Get to know your Golden Hawks
Hailing from Victoria, B.C., receiver Alex Anthony of the Golden Hawks football team began his successful career in football in a rather unconventional way. "When I was seven years-old, I got a really bad sunburn on my shoulders. I had to have these wide pads on my shoulders and I was watching the Lions-Bombers game." explains Anthony. "I wanted to play football after that because I had the 'same' shoulder pads on." Despite his unusual introduction, this Golden Hawks' natural affinity for athletics came naturally. "Growing up I was busy all the time - trying to juggle all the sports [I played] together. ?My mom would be driving me to basketball practice in the morning, then after school Id have track, and then baseball - it was one thing after another. I just loved always having something to do," adding, "I never got into video games. If I had time to play video games then I had time to go outside and play sports." Nevertheless, it was the adrenaline of football that solidified his fondness for the game. "I love sports, but I found football most exciting because you're constantly active," said Anthony.?
Unlike most athletes who are introduced to their sport by friends or relatives, Anthony paid his dues. "I didn't really know anyone when I started playing football. But my Great Uncle was the quarterback of the Edmonton Eskimos back in the 1920s," said the athlete. With that said, Anthony found inspiration from his first football coach, explaining "he was my coach from the third grade up until high school and I just learned so much from him, especially about discipline." Anthony's dedication to football at a young age went unquestioned; he went the distance to attend the only high school that offered a football program. "Growing up, the only high school that offered football was an hour and a half away from me, so I commuted every day for four years. It was terrible - I had to be up at five o'clock for a paper route - but it was worth every single minute," revealed the CIS East-West Bowl attendee.?
Combined with his strict discipline, Anthony's talent began garnering the attention of various coaches. "After my 11th grade season, I started to get recognized by coaches. It was after my 12th grade season that I started getting a bunch of e-mails - one of them was from Coach Jefffies [of Laurier]," said Anthony, going on to explain, "I hadn't heard much about Laurier but when I came here for my first visit, Coach Pyear and Coach Jeffries were there right after I got off my plane in Kitchener. The hospitality extended to his experience while on campus," describing, "I felt a special connection right away. The atmosphere of the campus and the people here...it reminded me of home - just that small family feel which I'm used to." ?Ever since his visit to Laurier all the way from British Columbia, Anthony knew his fate." I visited countless other schools after visiting Laurier but I didn't experience that same connection that I did here. I knew at the back of my mind that this is where I wanted to go."?
The transition from a small town to a university town initially came as a shock to Anthony. "I was homesick a little bit, but with my dad being an ex-pilot, my parents came to every game in my first year which was pretty cool. I may have been far from home but I felt very at home," he said. Anthony's experience as a varsity athlete proved successful, winning the 2009/2010 Team Rookie of the Year, not to mention having had played for the province, country, and Team World previously. However, in January of 2011 Anthony hit a roadblock. "I tore my ACL in our first winter practice which was devastating. ?I ended up missing an all-star game back in Texas (Team World vs. USA)," stated Anthony, revealing, "Last year was really rough for me mentally and physically, being so far from home and not being able to play the sport you love. You try and stay positive as much as you can but there were those days when I was down on myself because I thought my football career was done. It tested my mental strength."
Anthony is a veteran this upcoming season and is hoping to make a comeback following his injury. "I've been working way harder than I have before because once you have a bad injury like that you realize how special the game is and how quickly it can end. So since surgery I have been rehabilitating like crazy - I'm stronger and faster," he said. Anthony intends on taking on a leadership role towards the incoming rookies, determined to restore pride to the Golden Hawks football team. "There's been a lot of hype about our team but we haven't lived up to the hype. This season's team is a very young team and we will be the underdogs. But I think we will do well considering how much talent we have on the team," adding, "I will try and be more vocal [as a leader] this year, especially being in my fourth year - it's part of the job description."
Whatever Anthony chooses to pursue after graduation, Laurier and its football program will always remain close to him. "I still have one, maybe two years, left but just being part of this family for the past four years I see how special days like Homecoming are, so wherever I am in the future I will always come back and support the school."
Source: http://www.laurierathletics.com/createarticle.php?ID=6133
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