Bert Faibish
Ticats.ca
On the 18-game road trip to Edmonton, training camp is the first pit stop.
While it may seem long and redundant to the casual observer, the beginnings of a championship team are forged in the heat and fierce competition that is training camp.
Sunday morning marked the first time that the veteran players joined the rookies on the field, and from the first whistle it was clear that only one thing is on the minds of players this year.
“My mentality, and hopefully it’s the same as everyone on this team, is championship mode,” said wide receiver Arland Bruce III.
“I’m over here to win a Grey Cup and today that started for us as a team.”
November 28th may seem very far away, but the process of transforming the Ticats from a playoff team to a CFL champion begins in June.
“Everybody on this team is focused on the same goal,” said veteran linebacker Otis Floyd.
“The amazing thing that I’ve seen is that a lot of the veteran guys even showed up to camp early and in great shape,” he said.
Camp is not only for working on systems and coverages, but for taking a group of individuals and turning them into a cohesive unit with one goal.
“The first day of camp is usually the hardest but it’s great to come out and hang out with some of your best friends,” said offensive lineman, Marwan Hage.
“We have a very tight team here,” he said.
The old adage that ‘winning is contagious’ is true.
The team’s self image is now that of a winner, and it is reflected in the heavy competition that was apparent even on the first day of camp.
“For our first day I thought it was very positive, we have a very talented team,” said Hage.
“I’m sure every other team is saying the same thing but moving forward in the season, the next step is to build off the good day we just had,” he said.
In November when games are played for keeps nobody may remember the first day of camp as anything special but in June when every team in the league is 0-0, success is measured not in wins and losses but in bruises, high-fives and sweat.
