BCLions.com
By Matt Baker
Adam Bighill has many stories about growing up in Montesano, Wash., but perhaps the most interesting? He roamed the same high-school hallways as late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.
“Nirvana was always huge, especially where we lived,” Bighill said. “Kurt was from Aberdeen about ten miles away and he previously went to my high school for a couple of years.”
Although they were 21 years apart in age, Bighill will forever be able to share ties to Grays Harbor County with the artist who helped change the face of Rock and Roll forever.
Five years after high school graduation, and about 140 miles south, the stocky linebacker arrived to the BC Lions west coast free agent camp in Portland. Although he had been seen by Lions brass at two of his college pro-days, Bighill viewed the May workout at Lake Oswego High School as his first big chance to turn heads.
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“They knew who I was and what I was capable of running wise,” Bighill recalls. “But at the same time I didn’t have the chance to work out for them and do some one-on-one drills. I think it paid off because I intercepted a pass on my first one-on-one and later knocked down another.”
Five years after that impressive performance, he is now a full-time resident of Surrey with his wife Kristina, who hails from Port Moody, and six-month old son AJ. Whether it is modelling the club’s spiffy new adidas uniforms, the usual go- around of community appearances or his notoriously intense training regimen, Bighill has been living this off-season to the fullest.
Adding more joy and excitement to the daily routine is watching AJ grow up. Bighill, like every professional athlete, admits fatherhood has changed his perspective on a lot of things in life.
“So many people told me how awesome it was to be a father, but it’s not something you understand until you actually live it,” Bighill said. “Once you become a father, you realize how special it is and how your mindset changes.”
The elder Bighill is already harbouring thoughts of AJ following in his footsteps.
“He’s captured by football on TV,” Bighill said with a proud smile.
“He’ll grab a football and hang onto it and he already has a good build, so hopefully he’ll be alright,” Bighill laughed.
The former Central Washington University star also has plans of a big encore to his award-winning 2015 season. He led the CFL with 121 tackles and earned a third all-star selection to go along with his first career Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.
“I can’t wait to get back on the field with the guys and start hitting people again,” Bighill declared.
One thing is clear: with Solomon Elimimian returning from his Achilles tendon injury suffered last July, ‘Team 100’ will once again be ready to take opposing offences to the wood shed. Bighill expects Elimimian to be more motivated than ever to prove he is still an elite game breaker.
“Solly is a guy who plays his best when he has a chip on his shoulder,” Bighill said. “If someone tells him he can’t do it, he’s going to show them that he can. We’re looking at getting back to business as usual with Team 100 roaming the field and letting everybody know what time it is.”
“It says it all that despite Adam coming off an award-winning year, he still understands he needs to improve,” defensive coordinator Mark Washington said. “He really wants one thing and that’s to win a Grey Cup.
“You take that kind of determination and it’s no surprise he’s had the success he has had.”
Washington can also relate to being an American who has become a full-time resident of B.C. With that comes the understanding of how beloved the Lions are across this province.
“Our hearts and families are in B.C.,” Washington said. “This is a beautiful community to live in and the fact Adam has become so involved with it, just shows the kind of person he is. He can be living on the moon and he’d be involved in Lunar activity.”
Bighill’s motivation and work ethic is definitely a product of the athletic commitment he demonstrated while growing up in Montesano, a town with less than 4,000 residents, which Bighill says grew to about 8,000 for his high school football home games. He also played baseball, basketball and soccer and credits those sports with helping him gain the necessary athletic attributes to excel in football.
“It was year round sports”, Bighill recalls. “It was a great football program to play and learn in, but also become a man. Those are the things I definitely hold dearly.”
“It says it all that despite Adam coming off an award-winning year, he still understands he needs to improve.”
Mark Washington
Bighill met Kristina, a former collegiate golfer at Eastern Washington and Oregon State, in 2012. Along with a life companion, he also gained a tough competitor on the links.
“Our first time playing together, she beat me by over 20 strokes,” Bighill laughed. Kristina also proved to be an excellent coach, something he admits he needed very badly. “I told her I was a piece of clay and to mold me into a great golfer,” Bighill said.
The results soon followed as he went from shooting in the 100s to the low 80s, although to this day, Adam admits he has only defeated her three times and it has been when he’s had his absolute best day on the course and she has had her worst.
With baby AJ occupying most of their time, the height of their friendly course rivalry is on temporary hold, but Bighill says the next goal is to consistently shoot in the 70s.
The linebacker’s other big off-field hobby is snowboarding. Whistler, Mt. Baker and White Pass are among his favourite places to have fun in the champagne powder.
With main camp less than two weeks away, the focus for Bighill is now shifting to football and making sure the Lions get back to the CFL penthouse.
“We look to put fear into people and for our opponents to be nervous about playing us. We want to bring some of that anxiety into the other teams.”
You can bet there will be some Nirvana on the Kamloops playlist as well.
