Backpack Blitz: Roughrider Foundation provides Scott students with school supplies, mental-health tools
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Peter Godber posed a question to the Grade 9 students at Scott Collegiate on Wednesday.
“What’s in your backpack?”
The inquiry, part of a Win with Wellness presentation, was used to highlight tools students have at their disposal to deal with any mental-health issues that may arise.
Fittingly, Godber’s visit coincided with the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation’s annual Backpack Blitz.
The Foundation, with contributions from Roughriders players, staff members and fans, provided school supplies such as zip-up binders — which are most popular — along with notebooks, calculators and assorted basic items.
Like pencils, for example.
“I write a lot,” Aiden McBride said with a smile, adding that “I am trying to do my best this year.”
McBride noticed a buzz among his classmates leading up to and during the Backpack Blitz.
“They’re really happy about it,” he said. “They’ve been saying, ‘I need this. I need that.’ When this happened, they were really appreciative.”
The appreciation extended to Godber and the heartfelt messages he conveyed during an appearance in Scott’s gymnasium.
A dedicated Roughriders player ambassador, the 30-year-old centre has made countless visits to schools since becoming a CFLer in 2018. His sincere, engaging manner allowed him to establish an easy rapport with the audience on Wednesday.
“When I was your age, nobody talked about mental health,” he told the newly enrolled Scott students. “It was, ‘Go and be tough.’ Nobody talked about feelings.”
Not in school, anyway. It was different at home when Godber was growing up in Toronto. His mother is a psychiatrist.
“I’ve had unlimited therapy my whole life,” Dr. Elizabeth Werry’s proud son told the Scott Collegiate assembly.
Professional help is always an option. Resources such as Kids Help Phone are also invaluable.
“I’ve had friends who have used it before,” Godber said. “It’s a sign of strength that you know you have this resource and that you can reach out.
“We all have different tools we carry around. It’s very important that we use them.”
It could be something as simple as listening to music or talking to a friend.
“Know that you aren’t in this alone,” Godber said.
In a candid conversation, he told the students about his introduction to Grade 9 — in an expansive school with a population of 2,000. It is easy to get, or feel, lost in such a surrounding.
“It can be hard to meet people,” he said. “It’s intimidating and you don’t want to be judged.”
Over time, though, he became more comfortable at school. It helped that he immersed himself in activities, such as sports, and expanded his base of friends along the way.
“Once I got to know people,” he said, “high school was a lot of fun.”
Excellence athletically and academically helped Godber earn a scholarship to Houston-based Rice University.
He continued to impress at that level, to the point where the B.C. Lions selected him in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2018 CFL Draft.
“When I made my first start in the CFL, my hands were so sweaty that I couldn’t even snap the ball, because I was so nervous,” said Godber, who signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent in February of 2023.
One technique to combat stress or anxiety is known as box breathing.
Inhale for four seconds.
Hold for four seconds.
Exhale for four seconds.
Hold for four seconds.
Repeat.
“Even by doing that just two times, you can reduce your heart rate,” Godber noted.
“Before I go on the field in front of 33,000 people, if I’m feeling super-stressed, I’ll do box breathing.”
Such tools can come in handy at times like this. Godber, who is wearing a walking boot while recovering from an injury, would love to be on the field and helping his team.
“People can see that I hurt my ankle but, if you’re struggling mentally, nobody can see it,” he said. “Nobody knows about it unless you talk about it.”
And talk he did, amicably and eloquently, for as long as any of the students had questions or requests.
Godber was delighted to stick around after the formal Win with Wellness presentation to sign autographs, pose for pictures, chat with students, and provide advice.
“Being here, I realize how lucky you are to go to school here and to live here,” he said, “because it feels like a community.”
