THUNDER BAY - Thunder Bay is known as a hockey town, producing numerous pro-athletes. But another sport is gaining popularity in the city, and young football players were given the opportunity to train with one local athlete who has made it to the big leagues.
Training with a Pro: Football Edition was back for a second year with Canadian Football League player, Nigel Romick, teaching important skills to more than 40 local athletes while also supporting PRO Kids Thunder Bay.
“It’s great,” said 13-year-old, Brandon Thibodeau. “This is an experience we never get. We finally have someone from Thunder Bay in the pros so it’s a great experience.”
“He is teaching us how to properly get by a defender and get through the bags properly and just have a good time,” Thibodeau added. “Football is getting a lot bigger in Thunder Bay.”
It’s also a great experience for Romick, who agreed that football is a growing sport in Thunder Bay, with more and more kids hitting the field.
“It’s not just hockey or track,” he said. “Giving back to the kids for football is good because it opens their eyes that they can make it somewhere. I started playing football in grade 10 and I’m at the pros right now.”
Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Romick started playing football in grade 10 at St. Patrick’s High School. After graduating, he went on to play for the Saint Mary’s Huskies and was drafted by the Ottawa Redbacks in 2014. Two years later, the Redbacks would win the Grey Cup.
A total of 42 aspiring football players participated in two clinics for kids aged five to nine and 10 to 13. Throughout the day they learned skills like passing, defending, running, and tackling from Romick and members of the Thunder Bay Minor Football Association. And while everyone was having fun out on the field with a pro-athlete, there were some really important lessons to learn, too.
“I like to joke around with them, have fun, and show them how to tackle and keep your head up and chest up,” Romick said. “Spinal injuries and head injuries are so common these days that I’m teaching them how to tackle safe. It’s good to teach them early.”
For 10-year-old, Carter Girardin, trying to avoid a tackle from a Grey Cup winner like Romick, has been an experience he won’t soon forget.
“He taught us how to do offensive and defensive drills and we had a little challenge when we got the ball and we played two hand touch,” Carter said. “It’s very honouring because I realize he grew up in Thunder Bay and now he’s out there in the big leagues.”
Romick said it has been great seeing so many kids smiling and laughing as they play the sport he loves, with many familiar faces back again for the second year in a row to have more fun on the field.
“It’s great feedback,” he said. “They’ve been smiling and having a good time. They said how much they enjoyed it last year and came back this year.”
