Camp Rundown

With day 16 of camp just ending and only 2 posts under my belt, there are obviously many things going on that haven't been addressed. I will try to cover a few of them here and give a general overview of what's been happening.

We are living in dormitories on the University of Calgary campus, about a 20 minute walk from the stadium. Not bad if the shuttles are running to and from the stadium, but definitely not ideal after spending 14 hours at football with rain pouring down. Each of us has a roommate and a tiny bed. Not exactly high living, but at least I'm not paying for it. My roommate AJ is a nice guy and really as good of a roommate as one could ask for.

The food up here has, thus far, been overpriced and under-tasted. The team gives us 3 meals a day: A light breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not really enough food for football players, although it is all-you-can-eat. I know many of us would prefer to eat at least 4 or 5 meals a day, myself included. The quality varies daily, but overall it has been decent. I've never been a huge pasta and red sauce fan (despite my Italian heritage), but I find myself really missing a good bowl after what they've been trying to pass off as acceptable (I think I'm spoiled). Going out to eat is an option, but very expensive. To put it in perspective: In the USA we have the McDonalds $1 menu... here they have the McDonalds $1.59 menu. Let's face it, the Canadian dollar isn't THAT far behind it's US counterpart these days.

The guys on the team are great, even more so than expected. There is a clear division between rookies and veterans on the team, but the hazing isn't as prominent here as it was at Dartmouth (of course they don't have hazing at Dartmouth anymore thanks to the new rules). I tack that up to the level of maturity present, as many of the players are married and have children at this point. The veterans always seem ready to provide help, advice and insight in any situation, for which I am very grateful. It's nice to have older guys willing to show you the ropes and let you know that you're performing well.

I am currently one of 4 DEs vying for a possible 2 spots on the final roster of 42 men. The competition is pretty good here and I find myself matched up against former NFL players (one of the other DEs spent 5 years in the NFL prior to signing with Calgary) on a daily basis. That being said, I don't feel overwhelmed or outmatched in the least. I feel like I am adapting well to the speed of the game and the new, higher level of intensity. I will have to play well in order to secure a roster spot, but I am confident that I'll do so. I started the camp at 3rd string and, while we haven't switched up the order in practice, I am certainly not 3rd string any longer. The coaches won't shuffle up the order, probably because they don't want anyone to think they have a spot locked down and to, thereby, keep the competition and intensity high.

2 a days were pretty grueling and I am glad that our last one is tomorrow. We typically arrived at the stadium around 6:30AM and didn't leave until 9:00PM. Two practices, meetings unending and a few meals seemed to take up the entire day. College camp was definitely more demanding physically (we usually practice in only helmets here), but the immense amount of time spent without rest day in and day out took a decent toll on my body. I've been fortunate to avoid injuries for the most part. Just the typical bumps, bruises and strains. The mental strain was harder to deal with than the physical. The environment is rather stressful as everyone is competing for jobs... literally. It is a professional environment and the equivalent of participating in a 3 week job interview.

There are simply too many details from camp to go into here, but feel free to post a comment or email me with questions at:
knuckles-at-alum.dartmouth.org