Calgary Stampeders main camp: Day 1 brings 'off-the-charts' energy from 99 CFL hopefuls
Article content
Vernon Adams Jr. made some plays — some throws — Sunday that brought out oohs and aahs from fans, coaches and teammates alike.
Article content
Yeah … it's only Day 1 of training camp for the Calgary Stampeders, but the enthusiasm — from the highly touted new quarterback right through to the fresh faces graduated from rookie camp — was certainly front and centre at Shouldice Park's Stampeder Field.
Article content
'Energy is through the roof, off the charts,' said Stampeders veteran receiver Reggie Begelton, with his trademark grin underscoring his own excitement about the power of main camp's first day.
Article content
'I mean … come on, man … we're happy to be back in camp,' continued Begelton. 'The competition is high. A lot of jobs are on the line. And everybody knows that, so the intensity is here.
Article content
'However, at the same time, it is fun. It's fun to be out here. The first time I was in the huddle, I caught myself smiling. Just grateful to be out here again.'
Article content
In all, a whopping 99 hopefuls — many of them new to the organization — took the field grateful for the opportunity to make the CFL team.
Article content
Included are the 49 who competed in the three days of rookie camp and survived Saturday's cuts to advance on to main camp, which continues at McMahon Stadium for the next few weeks.
Article content
The only two players unavailable due to injury were talented receiver Malik Henry (knee) and CFL veteran defensive lineman Charles Wiley (achilles) — one of many off-season additions for the Red and White.
Article content
'We did have good energy and good leadership,' said Stampeders GM/head coach Dave Dickenson. 'You can tell as a group, they were excited to be here.
Article content
Article content
'Pretty easy, though, with this great weather we have, and it's always that first day to me, the rookies are seeing, 'Oh, we got some vets here that are maybe playing at different tempo.' So always good to see what the standard is and seeing everybody get better at practice.
Article content
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
40 minutes ago
- CBC
Get to know Sarah Nurse, one of the PWHL stars joining Vancouver's new team this fall
Vancouver's inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League team has already signed some big names: this week, the team signed Surrey's Jenn Gardiner, all-star defenders Claire Thompson and Sophie Jaques, goalie Emerance Maschmeyer and all-around hockey legend Sarah Nurse. Nurse has two Olympic medals under her belt: a silver in 2018 and a gold from the 2020 Tokyo Games. She's been with the Toronto Sceptres since the PWHL launched in 2023, as one of the team's first three signings. During the inaugural season, she tied for second in league scoring with 23 points in 24 games and was voted a Second Team All-Star. Vancouverites saw her play this past season at the sold-out PWHL game at Rogers Arena in January, where the Montreal Victoire beat the Sceptres 4-2. This week, she signed a one-year contract with PWHL Vancouver. "It's like a whirlwind," she said. "I am so excited to be able to play professional hockey in Vancouver. I think it's really the opportunity of a lifetime, and being here in January, I saw the passion, I saw the zest, I saw the excitement for women's hockey. If the fans could show up for a Toronto and Montreal team, I can't even imagine how amazing it's gonna be for their own hometown team." Nurse joined Amy Bell on CBC's On The Coast for an interview following the announcement. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Did this move to Vancouver come as a surprise for you? A little bit. With the expansion draft and the rules and how everything was going to shake out, I knew it was a possibility that I would be left unprotected by Toronto. I knew that if I went to an expansion team, Vancouver was my target. After talking to Cara Gardner Morey from Vancouver, I couldn't be more excited because I just know that it's the right fit for me. What has playing for the Sceptres been like? I think from day one, when this league started, I was blown away by the support everywhere. Toronto embraced us with everything that they have. We were the first professional women's sports team in Toronto. Now, we've been joined by the NSL soccer team and also the WNBA team that's coming. There's so many hockey fans, there's so many young hockey players who are coming up within the Greater Toronto Area. They're absolutely incredible, and I'm so grateful for their support. How important was it for a new Vancouver team to sign a high-profile name like yours? I was obviously very honoured to be in consideration to be brought to Vancouver. I take a lot of pride in what I do off of the ice and my impact in the community on the fans and the supporters. But I think, ultimately, my biggest goal is to make a splash and make an impact on the ice. I want to be the best possible player that I can be for this organization and really put my best foot forward because I know that I have a lot of skills and abilities that I think are going to be great on this team. What kind of role do you think you're going to be able to play with this new team? I have very high expectations of myself. I definitely want to be a leader on and off of the ice. I think with the other girls and Sophie and Claire, they're pretty locked down on the back end. They're two very, very world-class defencemen. And then Emerance in net, an absolute brick wall. I think she's been probably the best goalie in the PWHL for the last two years. Jenn Gardiner, who's young, new, fresh talent who has so much potential, and it's going to be great to see her blossom and grow. You battled a long-term injury this past season. How are you feeling as you get prepared to hit the ice in Vancouver this fall? I'm feeling so