Christiansburg High School has a new football coach, Alex Wilkens, and this fall, it will also be sporting a new look on its helmets.
This weekend, Wilkens, unveiled a cleaner, contemporary white helmet that showcases the school’s “C.”
The new era is something that the Wilkens has tackled in all aspects and the helmet was just another way to echo that.
“Many of the coaches I know or have coached with recommended that I do something to put my stamp on the uniform for a new look, so I decided to look for something that was cost-effective. I have always liked a white helmet. I just think it’s a clean look,” he said.
Wilkens comes to Christiansburg from Glenvar where he coached the defense and special teams. Since the high school just bought jerseys that are in great shape, he did not think it was necessary to replace them.
The helmet will have a navy facemask that matches the “C.” The new coach believes these little changes will add to the excitement.
“In today’s day and age, where kids see college teams with different uniforms every game, I think they get excited about variance. Ultimately, that is what I’m in this business for, to create the most memorable experience for the kids on the team and the stakeholders in the community. If small changes bring excitement and gets more kids from youth to high school level involved with the program than I think it is something that has to be considered,” he said.
Wilkens said the off-season has gone as well as could be expected considering the many transitions that the school has seen with respects to the football program.
“Our players have adjusted to a new principal, new athletic director, new head coach, new assistant coaches, new weight room and new expectations. I could not be more proud of how our kids have responded. There’s something refreshing about kids that just come every day to work hard, have great attitudes, and handle changes in stride,” he said.
Attendance at the Christiansburg workouts has steadily grown over the past three months, with numbers starting in the teens to regular attendance nearing 50 players.
