The Red and Black

Issue date: 8/29/08 Section: First & Goal

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Blair Walsh, freshman placekicker from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., poses for a portrait demonstrating a yoga pose he uses to loosen up for games. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Walsh is not the only member of the Bulldogs that has done yoga. The whole team was made to practice a few poses over the summer. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: FRANNIE FABIAN Walsh, seen above practicing the "pigeon" pose, says he practices yoga "a couple" times a week. [Click to enlarge]

When Mark Richt, recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner and the rest of the Georgia staff went after Blair Walsh, it was because of his powerful leg and promising future.

They got all that, but they also got themselves a downward facing Bulldog - the freshman placekicker from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. is also an avid yoga practitioner.

"My original kicking teacher got me into that actually," Walsh said. "He owned his own ashram, which is like a meditation house, so he was into all sorts of stuff like that."

That teacher was Nick Gancitano, who kicked for Penn State against Georgia and Bulldog legend Kevin Butler in the 1982 Sugar Bowl. Walsh said Gancitano has since moved to Costa Rica, but he hasn't kicked the yoga habit.

"I used to be one of those kids playing sports that couldn't touch their toes," said Walsh, who does yoga "a couple" times a week.

"I remember my friend's dad was a coach and one time he said, 'I don't know how you play without being able to stretch.' So it's funny, when my coach got a hold of me, it just clicked from there on."

But Walsh isn't the only yoga practicing Bulldog - probably just the only one who does it in his free time. During summer workouts, the team had the opportunity to strike their yoga poses a couple times of times a week, with mixed results.

"It was pretty tough, but it's a good thing for your body so I should do more of it," said Roderick Battle, a 6-foot-4 inch, 260-pound defensive end. "I'm sure people laughed at me trying to get in those funny positions."

***

Scout.com's No. 1 place kicker out of high school, Walsh is no stranger to expectations. But at the same time, he's aware of the uniqueness of his situation.

"It's cool. It's something a lot of freshmen don't get to experience, to come in knowing that your team is posted to be the No. 1 team in the nation," he said. "It's all about taking it one step at a time. I think our team's handling it great. Come opening day we'll be ready."

That said, Walsh's eyes got a little bigger when asked about what will be going through his head the first time he takes the field in front of Sanford Stadium's 92,000.

"I'm trying to think of it as I'm only going to see part of it because I'm going to be looking at the uprights. That's how I'm going to think about it," he said.

"I'll just act like they're making a lot of noise or something."

Richt has granted Walsh field goal and extra point duties going into the season, but admits that he's still got some work to do.

"He hasn't made every single kick, but I think he's doing well. I think he's excited and confident in his abilities, as he should be," Richt said.

"He's very talented, he's had a good camp. It's just, you know, the rubber's about to meet the road here, for him and for a lot of people."

Walsh, who said he also surfs, body surfs and skim boards, got some helpful advice from Butler, Georgia's No. 2 in career field goals, earlier this week.

"I just talked to Kevin Butler, he was out here (Monday)," Walsh said. "And he was saying how his first kick (at Georgia) was a 27-yarder and he completely shanked it. But he went on to make three field goals, so that was nice confidence-wise."

Walsh was 14 for 20 on field goals as a senior, including a pair of 59-yarders that he said were "the highlights of (his) career for sure." You would think someone with that type of leg would be a fiend for lower body workouts, but that's not the case with Walsh.

"Honestly I'm just big into stretching," he said. "I do some leg weights to maintain and stuff but I'm not a big squatter or anything like that. Mostly upper body and stuff like that."

***

Yoga has some stereotypes that come with it, and it may seem like an easy target for Walsh's more cold-hearted friends and teammates. But one fellow special teamer has chosen an easier one - the 57 Walsh sports on his back, an unorthodox one for a kicker.

"Yoga? Not as much as his number. I like to pick on him because of his number," said punter Drew Butler, Kevin's son. "He's got the ugliest number on the team. I pick fun of him and say hopefully if (ESPN's) College GameDay comes to one of our games they'll do a piece on how ugly your number is."

But the freshman had his own retort.

"Drew Butler says I have the ugliest number on the team? He's been bugging me about that all summer. I don't have a response," he said laughing. "It was given to me, I have to make the best of it. Thanks Drew. Just because I wasn't lucky enough to get 13 like him."

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