WPIAL football coaches know the value of a good training camp meal

By: Doug Gulasy
Monday, August 13, 2018 | 5:18 PM

Tim Burk has been through a training camp or 10 during his time as an assistant at Carlynton, Deer Lakes and Springdale, so he knows plenty of the coach’s on-field responsibilities.

But then there are the ones that fly under the radar: “Everybody’s looking to you to make the decisions, from camp foods, to when you want to eat and those things,” he said.

Burk, who was hired in late July as Deer Lakes’ coach, leans on his assistants for many of the on-field responsibilities. But when it comes to food, he’s leaving that to his key backups.

“I’ve been blessed: My mother-in-law and my wife are cooking the camp meals,” he said. “They’re cooking all the camp meals. They’re Italian, so the food has been exceptional. They’ve done a fantastic job.”

Monday’s menu consisted of spaghetti and meatballs, pepperoni rolls, salad, watermelon and cookies, situated in between the morning and afternoon session of Deer Lakes’ first two-a-day practice.

“A couple of the kids made mention to me: They said we don’t know how you do it, if you eat this kind of stuff every day,” Burk said. “Our camp meals have been out of this world.”

Likewise, Burrell’s Shawn Liotta said the importance of the camp menu was one of the key lessons he learned over his years as coach.

“We had an excellent lunch here today, so I know the meals are going to be good,” Liotta said of the Bucs’ catered lunch from Garda’s Restaurant, including pasta, bread, fruit and salad. “It was a good meal.”

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Doug at dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dgulasy_Trib.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Doug at 412-388-5830, dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes