September 2023
Welcome to the 26th Edition of our monthly newsletter. Summer came and went. An eventful August will turn into an action-packed September. Because the end of summer means fall is coming and fall equals football in America.
In this month’s edition, you can read about our young men in college, learn what one special state has meant for Gridiron Imports over the last couple of years, and see some of the top performers from the showcase in Düsseldorf.
Our Family Members will be kicking into gear and we are incredibly excited to witness their progress and see the results they will undoubtedly accrue with their schools this season.
We have several irons in the fire and can’t wait to show the world what we are working on. As we can’t guarantee everything will come to fruition, we can’t fully divulge yet what’s to come, but perhaps our donors will get a sneak peak or early access?
What we can tell is that we have started transitioning all profiles to the new platform we have in partnership with GMTM. We are really excited about the opportunities this move presents.
You can read more about it here.
Fundraising
We appreciate all of you who have elected to participate in our Patreon program. Through your monthly donations ($5, $10, or $20), we can support the great young men we work with around the globe in a multitude of ways, ranging from recruiting support to direct financial assistance with matters beyond the basic cost of attendance.
Donations can also be made through our website.
If you wish to donate by check or bank transfer, please contact us directly.
Your support goes towards visa fees, plane tickets, health insurance, and other expenses for our Gridiron Imports Family. We also use your donations to subsidize our College Camp tour and keep it the most affordable and valuable opportunity available to International football players each summer. Your tax-deductible contributions also allow us to serve the players we have in the US now and work hard to create the next batch of trailblazers and future stars here in the US.
Gridiron Imports Showcase!
Our first-ever fall showcase was a great success with more than a hundred participants from all over Europe. These events are not only a chance for players to prove themselves, but they also serve a great purpose for networking and building relationships with coaches and organizations. This time we were hosted by the Düsseldorf Panthers who helped with great coaching. Thank you, and congratulations on the 2023 German Junior Bowl win!
In this edition of the newsletter, we wish to shine a light on Five of the Best at the Düsseldorf showcase!
Read more below.
Also a big thank you to Simoné Nothelle-Woters (@ferret_lettering) for taking pictures like the one above.
The Box Score
Valentin Senn has started the first few games for the surging UConn Huskies at Left Tackle.
For the Gettysburg College, Konrad Vandborg has seen his role as Quarterback increase, and against Montclair State the Danish native threw one yard short of the century mark, completing 50% of his passes and a touchdown. Some of those completions were to his fellow Viking, Walle Harwigsson, who had 70 all-purpose yards, bringing his total to 263 yards, 99 of those on 8 receptions. On the other side of the ball, Defensive Tackle Jan Klinger has made a tackle in both games
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The Dickinson Red Devil family member Anton Jacobs has managed to get a tackle in each game this year after moving to the Defensive Line. Sophomore teammate Leon Friebel managed to snag his first two balls of the season, both for 4 yards. Their other Defensive Lineman, from Elmshorn Fighting Pirates, Neville Krueger, started the season strong with 4 tackles in their season opener.
Another Offensive Lineman proving himself is Konstantin Spörk, who earned himself a nod on the preseason All-Ivy League team.
The first family member to score this year was William Testa, who put up a 32-yard FG against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Up in Ypsilantii, the big plays seem synonymous with Andreas Paaske. The big Tight End caught a 21-yarder against Howard University.
Making Virginia Feel Like Home
The State of Virginia has become a great destination for the Gridiron Imports Family over the past few years.
Fork Union Military Academy has provided post-grad opportunities for multiple members of our Family including Konstantin Spork (Germany, Dartmouth College) and currently Anthony Tittel (Germany). Kenston Forrest is a new school for us this year but is providing a massive opportunity to big TE/DE Gergely Hudak from Hungary.
Blue Ridge School is a second home for Sebastien Wonderstern (Austria/Slovakia) and Cedric Jungmann (Germany). St. Anne’s Belfield School in Charlottesville, VA is off to a strong start this season with German Family Members Joel Wolf, Ole Sebald, and Tim Hamann making an impact.
North Cross School has been a great partner in Virginia for several years. Hannes Hammer (Germany, Virginia Tech) is a noteworthy GI/NCS Alum. At the moment, Moritz Schmoranzer (Germany, Pittsburgh commit) Moritz Mittendorfer (Austria), Eason Zhou (China), Jonas Skoog (Sweden), Mika Droste (Germany), Sander Frogner (Norway), Jeroen Van der Elst (Switzerland) are all in Roanoke and playing for the Red Raiders.
Showcase Standouts
Jack Keuchel - 6’2, 243lbs, 13 years old - OL, Potsdam Royals
Nikolas Kampas - 6’7, 265lbs, 15 years old - DL, Schiefbahn Riders
Baird Connor - 6’1, 188lbs, 16 years old - QB, Danube Dragons
Jim Hildebrandt - 5’10, 166lbs, 17 years old - LB, Leipzig Hawks
Linus Gr. Feldhaus - 6’4, 308lbs, 18 years old - OL, Hamburg Young Huskies
While these five were standout performances, they weren’t the only five noteworthy players. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you might hear more from us about some of the others …
The Honor Roll
The following families, individuals, and schools have made contributions to the Foundation since we transitioned to non-profit status:
Chris and Alisa Adamson and Family
Bjoern and Denise Werner and Family
Erik and Alex Dahl and Family
Michael Johnson and Family
Will Powell
Chris Rhodes and Family
Paul Mylott Darren and Debbi Castro and Family
Rickard and Jessica Nilsson and Family
Dr. Alexander Vollert and Christina Stadelmann & Family
Debbie Moore and Family
Robert and Julie Webster and Family
Bob and Jamie Adamson
Racheli Cohen and Family
Wolfgang and Claudia Spörk and Family
Kinga and Jakub Szymanski and Family
Justin and Kristin Thormodsgard and Family
Irene Antkowiak
Max Braeueri
Steven Mansour
Nico Dinkelborg
Frank and Svenja Steffens
Jannik Ebben
Damon and Rachel Ferrara and Family
Dan Adamson
Alexander Neundlinger
Daniel Otto
David Letzel
Jann Sprecher
Thomas Phillip Jäger
Matthiad Hohenauer
Michael Duss
Simon Wilsdorf
Christopher Münzel
Fabian Deringer
Andreas Lüscher
Konstantin Will
Hans-Georg Scholler
Sven Bruns
Joshua Kolz
Till Menne
Kate Wambach
Steffen Buenting
Dennis Richter
Rafael Hauser
Moritz Raum
Mika Kalkbrenner
Christian Jortzik
Peter Daletzki
Raf and Stephanie Steins
Lauren Butler
Jens and Kristiane Vandborg
Matthias and Katja Krebs
The Kuehl Family
Peter Claußnitzer and Family
David Perfield and Family
Mathias Richter
Ronny Moriana
Lukas Durchholz
Till Werner
Michael Just
Geert Hahn
Bruno Sojat and Family
Chad Tew
Kai-Erik and Pati Lyck and Family
Robin Dettmar
Jan Burell and Family
David Giglio
The Mittendorfer Family
Jeff Hollway and Family
The Batchen Family
Seth Oseransky
Dylan Stewart
Marcus Wagner
Alejandra Gonza and Family
Ronny Moriana and Family
Thomas Müller and Family
Daniel Antoni
Thane Watkins
Jason Osborne and Family
Forret West
Noel Jäger
Wilke Osterkamp
Derek White and Family
Preston and Mellissa Whitworth
Dirk Kirasch and Family
Brooks School
Casady School
The Governor's Academy
The Linsly School
Wilbraham & Monson Academy
The Paschos Family