Mark Masters
CFL.ca
When Maxime Bedard arrived at the University of Ottawa he couldn’t speak English.
“All I knew how to say was ‘Yes’, ‘No’, and ‘toaster’ but I wasn’t sure if toaster was an English word.”
Bedard is hoping Canadian Football League teams will be saying ‘Yes’ to him after he performs at the league Evaluation Camp in Toronto.
Bedard, who grew up in Granby, Que., dedicated himself to learning English while playing with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees because quite simply he had to.
“There were some French guys on the team, but almost everything was done in English. Huddles were in English and most of the coaches operated in English,” said Bedard. “I felt that to be successful I needed to learn it.”
The 6-foot-3, 202-pound defensive back will graduate from Ottawa in April with a degree in social sciences. He cites learning English as his top accomplishment while at university.
That’s saying something for a guy who helped the Gee-Gees win the Yates Cup in 2006 and was named captain of the East team at the East-West Bowl in 2008.
“I grew up in Granby where there is no English at all. I learned English in high school, but really couldn’t communicate at all. Then I went to Rimouski for three years [attending CEGEP de Rimouski] where there was again no English at all,” he said.
Bedard’s challenge was all the greater when you consider he is dyslexic.
“Growing up I found that every time I was writing something I was making mistakes. I was failing every paper I was writing and that wasn’t a good feeling. It was hard to find out that no matter how hard I tried I would never be able to write like all the other people in my class.”
Bedard found out he was dyslexic when he was 10 years old, although not much was known about the disability at the time.
“I was the first kid in Granby to be diagnosed with it and I don’t know if people really knew how to deal with it. When I moved on to Rimouski the people at the CEGEP were really willing to work hard and find the resources to help me, to find out what government assistance was available for me.”
Bedard said dealing with this disability has helped prepare him for a career in football.
“It’s been positive because I went through so much adversity when I was young thinking I would never be good and having to fail all the time. I was able to overcome problems by finding solutions and finding a way to not just look at the problem but focus on solutions and in football it’s the same thing … you need to focus on solutions.”
But Bedard knows that conquering the mental side of the game is only half the battle. That’s why he has buckled down and undergone an intense physical regimen in preparation for the Evaluation Camp.
Bedard’s secret weapon: Scott Gordon. The former Ottawa Gee-Gee, recently signed by the Edmonton Eskimos, has been helping Bedard prepare.
“I’ve worked with him every summer for the last three years and as soon as I found out I was going to the Evaluation Camp I went to him for advice and help. I train with him once a week.”
There’s reason to believe Bedard will make the most of his opportunity at the Evaluation Camp. In 2008 he made it to the East-West Bowl and was named captain of the East Team helping them to a victory in the annual showcase event for the top Canadian Interuniversity Sport prospects.
Bedard said he was honoured to be named captain of what amounts to an all-star team.
“A few days before the game a coach pulled me aside and said I would be a captain and I was like, ‘You’re joking, right? I’m just Maxime … I’m not some amazing guy. What am I supposed to do?
“He told me, ‘Just be who you are … that’s why we picked you.’”
Bedard is clearly not the kind of guy who gets caught up in the hype. That said it’s clear he desperately wants to play in the CFL one day.
“I’m just going to go out and perform my best at the Evaluation Camp and for sure I’m a bit nervous. It’s always been my dream to play in the CFL. I’ve done everything I can to prepare for this camp and I’m looking forward to showcasing what I can do.”
Mark Masters is a freelance writer living in Toronto. He has written about the Canadian Football League in the National Post, Enterprise magazine and the Toronto Argonauts game-day program.
