September 7, 2011
ESKS.com
Rose Mary Phillip
You know what sucks? Working at a job you hate for crappy pay. We’ve all been there. Many an Eskimo certainly has. Before they got paid to play the game they love, most worked jobs they’d rather forget. More on that in a minute.
In case you missed it – yes, the Eskimos won the Labour Day Classic. What did you expect? Sure, they walked into McMahon Stadium assuming an all-too-familiar underdog role, but they walked out as champions in the Battle of Alberta, reclaiming their spot atop the West Division.
Nicely done, but it’s not over yet. Round two is just days away.
On the heels of the most anticipated game of the year and in honour of the holiday, ESKS.com caught up with J.C. Sherritt, Chris Thompson, Taylor Inglis and Jerome Messam to talk about their first jobs, worst jobs and a few things in between.
“I think my first job was my worst job,” says Sherritt. “That was mowing lawns all summer long. I’m from Pullman [Washington]. It’s all hills and I had a push-mower.”
Manual labour is a common theme among the green and gold. Thompson was a grass-cutter at his alma mater Nicholls State University and Inglis was a labourer at a hotel construction site. “That was horrible,” he says. “It was my 16th birthday, in the winter cold working outside hauling friggin’ concrete and cement to build the base for an elevator. It’s a tough, BS job.”
That’s maybe a bit dramatic. It’s not like he was a port-a-potty attendant or mortician. Besides, it only lasted a few days and he would soon find himself working in the family business, Chili’s restaurant. “I’ve cooked, been a shift leader, server, bartender, pretty much everything other than manage.”
Alas, