The guest speaker at the Okotoks Dawgs’ banquet has a message for the young athletes in attendance this weekend: be proud of your accomplishments and keep your goals realistic.
Although baseball is not the forte of the guest speaker, University of Calgary football coach Blake Nill has experience with young athletes who are — or aspiring — to play sports at the collegiate level, much like the members of the Okotoks Dawgs and the young Dawgs Academy athletes.
“The competitive level is there at every sport — minor hockey, football, baseball…” Nill said. “The kids have to be realistic about being able to achieve the kind of level they want. It is tough. In my sport, all the parents think they are going to the U.S, but there are only a handful of kids from Canada who go down and play NCAA (football).”
He said the discipline and teamwork which young athletes achieve through baseball and other sports will help them later in life regardless of whether they land a scholarship or not.
Nill has definitely found success at the college level
He has won two Vanier Cups as Canadian Interuniversity Sport football champions with the St. Mary’s Huskies. He has taken the Dinos to the Vanier Cup final two of the past three seasons, but has yet to win the big one in Calgary.
“The formula is about 95 per cent complete,” Nill said of the Dinos. “Now we need to develop our recruiting and coaching that last five per cent.
Although he played some baseball as a youngster growing up in Hanna, he admitted it’s kind of weird to have a head football coach speak at a baseball banquet.
“It’s a game I certainly respect,” Nill said of baseball. “Although the physical aspects are different than football, any coach will tell you that any athlete who plays their sport at a high level are elite athletes.”
Nill played five years in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes/Concorde, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
He laughed when it was suggested he might not even be the best former Alouette offensive lineman attending the Dawgs’ banquet. That honour would go to Okotoks town councillor Ray Watrin.
“I know Ray,” Nill said with a chuckle. “For a guy to come out of small town Alberta and play in the States (Utah State University) and then a long career in the CFL, that’s amazing.”
Proceeds for the Dawgs banquet, which is Jan. 21 at the Foothills Centennial Centre. will go towards their ongoing programs. For ticket information call 403-995-1280 or 403-262-3294 (DAWG).