optimistic. I'm excited to have some time to actually fully rehab my knee and be able to be the absolute best that I can be when November comes. I'm excited to put in the work. I think I'm going to get on the ice next week, which I'm actually itching to do, especially with the news and signing in Vancouver. I want the season to start now. Off the ice, your contributions are just as huge. You hosted Nursey Nights in Toronto to provide community groups tickets to the Sceptre games. You helped found the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and are also a part of the PWHL players' union. And you're an advocate against racism in hockey. What do you hope to continue here in Vancouver? All of the above. I really have a passion for making this sport as inclusive as possible and making sure that our sport represents the fabric of our nation. I think that we are such a diverse, multicultural society, and I think that our experiences should really reflect that in our game. I'm so encouraged to come to Vancouver and continue the work. I'm excited to bring Nursey Nights to Vancouver. We've been able, we brought 200 girls over this last year into Toronto Sceptres games, and so I'm looking to do something very similar in Vancouver. I think there's so many great community initiatives that our team can be a part of, and that's something that's a passion for all of us. Your cousin, Darnell Nurse, plays for the Edmonton Oilers, who are currently battling it out for the Stanley Cup. How exciting is it to see him and the Oilers in the finals again? I could not be more proud of that boy. He has gone through so much, that team has gone through so much and honestly, they are absolutely rolling right now. So I'm very hopeful and I know they're going to have a different result than they had last year. They've been on the stage. They know how big it is, and they've been absolutely rolling. So I'm so proud of him.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Birth records will be key in Alberta's new ban on female trans athletes, regulations show
Alberta has revealed how its new ban, prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in amateur female sports divisions, will be enforced. The supporting regulations for the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, released this week, signal a major shift in how gender in sport will be governed in Alberta when the legislation comes into force this September. The regulations detail how an athlete's gender will be proven, documented and potentially challenged. It also establishes a formal complaints process that would allow Albertans to question who has the right to compete as a female. Under the new policy, schools, universities and sports clubs will be required to bar transgender women and girls from competition, and — in the event of a complaint — investigate an athlete's sex by examining their birth records. The regulations will also require schools and sporting organizations to report any eligibility complaints — and the results of each challenge — to the government. From baseball and boxing to ringette and gymnastics, the act deems transgender women ineligible to compete in nearly 90 sports organizations in Alberta. The act — which applies to athletes 12 years and older — also supports the expansion and creation of "mixed gender" divisions, where numbers warrant. Alberta's United Conservative Party government says the changes will protect the integrity of female athletic competitions by ensuring women and girls have the opportunity to compete in "biological female-only divisions." The rules "will level the playing field," and prevent athletes who were born female from harm, Andrew Boitchenko, Minister of Tourism and Sport, said in a statement. Critics have described the pending ban as a discriminatory attack on transgender competitors. A question of quitting Mark Kosak, CEO of Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, said the legislation will end up pushing athletes out of Alberta. The ACAC is one of the close to 90 organizations impacted by the changes. "I think they'll leave, they'll go to another conference or another province, they'll go somewhere where this restriction doesn't apply and they don't have this concern and that's unfortunate," he said. "What I can almost predict is that a transgender athlete will feel somewhat threatened to stay in Alberta." The province has suggested leagues create co-ed divisions, but Kosak said that would be too costly and require more facilities, coaches and officials. Alberta sports organizations will need to create and implement eligibility policies by Sept. 1. Leagues and educational institutions will be required to track each athlete's gender at birth. Linda Blade, a coach and former president of Athletics Alberta, has been a vocal supporter of the new ban. She said the legislation will provide much-needed clarity to sport administrators across the province. She hopes other jurisdictions will follow suit and adopt regulations that keep female-born athletes in a league of their own. She said the policy is not meant as an attack on trans people, but is designed to protect women and girls and their right to compete. "It's not anti trans, it's not anti-anything. It's pro-women." Gender challenges At the time of registration, an athlete or their guardian will be required to confirm in writing that the athlete qualifies under the law to play in a female league, according to the regulations. If that claim is not believed, a formal challenge can be made in writing to the board for the sports division. The athlete, or their guardian, will then be asked to provide the board with a birth registration document detailing their assigned sex at birth. A birth registration document includes the person's sex at birth. Unlike a birth certificate, the sex listed on a birth registration document cannot be changed. Under the rules, boards of those