Fraser Caldwell
Ticats.ca
Mother Nature lent a measure of adversity to the Ticats’ second day of rookie workouts at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Stadium on Friday. Braving heavy rainfall and considerable wind, the young invitees of the Black and Gold faced an extra obstacle in each of their drills.
But if they were bothered by the unfriendly conditions, the first-year Ticats certainly weren’t letting on. Instead, the players remained adamant in the wake of their Friday morning workout that such weather only served to focus their training efforts.
“I felt like I could perform,” said rookie defensive back Clem Johnson in the aftermath of the downpour. “Because even though it was raining, the guys actually hyped themselves up to forget about it. That’s what I was doing, just mentally blocking out the rain and getting amped, turning it into something exciting.
“Plus, you can’t do anything about it. You have to be out there one way or another, so you might as well make the most of it. It’s chaos out there, and you want to be able to perform when it’s chaotic.”
Receiving hopeful Michael Galatas echoed his defensive counterpart, arguing that the added degree of difficulty presented by slippery conditions simply had to be endured.
“I felt it the entire time,” said the first-year wide out. “But at the end of the day you just have to concentrate and do what you can to catch it. It makes you more focused and it can only make you better.”
Both players affirmed that the rookie camp experience was an overwhelmingly positive and gratifying experience for them, building a crucial level of familiarity with the team’s expectations and methods before training camp begins in earnest on Sunday.
“It was really useful,” said Galatas of the two-day series of workouts. “The only Canadian experience that I’d had before was at Saskatchewan’s mini camp. That kind of got me used to the waggle and all of the motion – that kind of stuff. But as far as coming here, I’m just like any other rookie anywhere. It’s a whole new setup, a whole new set of terms and concepts that you have to grasp. So it was very useful.”
“It gives us a jump start on the playbook, on the on-field activities, as well as just helping to get the nerves out,” added Johnson. “It was important that they allowed us to come out two days early and get these four practices in. It really helped mentally, physically and to get the jitters out of the way.”
The hope among both the players and coaches involved is that the proceedings of the past two days have helped to alleviate the natural disadvantages that first-year players face with the onset of a training camp. Johnson explained that familiarity such as that built over the course of the two-day camp is the only condition under which a player can perform at his best.
“You want to come into camp really rolling,” said the rookie ball hawk. “You don’t want to be asking too many questions. You want to be able to react. The fact that we were able to have numerous meetings before camp really helped, and the fact that we were able to get on the field and do a lot of the drills that we’ll be seeing at main camp really did too.
“Because, if you’re seeing something for the first time, you’re not able to go one hundred per cent. Now, when main camp begins we’ll be able to react off of instincts.”
Armed with a base of knowledge and a feeling of comfort with their campus surroundings, the Ticats’ first-year cohort is now left to eagerly await the onset of full training camp on Sunday morning alongside their veteran peers.
