Saskatchewan Roughriders running back Frankie Hickson is accomplished at the fine art of eluding rival defenders.
But there is the accompanying realization that there are times when it is imperative, and even beneficial, to confront someone or something head-on — whether it’s an opposing linebacker or even a book.
That is a philosophy he is imparting while cheerfully meeting with youngsters across the province during Rider Reading Month.
“It’s very important at that age to learn about fear and to learn that you don’t run from fear,” Hickson says. “You run to fear — whatever is making you scared or making you timid.
“You might not read very well or math might not be your best subject. That doesn’t mean you run from that. That doesn’t mean that you stop reading completely. That means you work on it more.
“You go forward, trying to improve on that, so that it isn’t something that you’re scared of anymore. That’s the only real way to tackle your fear — to run straight at it.”
Hickson conveyed that message on Wednesday during a visit to Regina’s St. Kateri Tekakwitha School, in Harbour Landing.
While interacting with students in Mme. Rachel Ling’s Grade 3 and 4 classroom, Hickson was asked about his choice of football apparel during cold-weather games. He replied by noting that his approach would not be to bundle up, despite the elements.
“Whatever feels comfortable, do the opposite,” Hickson said in response to the question. “That’s a really good lesson going forward.
“If reading is something you struggle with, for example, that’s the thing you should do more often so you get better at it.
“When it comes to clothing, I wear the least amount I can so that the opponents I am facing know that I am not affected by the weather and that I am coming into the game with a really strong mind.”
The weather isn’t a deterrent in March, either.
Hickson could be at home in Virginia, where the temperature at this time of year is reliably and comfortably into the double digits — on the plus side, to be clear — and snow is not a day-to-day factor.
But, in recent weeks, the 26-year-old Hickson has been immersing himself in community appearances when he isn’t busy with off-season training.
“I was with my family for a while, but I decided to come back for this very reason — to talk to you guys,” Hickson told the students.
“If this gives you one little thing to build on, then this has served its purpose, which is to help to build the next generation. My hope is that when you’re my age, you’ll be 10 times ahead of where I am right now.”
Hickson signed his name 17 times after the class. Each student lined up for his autograph and was cheerfully accommodated.
The class also posed for a group picture, taken by Mme. Ling.
“Thank you,” she told Hickson, “for being such a gift to our students.”
Ling proceeded to share a story that dates back more than 30 years. Early in her teaching career, she approached then-Roughriders defensive back Richie Hall at a community event and politely asked if he could please visit her class at St. Angela School.
“It was off the cuff,” Ling recalled. “I didn’t go through the organization. On the day I requested, he showed up and wore his Grey Cup ring (from 1989).
“It was something the kids never forgot.”
The process is now much more formalized — not to mention widespread.
The Rider Reading program, under the umbrella of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation, enables players to meet with students at assorted locations in Saskatchewan. Teachers are invited to enrol their students — from kindergarten to Grade 5 — in the program. This year’s registration deadline is April 6.
Last week, when Rider Reading launched for 2023, players travelled to Esterhazy, Kindersley, Humboldt, Yorkton, Unity, Nipawin, Tisdale and Prince Albert to visit with students and also to appear in the community at large.
This week’s agenda includes stops in Moosomin (Monday), Davidson (Tuesday), Saskatoon (Tuesday), Moose Jaw (Wednesday), Meadow Lake (Wednesday), Martensville (Thursday), Melville (Thursday), North Battleford (Thursday), Qu’Appelle (Thursday), Carlyle (Friday), Rosetown (Friday), Swift Current (Friday) and Wynyard (Friday).
Along with Hickson, the player ambassadors are Mitch Picton, Evan Johnson, Logan Ferland, Jorgen Hus, Albert Awachie, Brett Lauther, Justin Herdman-Reed and Brayden Lenius.
“Rider Reading is huge,” says veteran centre Dan Clark, the Roughrider Foundation’s Program Scheduler.
“I often talk about the importance of reading and literacy to youth. Sometimes we need to remind youth that reading is important, no matter what career they choose in the future. As hard as it is for kindergarten students and Grade 1s to start to read, it’ll pay off in the end.”
Clark speaks from experience, as a proud father who is raising a young family.
“Right now, I’m teaching my daughter how to read and it’s even confusing how to explain it,” he says. “Having our ambassadors go out in the community and spreading the knowledge of literacy and talking about the importance of reading lets them know that we’re just not football players and that we read too.”
