Neumann's Notes: Football camp in the Rockies

CALGARY – The Calgary Dinos football team had a bit of a different day Thursday as they prepare for the 2025 season. 

For the second consecutive year, the Dinos ventured to the picturesque Rocky Mountain town of Canmore - 100 kilometers west of McMahon Stadium along the Trans Canada Highway.

This year's practice was at Millenium Athletic Park with the Canmore Wolverines High School players being present. After practice, the team was hosted to a barbecue by the Wolverines football club, which is coached by former Canadian Football League player Randy Fabi. Fabi played four seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the late 1980's.

For some members of the Dinos football team, seeing the majestic Canadian Rockies was their first experience. They were awe struck at the majestic beauty and size of the mountains. 

"This is breath taking. I never been in the mountains before and now I get to play football here. This is amazing," stated freshman receiver Zion Grant, who hails from Pickering, Ont. "It was pretty impressive to see the tops of these mountains on the drive here. You do not get this scenery in Ontario," stated the 18-year-old Grant who joined the Dinos this year from Clarkson Football North. "This is the nicest scenery where I have ever played football." 

Fellow Ontario native Jet Zakrewski was also impressed. 

"These peaks are so huge and the air here is so clean," stated native of Kingston, Ont., and a graduate of Frontenac High School. 

Quarterback David Oliveros-Jordan, who grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Sherman Oaks, was equally impressed. 

"They do not have this type of scenery where I come from," he stated. "This is pretty impressive."

In addition to having football practice, the team also had a cool down swim in Quarry Lake just prior to sunset before heading home.

"What a great day for our team," stated Dinos head coach Ryan Sheahan. "Team building and team bonding is an important part of the process. Enhancing the student-athlete experience is our job but watching them laugh and bond together was just awesome."

The Dinos were also joined by a pair former Dinos football alums in Gordon Elser and Andrew Buckley, who both reside in Canmore. 

Elser was a member of the Toronto Argos Grey Cup Championship team in 1983. He spent four seasons with the Dinos, being drafted 11th overall in the 1981 CFL Draft. Elser was a starting all-star linebacker on the 1980 Calgary team that were conference finalists. 

Buckley, now a sports medicine doctor in Canmore, was with the Dinos from 2011 through 2015. He was a two-time U SPORTS First Team All-Canadian quarterback and was the Most Outstanding Player in both 2014 and 2015. He spent two years playing professionally with the Calgary Stampeders prior retiring to attend medical school.