The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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Mills, Md. — for his weekly karate lesson. He was just 3 years old, so these classes involved little more than hyper kids running around in white outfits and punching fluffy cushions. But there was Countess, staring up B at the teacher, nodding intently at ev- ery word. From the time Countess began organized activities like karate, his father, Wendell, had instilled a mantra: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance, The Five P's. Countess excelled in the class, in part, because of his almost preternat- ural desire to learn all he could about a specific skill and become good. His natural athletic ability didn't hurt either. During a break in the karate lesson, Countess peered over to the opposite end of the gym, where some older kids were practicing on gymnastics equipment. Impressed by the twists and twirls of the gymnasts, this brave little 3-year-old, got up off the karate mat, sprinted over and did a front flip, landing on his back on the padded floor. Most kids that age struggle to do a somersault, but the coaches who witnessed the flip were immediately impressed by the natural fluidity in Countess's movements. His mom, Melanie, signed him up then and there. Over the next seven years, Countess became one of the most promising young gymnasts in the area, joining a travel team and winning the local All-Around Gold Medal in the 7-8 age division. "When he was 5, he was doing the full gamut of men's events," Melanie said. "He was such a little guy, but very strong. He could barely get up on the rings or the parallel bars, be- cause they were using the full-size apparatus, but once he got up there, he was very good." And that's how it went, through high school. Countess picked up baseball, and Countess has played in 10 games at cor- nerback, making five starts (Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Ohio State), and he ranks second on the team with six pass breakups to go along with 36 tackles. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN BY ANDY REID lake Countess walked into a "dojo" — really, just a mul- tipurpose recreational facil- ity near his home in Owings was immediately good. Same with basketball and even la- crosse, a sport he tried, just for fun, as a junior and instantly impressed the kids who grew up playing it. On the rare occasion Countess didn't pick something up right away, he worked at it until he was satisfied with the outcome, like he did with his slumping batting average on the diamond. But when Countess was 10 years old, he joined football — and the other sports were put on hold. He had found the sport for him — he started for the last two years of his career at Our Lady Of Good Counsel. And when Countess started to see he might have a future at the posi- tion, he attacked it. He started to see a personal trainer, closely monitored his diet and at- tended sessions at the Omar Abdul- Rahim Cover One DB Technique Training School. "The more you focus on technique and things like that, you're just going to get better, and I really started to learn the position," Countess said. "You're out there on an island. It's NEW KID On The Block Freshman Blake Countess Steps Into The Limelight now, he just needed the position. "All through rec ball, he was al- ways a tailback," Wendell said. "His JV year, he was still a tailback, and I just saw how he was trending. He's not a big guy. I suggested, 'The run- ning back position is very competi- tive.' "Even at that age, he had aspira- tions of playing Division I football, so we decided to look into the skill positions, wide receiver or defensive back. He said right there, 'I'm going to be a defensive back.'" He hasn't looked back since. THRIVING AT CORNERBACK Initially, though, the move to defen- sive back was not one that Countess wanted to make. At 5-10, 170 pounds, he used blaz- ing speed and athleticism to burn high school defenses from his tail- back spot. And he fed off those long runs. "On offense you get the glory with the touchdowns and stuff like that, but I like defense, too, because you get to hit people. … I liked scoring touchdowns more. But when I saw that I might have a future there, I re- ally started to embrace it." Wendell said that Countess was an immediate hit at cornerback, where all you when the ball is in the air, and I really like that. It's you and the wide receiver — who wants it more? I think it drives you to be on top of your game. And that's what I like." Countess started to get national attention from recruiters, so Mela- nie and Wendell traveled with him to Maryland, Penn State and other schools close to home. When he took his official visit to Michigan, Mela- nie was skeptical; she preferred that Countess stay closer to home — Penn State is only a three-hour drive away — but she let her son make the deci- sion. "Michigan is so far away, but when he came back from his visit, there was no use trying to convince him other- wise," Melanie said. "You could see it in him — it just felt right. "Michigan, and Ann Arbor in par- ticular, was very fitting to Blake's style. He's open to all types of inter- ests and cultures, and Michigan has so much of that. It's a good univer- sity, there are so many experiences there." After the Wolverines' tumultuous coaching transition, Countess' com- mitment never waivered. "It was the ultimate package," said Countess, who is planning to major in kinesiology. "It's a great school, a DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 29