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Part-Time Gladiators - Page 5
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 Pare, a certified welder and former high school player, decided to form the Predators when his relationship with another semi-pro team began to flounder. He invested a great deal of his own time and money into putting the Predators together and by the end of the 2001 season his hard work had paid off. In just their second year the Predators made the playoffs. His time and money were not the only thing that Pare sacrificed for the team. Through much of the 2000 season he played with broken ribs that would get broken again every week he played. He feels that semi-pro is a very tough level of football, which at the very least is a faster game than high school ball. To qualify this Pare added that their right tackle was an All-American at Division III Plymouth State College in New Hampshire and that when guys like those can’t go pro they go semi-pro.
Shamrocks’ runningback Frank Bianchini has played football at just about every level imaginable, including Arena Football and the NFL. To him the semi-pro level truly is a league of it’s own when it when it comes to roughness. "It’s going to sound weird but it’s definitely a lot worse than any level I’ve played in, and the reason is this: When I played in the NFL or in the Arena League there was the preparation in the physical aspect it. You were able to go into the training room every day and take care of yourself and come in (to games) in top physical shape every week. You’re a lot better prepared at those levels. Here, if you don’t do it on your own, if you don’t train all week and all year, when you get hit you stay sore for weeks after games. At this level, if you don’t take care of yourself, it’s amazingly tough."
 Bianchini feels that the level of play can also be pretty intensive, especially while progressing through the post-season. "When we get to the playoffs or the nationals, that’s at a very high level. You’ve got some really, really, really good ball players that for one reason or another didn’t make it to the NFL at that level. In the  nationals it’s very, very, physical and if you’re not in shape and you’re not ready to go you’re going to be banged up all year." Teammate Bob Ferreri, a tight end for the Shamrocks since 1993, says the intensity and physicality of semi-pro ball is partly due to the aspirations that some players have. "I would have to equalize it with a good Division IAA program to NFL material. It’s no joke. It’s very rough, it’s very physical and you’ve got guys out there that probably want a second chance at trying to go to the NFL, the CFL or Arena Football and they’re giving it their all."
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