Every member of the Northern Saskatchewan Football League went on a road trip without actually playing in a game.
Upwards of 200 NSFL players and coaches converged upon Regina for the 10th Northern Football Jamboree, which began on Friday in Regina.
The jam-packed event included a football camp at Mosaic Stadium, where Saskatchewan Roughriders players Shea Patterson and Adam Korsak were among the instructors.
“I’m loving it,” Brian McDonald, a defensive back and receiver with the La Ronge-based Churchill Chargers, said during Friday’s on-field session. “There’s a lot of team bonding and it’s a lot of fun.”
The Chargers, from Churchill Community High School, were an original member of the six-a-side NSFL when it was formed 13 years ago. The La Ronge-based program has grown to the point where it is now part of a nine-a-side Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association conference that also includes teams from Nipawin, Tisdale, Melfort and Foam Lake.
Comparably, the Creighton Kodiaks (one of the earliest NSFL teams) are now in a six-a-side conference with Wakaw, Hague and Shellbrook.
The Chargers and Kodiaks both attended the Jamboree, along with the current NSFL clubs.
The league consists of two teams from Cumberland House (the Islanders and NAMS Warriors) plus the Pinehouse Lakers, Beauval Voyageurs, Sandy Bay T-Wolves, Ahtakakoop Titans and Air Ronge Huskies. The latter team is from Senator Myles Venne School.
“It’s great that they can look to us and come to us and be around pro athletes,” Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris said during a media availability leading up to Saturday’s CFL game against the visiting Ottawa REDBLACKS.
“It’s awesome that we get to be around them and chat with them.”
The entire NSFL delegation will attend Saturday afternoon’s Roughriders-REDBLACKS game.
For the Chargers’ Samson Sanderson, there is a novelty factor to every visit to Mosaic Stadium, whether it be for a camp or a CFL game.
“This is my first time touching (artificial) turf,” the Grade 9 running back said with a laugh.
“(The stadium) is way bigger than I thought. I live in La Ronge and there aren’t really any tall buildings, so it takes some getting used to when I see this towering over me.”
The Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation and Football Saskatchewan partnered with the Northern Saskatchewan Football League and the Jamboree’s sponsor — the First Nations University of Canada — to bring all the players and coaches to the Queen City.
The Jamboree is conventionally held in the spring, but it was deferred this year due to uncertainty regarding the teachers’ labour situation.
With a focus on flexibility and creating a memorable event, the 2024 Jamboree was moved to late September. It was a timely adjustment, considering that Monday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Players who are in Regina for the Jamboree visited the FNUC on Friday morning and took part in its Community Smudge Walk, honouring residential school survivors and children who never made it home.
After lunch, the NSFL travelling party headed to Mosaic Stadium for the camp.
“This is really cool, especially the day before the Roughriders game,” Sanderson said. “I really appreciate that these guys came out and showed us how to play better and taught us things.”
For McDonald, who is in Grade 12, it was a second opportunity to visit Mosaic Stadium. He also took part in the Jamboree when it was held here two years ago.
“I just love the atmosphere,” he said, “and being on the field with my buddies makes it even better.”
