopt slogans in the offsason and then something different before the games begin.

But this will stay with the Mountaineers all season, and who knows, maybe longer, it’s more than just a slogan. It just might be a way of life inside the program moving forward.

Jalin Moore (RB)

Brad Absher (WR)

Victor Johnson (OL)

Zeb Speir (QB)

Collin Reed (TE)

MyQuon Stout (DL)

Anthony Flory (ILB)

Akeem Davis-Gaither (OLB)

Josh Thomas (DB)

Elias McMurry (ST)