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May 23, 2017

Quotables: Vets remember first training camp

As the old saying goes, you always remember your first. For many pro athletes, that first professional training camp represents the fact they have reached the pinnacle of their goals. As BC Lions veterans and rookies prepare to embark on Kamloops this week, a few of the guys reminisced about their first ever camp in orange. The 2017 version begins Thursday with first year Leos on the field at Hillside Stadium. The vets report for physicals on Saturday before the real fun begins Sunday morning. We caught up with a few players and went down memory lane.

Emmanuel Arceneaux

“It was 2009, my first time getting a passport and leaving the United States. If I recall, we were at a little Bible College (Columbia) in Abbotsford. It was just different. They gave me number 74 so right off the bat I figured they thought I didn’t belong there. I wasn’t aware who Geroy or Paris Jackson was but we were loaded at receiver. I remember I made my mark catching a flat route and kept going five yards out of bounds. I kept going because Tad Crawford was the safety and I must have outrun his angle. My main responsibility was getting only 1 or 2 plays all day followed be one on ones afterwards. I said to myself ‘someone is going home and it ain’t going to be me.’ After getting in the pre-season game at Calgary and scoring early I was able to get the starting position. The rest is history and I am honoured to have followed in the footsteps of some of those great receivers I met that year.”

 Ronnie Yell

“The think that stood out to me the most was the double days. We started those right away and the feet and legs were on fire for a couple of days. Ice bags were mandatory. Chris Boyko (strength and conditioning coach) kept those ice bags below freezing. They were really cold, but really good. You feel ten times better when you use those things. So double days and ice bags for sure. I also remember battling with Manny Arceneaux every day. He pushed me and I had a productive season because of it. This training camp I am really looking forward to battling with Chris Williams. Now that we’re on the same team we get to go against each other every day.”

Solomon Elimimian

“It was 2010 and I hit Jerome Messam on an inside run drill. We met in the hole and collided. It was a good battle we had against one another and I like to think I got the better of him that day.”

Stephen Adekolu

“One of the biggest thing I remember was this big defensive back named Dante Marsh. He put me up on the stand to sing and I was the second guy to go. I was really caught off guard but I ended up making a BC Lions rendition of Amazing Grace. I put Mike Benevides and Travis Lulay in it and realized the importance of showing your character in camp. That really helped the coaches understand who I was and what I bring to the table. Now I am host of the rookie show so it goes to show if you put your all and everything, on or off the field, you can make an impact down the line.”

Buckle up! All of the fun in Kamloops begins Thursday afternoon with first year players and select returnees on the field for three-day mini-camp. Click HERE for all information regarding 2017 BC Lions training camp, including practice times.

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Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com