It is the chance of the lifetime for many of the Drumheller Titans. This week, 12 Titans are in Olds, learning from some of the finest football coaches in North America.
The Drumheller boys are attending a growing football camp aimed at teaching those serious about the game, the fundamentals about the sport and about playing beyond high school.
“We pride ourselves on making this the toughest physical and mental camp they can attend. It’s better to find out you want to make a commitment to the game or try another. We’re teaching the way the game is played at a higher level,” said Ron Dias, who is helping organize the camp.
The Titans attending the camp include Aiden Enns, Alan Lister, David Robertson, Gage Berdahl, Jordan Newhook, Joshua Kakuk, Joshua Weedering, Kenton Finkbiner, Mike Cameron, Steve Robertson, Wyatt Page, and Zachary Thompson.
This is the second year the All Pro Football Camp has run in Olds. The camp had a hiatus for several years prior while a new location was being finalized. In only its second year back, the camp has grown considerably.
“When we brought it back last year, we had 38 kids. There’s now 69. When a top prospect at a major Vancouver high school comes to this camp to learn, you know you’ve got something,” said Dias.
“We’ve got kids from Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. My motto is this camp belongs to the kids of Canada,” said Titans coach and camp organizer Ron Laprise.
Coaches helping out at the camp come from universities across Canada and the United States. Some are or have been coaches in the CFL. The goal with a wide variety of coaches was to expose the kids to different philosophies and ideas they may not find elsewhere.
“These kids will probably never get this level of coaching. Brett MacNeil, who is leading the camp, played a couple years with the Calgary Stampeders and 13 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. If you watch a game in Winnipeg, his name is on their wall of fame,” said Dias.
For the Titans entering university this year, or will be next year, the camp also could help open doors. For the younger players it offers a chance to work on skills they might not otherwise have time for when the season starts.
“We have quite a few coaches from different universities and sometimes one coach liking you is way more important than a coach seeing film of you,” said Dias. “Kids need someone to teach the basic fundamentals and techniques so they can develop. A lot of times in the season, you have to get ready for the next game. You’re not really working with the mechanics of the game.”