nearly impacted organizations are required to report any challenges regarding eligibility to the Minister of Tourism and Sport within three business days. Boards must also report the results of the challenge within 30 days. It is expected that challenges will be resolved within a 30 business-day period, the province said. Athletes can continue to compete while an investigation is ongoing. If their birth records show they are not eligible, they will be immediately prohibited from competition. The province says boards will be empowered to impose "reasonable sanctions" against anyone who launches a challenge in "bad faith." Such sanctions may include written warnings or code of conduct violations, according to the province. Debate over the inclusion of transgender athletes in female sports has been a highly charged issue in recent years. Florence Ashley, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, said the regulations are purposefully vague. Ashley said the lack of details on how challenges will be managed opens the door for changes to be made quietly and "on the fly." The new rules demonstrate a dangerous shortsightedness, Ashley said. Ashley said the government has relied on the "politics of fear" to engineer a "moral panic" over fairness in sport and a false premise that trans women have a competitive advantage. Transgender women will be "harmed immensely" by the policy, along with female athletes who are not trans, Ashley said. Instead of fairness in athletics, the ban will foster discrimination, harassment, fear and false challenges, Ashley said. "Even if that's not the intent, that will be the effect." Allison Hadley, a trans woman who competes as an amateur athlete, said the ban will be harmful to people in a broad range of demographics, including children and youth. Hadley, born and raised in Edmonton, played rugby for nine years before competing in cross-country skiing. She stopped competing last year due to the pending ban. She fears she will never return to the sport. "There's a lot of extra steps for trans people in everyday life as-is, so this is just another one that's designed to get us to quit," she said.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Calgary Stampeders hitch quarterback wagon to 'Big-play VA' Vernon Adams Jr.
CALGARY – The road back to the CFL playoffs goes through Vernon Adams Jr. in Calgary. The Stampeders acquired the quarterback from the B.C. Lions a month after their worst season in two decades concluded in 2024. Calgary finished last in the CFL with a 5-12-1 record. The Lions choosing Nathan Rourke their No. 1 pivot, and Calgary looking for an upgrade after two and a half seasons of Jake Maier brought the 32-year-old Adams to a team looking for a turnaround in 2025 after missing the post-season for the first time in 19 years. 'He's Vernon Adams, he's Big-Play VA, so he's going to bring Calgary back to where it used to be,' predicted receiver Dominique Rhymes. 'He's used to being a winner, so he is going to be bringing that winning culture, and I think it's going happen immediately.' Adams denies B.C.'s preference for Rourke injects extra motivation into him as a Stampeder. 'No, not at all. I'm blessed, I'm grateful,' the Californian declared. 'I'm happy a team wants me and I'm here. It's the start of a new journey and it's great.' The five-foot-11, 195-pound pivot led the CFL in passing yards in 2023 (4,769) and ranked second in touchdowns (31). He was in the conversation for Most Outstanding Player in 2024 with B.C. before he was sidelined with injury in August. CFL quarterbacks often get disproportionate credit for wins and blame for losses in a team game, but there's no denying the position's importance in a three-down league. 'One twelfth, but quarterback play is vital,' said Stampeders coach and general manager Dave Dickenson, a former CFL quarterback himself. 'I don't need fancy plays. Make plays, sure, but do what is required to win. He's done that in his career. He is definitely a guy that is a winner and finds ways to win ball games even sometimes when he maybe he's not having his best stuff. 'I really believe halfway through the year, he was odds-on favourite to win the MOP last year and injuries kind of derailed it. Careers are weird that way. They definitely take you from one city to the other. I think he's happy to be here and we just got to provide him the support so he can be Vernon.' New Stampeder quarterbacks coach Dakota Prukop has had a close view of Adams' career since Prukop played for Montana State and Adams for Eastern Washington in the Big Sky Conference. Both men eventually transferred to Oregon, with Prukop a Duck a year after Adams. The two men continued to circle each other in the CFL before crossing paths at Lions training camp last year. 'Vernon's a veteran in the CFL, but this is his first year in this playbook,' Prukop said. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'His ability to pick up this playbook in the way he has and have the details in this play book has been something really impressive. That has not surprised me. I saw his professional habits when we were together in B.C. 'I don't want to say he's a gamer in the sense that he does not do well outside of a game, but he has an extra gear on game day. When you couple that with his professionalism and being a true pro, and then he has that extra gear in game day, if the pressure is on, if the score is tight, he's the guy you want in your huddle.' Since throwing his first CFL pass for the Montreal Alouettes in 2016, Adams has amassed 16,190 career passing yards with a 64-per-cent completion rate. He's thrown 86 touchdown passes, as well as 54 interceptions, while rushing for 24 touchdowns. 'My thing was I threw too many interceptions,' Adams said. 'Just want to make sure I'm protecting the ball and getting my playmakers the ball. Let them do the rest.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
