Last week marked the conclusion of the Ticats Rookies Camps and they ended the 2008 season strong with the best turnout of the year.
It was the final of the five week-long camps, that saw the Tiger-Cats make their way to Guelph, Brantford, and two sessions right here in Hamilton next to Ivor Wynne Stadium.
The week begins on the turf with fitness exercises where the participants learn proper nutrition and good health from the Ticats trainers, followed by individual and group drills to teach the skills of the game. Participants are then broken into teams and learn how to run plays, play defence, play zones, and run routes. Then at the end of the week the teams face off in a non-contact game.
Throughout the week, after their practices in the morning have finished, the Ticats players make there way out on the field to work with the kids. Last Thursday, Jesse Lumsden, George Hudson and J.P. Bekasiak spent time passing on some of their knowledge to those enrolled.
Once the football instruction is over, the players answer any and all questions the kids might have. During their introductions, Bekasiak saw an opportunity to tease his one of his fellow offensive lineman and didn’t let the chance pass him by.
“George has been playing longer than you guys have been on the planet,” he joked.
There must have been a budding sports writer in the group, since the first question they faced was about Jesse’s injury status. Lumsden couldn’t help but laugh at the fact it felt like a press conference and not a Q&A session with kids, but he let them know he would be back in the lineup for Labour Day.
He also responded to huge cheers by giving the credit to Hudson and Bekasiak, and the rest of the offensive line for opening up the holes that he runs through. He pointed to his young audience that without the big guys up front, he wouldn’t get the yards or especially not the touchdowns that he racks up. A valuable lesson in teamwork for young players, and one of the many they take away from the week.
