LAKELAND - A popular American New Year’s Day tradition seems to have spread north across the 49th Parallel, but rather than watching college teams compete in their annual Bowl games, parents from the St. Paul, Elk Point and Bonnyville areas were watching a younger set of gridiron stars, as they took part in the Edmonton Winter Clinic in the Commonwealth Fieldhouse on Jan. 1 and 2.
A total of 124 young athletes from across Alberta and in Grades 5 to 12, including nine members from St. Paul teams and 12 from Bonnyville teams, spent two days of their Christmas break being coached by Canadian Football League players and CFL alumni from across the country, from the BC Lions to the Montreal Alouettes.
It was the first of these clinics hosted by the New World Agency since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and offered coaching in not only skills and technique but also in sportsmanship. The youths were divided into groups for quarterbacks, offensive and defensive lines, running and defensive backs, receivers and linebackers as they got an early start on honing their skills for the 2022 season.
St. Paul Lions linebacker Luke Germain called his attendance at the clinic, “A great learning experience and really helps you get pumped up for next year. It’s always good to get extra coaching advice from outside sources, especially from pro athletes.”
Fellow Lions Brady Hymanyk and Brett Barton, along with St. Paul Bengals Jacob Petruk, Alexander Kennedy, Kayden Deschover, Aaron Sachiko and Luke’s brother, Zack Germain were also on the clinic roster, along with Bonnyville Voyageurs Parker Rowe, Connor Michaud, Julian Gutierrez-Rojas, Cooper Prybysh and Jesse Irwin, Bonnyville Bandits Gabrielle Gratton, Zayden Ward and Adam Fox, and Bonnyville Renegades Hunter Prybysh, Jayden Hanusz, Kierceson Berland and Gavin Hanusz.
