Dan Goodspeed
CFL.ca
So, at 31 years old, I just wrapped up my ninth training camp. Although the teams I’ve been with have changed, training camps always seem the same. Initially it appears every player is dreading the days ahead, but it is the time to display the gains of being in the weight room and conditioning on the field during the offseason. The mornings of training camp come faster than I want and the days last longer than I could ever imagine. A day consists of double practice sessions and more film study than I know what to do with. Now is the time to hone my skills, get my timing back, and get in sync with all my new and returning teammates. The fun part of each day is finding an element of my game to improve on. After working to perfect this aspect, it’s watching the practice film at the end of the day that lets me know exactly how I’m coming along. While all this is going on, I attempt to continue to improve myself in the weight room and most importantly, to just stay healthy. It’s also a time to “empty my tank”. It’s a saying we use to describe knowing exactly what we’ll be capable of come game day. But all the work is well worth it, because on the horizon is the excitement of a new season. And when training camp is over, it time to focus on the task at hand and that is winning the Grey Cup.
Finally, after spending endless days in training camp, another football season is upon us and opening day is always the most exciting for me. It gets old real fast hitting the same guys over and over again, but now is our chance to finally hit a jersey of a different color. It’s game day and some guys arrive at the stadium a couple hours early, while others get there three to four hours before kickoff. I’m a guy that likes to get there quite early and it’s always been that way. It’s a time to relax, get taped, and get all my equipment fitting just right. I like to listen to my IPod (which is usually a lot of country for those wondering) and run through our game plan in my head. Some guys actually go on the field to walk through the game plan and begin their warm up. I prefer to stay in the locker room with the rest of the o-line. I usually stretch on my own inside before we take the field for the team warm up. My favorite part is after the on field warm up when we all come back into the locker room for about fifteen minutes. Everyone is sitting in front of their locker and it usually pretty quiet. Some guys are talking, some are listening to their headphones, but everyone is getting focused for the task at hand. You can hear the fans outside in the stadium getting restless for the game to begin and you can start to feel their energy. Every team I’ve been with has what they call the five minute warning. It’s a time written on the board that lets everyone know when to be ready and the coach will address the team one last time before we take the field. Although it’s a specific time, you don’t need a clock to tell you when those five minutes has come, because the locker room instantly becomes electric. Everyone is strapped up and you can actually see the intensity on each face. Everyone has spent countless hours and days preparing. We each know our part and what is expected of us. It’s game time!
Dan Goodspeed is one of the premier offensive tackles in the CFL. He was the East Division Outstanding Lineman in 2007 and is the anchor for an impressive Winnipeg Blue Bombers O-line.
