A pride of B.C. Lions roared into town on Monday (Oct. 15) to train Squamish's young footballers.As part of Squamish's unique Practice with the Pros training session that goes on every year, six current CFL players and two Lions legends set up drills for the Gordon Sturtridge League Bantam, Minor and Pee Wee Titans.
Retired CFL all stars Lui Passaglia and Jamie Taras joined quarterback Buck Pierce, fullback Lyle Green, receiver Paris Jackson, safety Tad Crawford, linebacker Jason Pottinger and defensive end Ricky Foley in guiding the young players through running, tackling and passing drills.
Foley, who grew up in a small town in Ontario, didn't participate in an organized football game until playing for York University in Toronto. He said this kind of opportunity was unheard of in his day.
"All my life I would have died to have this. I was one of those kids who wanted it so bad: just feed me, teach me, teach me. But I never had the chance to get that."
It was Foley's second year in Squamish for Practice with the Pros. He said it's much easier to instruct here than in the city.
"They're so enthusiastic from a small town like this. When you go to a big city and try to teach kids football it's like 'Football - who cares, I'd rather be out partying.' But here they take it very seriously. It's embedded in the community and they appreciate it a lot more."
Bantam Titan Shawn Dhaliwal said the best tip he learned was to stay low and take small steps before blocking. He admitted he was intimidated by the pros before actually meeting them.
"It was scary at first because they're so big, but they're actually really nice. And they teach you a lot of great tips, too."
Organizer Rob Ryan said the event originally began in his youth when Lions Wall of Famer Lynn (Lefty) Hendrickson brought teammates back to his hometown.
"We are very fortunate," said Ryan. "They don't do anything quite like it anywhere else in the province. It's great to get this kind of a group out, and as far as kids go, I think we had about 100 per cent attendance tonight."
The program stopped for a number of years before Ryan made contact with Lions legend and the CFL Hall of Fame's Lui Passaglia three years ago in an effort to resurrect it. Passaglia was excited to participate.
"He's the driving force behind this on the other end," said Ryan. "He's done so much for youth football."
Some of the players were relative unknowns when they started visiting Squamish. It's been interesting watching them turn into key players over the years, said Ryan.
"We originally asked for guys just starting out with the team. Now, it's neat to see them move up and become prominent players."The Bantam Titans are going to catch an even better glimpse into the Lion's den on Saturday (Oct. 20). when B.C. plays the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place Stadium. During halftime, the Titans will play in front of their biggest crowd ever.
