11-05-2025
Calgary Stampeders main camp: Day 1 brings 'off-the-charts' energy from 99 CFL hopefuls
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Vernon Adams Jr. made some plays — some throws — Sunday that brought out oohs and aahs from fans, coaches and teammates alike.
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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.
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'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.
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'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.
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'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.'
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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.
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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.
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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.
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'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.
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'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.
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