By: Justin Boone
J.P. Bekasiak’s workout regimen during bye week was a little out of the ordinary.
As a guest coach at the True North Wellness Football Camp, the 6’6, 315-pound offensive lineman became a human amusement park for the children of Ouje-Bougoumou, the Cree community where the camp was being held.
“I was actually really sore when I woke up in the morning because I had been lifting kids all day long,” said Bekasiak, who holds the CFL Evaluation Camp record for strength with 33 reps on the bench press. “It was one after another and there were like 300 kids out there, so it turned into quite the workout.”
Right from the start, the kids were immediately in awe of his giant-like stature, and while J.P. is used to being the biggest guy in a room, on a field of school children he stands like Everest among the mountain range.
In an effort to get the kids to sit quietly and listen in the gymnasium, Bekasiak simply sat amongst them. Mission accomplished.
“I had a couple favourites that were hanging around me throughout the week,” he said. “It’s nice to be able to have that kind of effect on little guys, and it worked well because since I had their attention, I could get them to focus on the drills we were running. It’s really nice to see how they pick up on that kind of stuff.”
When a few hours came free, the locals took Bekasiak and the other Ticats out on the lake for a mini fishing derby, and Bekasiak, who was larger than life all week long, appropriately came out with the biggest catch of the day as well.
“I’ve never been fishing off a boat before, especially not in an area like this. So I was really thankful to be able to do that and reel in my first pike,” he admitted. “It may have taken us a little while to get here, and I’m still not even sure where to point myself out on a map, but it’s great being up here. The kids are amazing and the hospitality of the whole village has been phenomenal.”
Unfortunately for Bekasiak, next week it’s back to the weight room where the dumbbells don’t laugh or smile as you lift them.
