The Saskatchewan Roughriders started their rookie camp in Saskatoon on Wednesday. It began with sunburns and ended with cold showers.
The last day of the three-day camp took place in the rain, with temperatures at 8 C and wind gusts up to 45 km/h.
“It’s been incredible. You learn a lot so fast, these coaches have so much experience, and even you learn from the guys around. Different speed than I’m used to, a lot faster but been an incredible experience so far,” said Konner Johnson, who played for the Saskatoon Hilltops last year.
Friday was also the first time rookies got to perform in pads ahead of main training camp.
“I was just really pleased with the effort level. We had a lot of guys that this was their first CFL experience. This was their first time being coached by our staff. And they hustled. They did everything we asked of them,” said Riders head coach Craig Dickenson.
“We asked them to show good energy and show that they cared about football and wanted to be here, and we had everybody out on time today, so overall I was really impressed with the group of rookies we had at camp this year.”
There is still no confirmation that the main camps will open Sunday due to an ongoing dispute between the league and the CFL Player’s Association. The players will have the legal right to protest to strike at 10 p.m. CST unless a new collective bargain agreement is reached.
If an agreement is finalized, the Riders’ main camp is scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Sunday and the sessions are expected to run until around 12.30 p.m.
For those who had their first CFL experience, this camp was an eye opener to the next level of play. For those that are from Saskatchewan, it was extra special — like for the Riders’ eighth-round pick, University of Regina Rams receiver Riley Boersma.
“It is kind of bizarre when you think about it. Like all through my university career I would be selling 50/50 at the Riders game, and now looking in my locker I got a helmet and it’s pretty cool,” Boersma said.
He added that while he was happy to be drafted by the Riders, his parents were hoping for somewhere out east.
“I was excited but my parents live in Ontario, so they were a little disappointed. They were hoping I was going to get drafted a little closer to home because I’ve been gone for so long, but I was excited. Don’t tell them I said that.”
Coach Dickenson said that he was pleased with the overall effort level from the rookies, saying they had good energy. He added that there will be tough decisions to make as they will have to lose seven or eight of the players out there.
“You know you learn a lot so fast. These coaches have so much experience, and you learn from the guys around,” Konner Johnson Riders rookie said.
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