D. Scott Fritchen
KStateSports.com
Eric "Kap" Kapitulik is on a roll. He tells the team that he was a four-time member of the men's lacrosse team at the United States Naval Academy, how he joined the Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer and Special Operations Officer in 1995, and how while preparing for an upcoming deployment to the Persian Gulf, he and his Force Recon platoon were in a helicopter crash that resulted in the death of six of his Marines.
He set up a college scholarship fund for the children of his deceased teammates, raising money by completing eight Ironman Triathlons, The Canadian Death Race Ultra Marathon, and how he summited five of the seven highest peaks — Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. McKinley, Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Elbrus, and Mt. Everest. He also adventure raced from one side of a desert to the other in South Africa. He also ran across the state of Alaska.
He flies through his personal introduction in front of members of the Kansas State football team on Sunday at 6:35 p.m. inside the Steel & Pipe Team Theatre at the Vanier Family Football Complex. His list of credentials is jaw-dropping. He wears a black polo and khakis, and he speaks loudly and distinctly. Each pause over the hour-long introductory presentation elicits a collective, "Yes, sir," by players throughout the spacious meeting room.
The message? Simple. It's what K-State players and coaches will hear time and time again during Monday's and Tuesday's activities in what is called, "The Program."
"I'm the founder and CEO of a company called The Program," Kapitulik says. "The Program has one mission: To develop great teammates and leaders to create world-class teams. That's all we do. We have the privilege of doing so with more than 160 collegiate and professional athletic teams annually throughout North America. It's our great privilege that we have the opportunity to do so with the men of Kansas State over these three days and throughout the season.
"He adds: "Over the next two days we go into the developmental phase. Monday in the indoor practice facility and then on Tuesday morning in the deep end of the swimming pool. Tonight, we're teaching.
"And that starts with how to become an effective communicator. It's about learning to listen to understand — not listening to respond. It's about C.L.A.P.P.P. — Clear, Loud, Authority, Pause, Posture and Preparation.
"Warriors," Kapitulik says. "There is no right or wrong way to talk, however, there is a right way to effectively communicate on the battlefield.
"And the battlefield — or the football field with 70,000 screaming fans — can at times be unkind.
"We do three things on the battlefield," Kapitulik says. "What are the three things we use in battlefield communication? Name. Command. Appropriate volume. The golden rule of communication? What do I know? Who else needs to know it? And have I told them?
"On and on Kapitulik dives into being great teammates and great leaders. He attacks the topics from all sides as the seated players scribble his wisdom into provided The Program workbooks.
"Go to page six," Kapitulik says. "Goals are performance-based. They reinforce what we want to achieve. Standards reinforce how we're expected to behave. And how are we expected to behave as the men of Kansas State football? Our core values.
"Winning matters. Oh, it matters. Write this down: Winning and losing performances is a byproduct of our values. If we're committed, disciplined, tough and selfless, victory follows — not the other way around.
"Later, Kapitulik says, "First and foremost, men, The Program is here not to help you win games. Kansas State has done that at a really high level for a really long time. It's impressive. We hope by helping you be the best teammates first and then best leaders that you can be, we can help you compete for a championship."Kapitulik continues to launch into being great teammates and leaders. Another example? How great leaders consistently meet and exceed two standards. Great leaders ensure the team accomplishes the mission. A player can have a pick, six solo tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack, and the team can lose.
"That means you've failed," Kapitulik says. "You have to realize that's the way it works. It sounds harsh. It is harsh. You've failed as a leader, but it doesn't mean you're not a great football player and it doesn't mean you're not a great dude.
"He adds: "No excuses. What's the warrior's mindset? Warriors take 100% responsibility. We don't make excuses or let others make excuses for us. Warriors take 100% responsibility for everything that happens or fails to happen. Warriors, responsibility does not mean that you're at fault or to blame. Very often you're not at fault. Very often you're not to blame. But when we give up a touchdown, the warrior is 100% responsible for it."
Another topic: Selflessness.
"The beautiful thing about being truly selfless is you get paid for doing it," Kapitulik says. "The world pays it back for you at some point — big. Still, there are guys who choose not to do it. They make every decision based on what's in their best interest. I challenge you to make every decision you ever make in the best interest of the team.
