Q & A with Hutson Mason: “The Ride” Episode 2
KW: In episode two you guys got more into the actual competition and less back story. How similar was what we saw in episode 2 to what was actually happening and how much was edited for the program?
HM: “It was very similar to what was shown on TV. We did a lot of intense training and we were segregated from the other kids in camp and there was no messing around. At the same time the coaches and instructors were real easy to talk to. They did a great job of explaining everything in a way that you could understand it. Some of the things, You saw me last night talking to Coach K (Former NFL QB Mike Kruzek) about the wrist placement. I’m sitting there thinking there is no way that this little thing could help the way I throw it. It was amazing to see over three days when we just rep and rep and rep and try to change things. It’s amazing how much quicker the ball comes out, and the way the direction of the ball will stay in the air longer and won’t die down just from keeping your elbow and wrist and stuff like that. The information that I got from the guys it was overwhelming but at the same time I was able to bring a lot back to school that I could work on. The show it does show a lot of what we did obviously it had to cut stuff out as we did a lot of interviews. I built a good relationship with my roommate there (Hutson roomed with Cody Fajardo out of Anaheim (Calif.) Servite High School) that was kind of my buddy there and with everyone else it was kind of a dog fight and a scrap because we were all going for four spots in the next round.”
KW: Former NFL quarterback Mike Kruzek was one of the instructors/coaches for the show. In episode 2 we saw that you received some one on one time with him although the show only gave us a brief glimpse. What did he tell you and how has it helped you?
HM: “A lot, Fundamentals is what I really brought back and I think the biggest thing that I’ve improved upon this summer is throwing to my left. If you look at some games or film from last year, I didn’t do a very good job of transferring my weight when I was throwing to my left side I kind of just stopped and that took the momentum off the ball to the left side. When I went to these camps they told me this is what you need to do and this is what we rep, rep, rep (Mason was snapping to show the rhythm they wanted him in). There were just little things when I was throwing to my left I would have a problem having my arm out like this (Mason had his left arm out flailing away from his body). Well he (Coach Kruzek) did a trick where you put your arm in your sleeve and we went through routes like this with my arm like this (Mason slides his left arm into his sleeve up to his wrist against his left side) just because it’s worse on taking this arm and whipping it and getting that extra momentum behind you. We did this 50 times with the shirt in the sleeve and got used to it then when you got out of the drill and were throwing you don’t realize it but now it is just a natural motion instead of throwing out like this (again Mason had his left arm out flailing away from his body) and it was just stuff like that. It was amazing how much if you rep it rep it rep it (again snapping to illustrate repetition) like they say it becomes second nature to you and then with footwork it is unbelievable how easily they can critique your footwork and how much it actually helps when you work on it and try to improve it.”
KW: Now with the drills they showed you, did you find that you brought a lot of those back to help out your teammates or found that you just worked on them more privately when you weren’t practicing or at school?
HM: “It is more just myself. There were some drills that would help but at the same time some of the stuff that we worked there were some of the basic drills that I worked at some of the most basic camps that I have been to. The same thing they work on in the NFL is the same thing that we work on in high school and will work on in college which is squaring your hips up when you throw, following through, and everything that they have told us there is everything we had heard before and we just tried to improve on it more and I tried to bring things back here that I thought have improved my game a lot.”
KW: The second episode had all the coaches gathered together for the first time to discuss the eight of you in what we will call “The Huddle”. What were your thoughts on the huddle seeing it for the first time?
HM: “I thought what they said was pretty much true about everyone. I think since they were on camera they had to say something nice about everybody. It will be interesting to see what is on next week’s episode just to see what they say. To see why they decided on the people the people that they keep and the people that they cut and why they cut them. I think next week it will be able to answer more questions of why they thought if I did make it or if I didn’t make it and why.”
Check back next week to see if Hutson made the cut to Top Gun.
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