After recognizing Saskatchewan had an untapped demographic as far as football talent goes, Kelly Bates, a guard who played with the Edmonton Eskimos last season, wanted to change that.
Nine football players from North Battleford and their coach Mike Humenny wanted to take advantage of Bates' plan to teach and create better exposure for aboriginal football players in Saskatchewan.
The BHP Billiton Aboriginal Youth Indoor Football Camp ran for two days in February. Day one featured two practices and an evening workout session with Jason Weber of the Human Performance Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. Day two featured a morning practice and a scrimmage in the afternoon.
A total of 100 players attended the camp including Cody Buziak, Quanah Daniels and Kyle Pooyak, who played for the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Senior Vikings. Denzyl Gopher was on the roster for both the junior and senior Vikings, while Tommy Ironstand, Harland Favel and Elias Frank suited up for the junior Vikings this past season. Blaze Steinkey and Lane Gopher also attended the camp in Saskatoon.
Volunteering their football knowledge were a handful of CFL players; Roughriders Marcus Crandell, Neal Hughes, Keith Shologan and Luca Congi, Graeme Bell of the Eskimos and Scott McHenry from Winnipeg were all instructing at the camp.
Other coaches came from the U of S Huskies and Saskatoon Hilltops as well as, former NBCHS Viking player and current Humboldt Mohawk head coach, Shaun Gardiner.
"I think (this camp) starts to satisfy two needs," said Bates, to a Star Phoenix reporter on the opening day of the camp. "There's a demographic of people that don't have the same opportunities as the rest of the province . . . to take part in a sport that really is woven into the fabric of who we are. Secondly, it strengthens the sport of football overall in our province. It's an untapped (group) of people who are just dying to get out there and play."
Those players who attended the camp in Saskatoon are now applying those new skills, as the NBCHS Vikings have started their morning workouts and will be looking ahead to next season's roster.