"You will compete for a championship.
"Another topic: Toughness.
"Let's define toughness," Kapitulik says. "It's an ability to stay mission focused. We don't get mission focused. We have an ability to stay mission focused in the face of physical, mental and emotional adversity. That's a tough guy.
"Another topic: Mental toughness.
"We make mental mistakes thousands of times but there are three main times we do it," Kapitulik says. "When we are physically fatigued. To be more mentally tough, make yourself as big, fast and strong as you possibly can to make the other dude face physical fatigue before you do. Second, we all fall back on habits we've created. The third time we make mental mistakes is when we get comfortable or complacent. Write those three things down.
"The K-State players in unison reply, "Yes, sir."
"We can teach people to be great teammates and great leaders in a classroom, but everybody is a hero when it's 70 degrees and sunny out," Kapitulik says. "Everybody gives you the right answer when you're in a climate-controlled room. We care about whether we get the right answers when the sweat is coming down our forehead. Then can we be great teammates and leaders?
"Be a warrior. Stay focused. Are we focused on Iowa State in Ireland? No. We're focused on having the best lift we can have tomorrow morning. Then let's have the best session we can have in the afternoon."
The sessions are grueling in the name of building great teammates and leaders. On Monday, just before 2:00 p.m., players enter the football indoor practice facility in purple shorts and gray t-shirts. After the first 10 minutes, several players become shirtless. It's 86 degrees outside and even warmer on the practice field, as the entire team lines up in two rows, sideline to sideline, toeing the goal line. On cue, the first row performs knee raises to the 21-yard line and the second row of players follows. Then players jog to the goal line. Next comes the crab walk. Then comes the sweat. This marks the first five minutes of what The Program refers to as the "Dynamic Workout.
"Oh, there's more. Far more. And then players form groups. Evaluators from The Program evaluate. And speak to players. And observe. And speak to another player. Good, bad, indifferent, the evaluators provide feedback and will later communicate their evaluations to respective position coaches. It's a four-quarter competition. It includes every player carrying sandbags 41 yards, then 61 yards, and finally 101 yards. Why the extra yard? Because K-State is better than the other guys.
This session goes on for 3 ½ hours.Then K-State players, drenched in sweat, wrap up Monday's exercise with a team meeting.
Tuesday morning comes fast for K-State football. The busses fire up at 5:25 a.m. at the Vanier Family Football Complex parking lot. Destination: Fort Riley. Trip time: 35 minutes. Total darkness. Total silence. The inside of the indoor pool on the military base is dark and dreary as the overhead skylights are dim against low-lying clouds while thunder shakes the building.
Dressed in only compression shorts, players swim the breaststroke and butterfly as a warm-up. Then comes the time to tread water. K-State players Ryan Davis, Asa Newsom and Jacob Knuth lead the charge. The deep end of the pool measures 13 feet. In a competition between offense and defense, players are instructed to put on their hoodie sweatshirt and dive into the water. On cue, inside this chlorinated pool with low visibility, the players are instructed to strip off their heavy, wet hoodie, hold it into the air, then hand their hoodie to a teammate, who then pulls the hoodie on while treading water. Over time, what begins as a serious and intense task, turns into cheers by the end. Players enjoys the struggle together. Great energy fills the pool.
Finally, at around 9:30 a.m. the mission is complete. Kapitulik calls VJ Payne and Avery Johnson to the front.
"I'm truly blown away by what a great leader Avery is," Kapitulik says.
Kapitulik presents Payne and Johnson with The Program t-shirts — coveted t-shirts that aren't available for purchase and aren't always gifted to athletes at some of The Program's other destinations. But K-State is different.
Payne gifts his t-shirt to defensive end Travis Bates. Johnson gifts his t-shirt to tight end Garrett Oakley. Johnson also calls center Sam Hecht the best center in the Big 12 Conference.
"I challenge you to be more vocal as a leader because when you five up front are at your best," Johnson says, "the whole offense is at its best."
Finally, the men of K-State football take a team photo, putting a final stamp on an unforgettable three-day experience with The Program while enhancing physical and mental tools to become great teammates and great leaders.
K-State works out on Wednesday morning.
Eighty days until the 2025 season opener against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland.
These K-State warriors are programmed to complete the mission.