Bryn Roy has spent the last decade of his life dedicated to his dream of playing professional football. A provincial champion football linebacker out of Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks, his up and down career saw him play for three colleges and then three CFL teams over the past six years.
Now as a free agent waiting to catch on with another CFL team, Roy has created a football camp or “combine” that he hopes will make the path for high school players in southern Alberta easier than his was.
“What a ride! But I also noticed how much easier I could make it for a lot of people–a lot of guys who have passion like me,” Roy said. “Every coach I talked to was like, ‘Yes, yes!’ I started expanding and now we have schools all the way from Texas to U of C coming. We have 25 total.”
The first annual Bryn Roy Southern Alberta Football Combine goes Saturday afternoon at Crescent Point Regional Field House in Okotoks.
Defensive back Glenn Doroshenko, 17, from Foothills Composite High School is very excited to show his stuff.
“I’ve watched the NFL combine before so I kinda know what to expect, what I’m supposed to do,” Doroshenko said.
“But I’ve never done one before this professional. I’m really excited to show what I can do.”
Coaches and scouts in southern Alberta say this combine is the most impressive camp they’ve seen.
“I’ll tell you what–if you’re a young kid, a young player who’s played high school and going on the university–you want to go to this camp,” Okanagan Sun offensive coordinator Johannes Van Leenen said. “The reason why is the talent of the coaching and the different programs that Bryn has involved–it’s tremendous.”
WATCH: Bryn Roy speaks about his journey to the pro football field
Those in attendance will get a full professional experience, from getting their official height and weight taken, to getting warmed up by a pro strength and conditioning coach.
“We’re gonna do 40s, pro shuttles, bench press, broad jump and vertical,” Roy said. “After that, we’re going to do some one-on-ones with the skills guys, so the scouts are going to see them in a competitive setting going against each other.”
Any local high school player can pre-register for $50 or you can walk up on Saturday for $60.
The combine goes 3 p.m. sharp on Saturday, March 24.
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