Reading the looks on people’s faces is a rewarding part of appearing on behalf of team-based programs that promote literacy, wellness and anti-bullying.
“It’s just seeing the joy that the Roughriders bring to a community,” Clark says. “We’re not just Regina’s team. We’re Saskatchewan’s team. It just shows that our brand spreads across this province like none other.
“You walk into a room and you see pre-K students ask why you’re there and then they tell you that their dad’s favourite team is the Roughriders. By the end of it, by talking with them or even reading to them, they’re saying, ‘Oh, you’re my favourite player!’ You see how their faces light up.”
The same response is elicited from Roughriders President-CEO Craig Reynolds when he is asked about the literacy initiative.
“It’s really important for us to be active in the community and certainly with youth,” he says. “We worked a long time ago on developing some of the pillars where we thought it was important for us to be involved in the community. We landed on amateur football, health and education and we wanted to design and have programs in each.
“In the education realm, we worked with educators and really landed on reading as being so fundamentally important to education as far as kids developing good reading habits early on.
“The players read to the kids and they go outside and play afterwards and just interact. That’s almost equally as valuable, but obviously promoting reading as an important part of education is how it came to be.”
Reynolds can relate to today’s students by drawing on his personal experience.
While growing up in Foam Lake, he was at school when then-Roughriders linebacker Dan Rashovich made an appearance.
“It was hugely impactful, because I was obviously a fan,” Reynolds recalls. “You get to see the players and you get to interact with them and ask them questions. You get to see them being humans.
“In the case of Rider Reading, players read children’s books to the kids. They get to see these people who they see on TV or when they come to the games just be real. They’ll even play with them at recess after they’ve read a book to them.”
Hickson, for his part, rewound to his own childhood by reading a Scooby Doo book to members of Mme Ling’s class.
“I still love Scooby Doo,” he told the students.
Hickson also fielded questions about a variety of topics — such as his love of sports.
“Soccer, by the way, is my favourite sport — even though I play football,” he said.
Hickson took up football at the age of eight, but turned his attention to soccer when he was 12. He was about 15 when he returned to the gridiron.
He ended up starring at Heritage High School before proceeding to another Lynchburg, Va.-based campus, Liberty University.
While at Liberty, he exceeded 1,000 yards as a junior and senior, rushing for 23 touchdowns over those two seasons.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited his opportunities in professional football. He was away from the sport for 2 ½ years until debuting with the Roughriders in 2022.
In 13 CFL games last year, he rushed for 533 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry. He scored one touchdown — on a 63-yard run — en route to being named the Roughriders’ rookie of the year.
Although Hickson is relatively new to Saskatchewan, he has nonetheless embraced a chance to spend time in the province during the off-season.
“It was an opportunity to come back and, if you’re going to give me that kind of influence, I’m going to take it,” he says. “I’m going to use it for good and to the best of my ability help the next generation to become what they want to be.”
If they want to be a football player, Hickson is fine with that — even though the odds are prohibitive.
“We tell the next generation that only one per cent of you are going to make it to professional sports,” he notes. “Well, what if you are that one per cent?
“You’re deprived of that because of this thought process that only one per cent of the people make it. You still have to be prepared. You still have to do the right things. Just because I’m a professional athlete doesn’t mean that I can’t give you life tips that’ll help you in every other aspect of your life.”
But it isn’t strictly a one-way street, as evidenced by the enjoyment Hickson clearly derives from public appearances.
“I love everybody that I’ve met in the community thus far, whatever age you are,” he says. “It has been 100 per cent love and support for Rider Nation and from Rider Nation.
“But I think there’s a certain aspect of kids where they haven’t seen the bad in life yet, so everything is good. Everything is gold. Things haven’t been tarnished or messed up for you yet. You still can dream. You still can believe in your dream 100 per cent.
“I think it’s very important to get to the next generation before bad things start happening so that they can know that dreaming is a good thing. It’s something that you need in this life because it’s how you accomplish what your ultimate goal and mission is on this planet.”
Hickson is accomplishing part of his mission by touring Saskatchewan, meeting an assortment of young fans, and reading to them.
“I always like being able to talk to kids and help them be more than they were before,” he says.
“I want to give them at least one nugget — something that they can possibly hold on to. They might not understand anything else that I said the whole time, but if there is one thing that can help them in the future — wherever that is and whenever that does click in their head — then I’ve done my job and affected change.”
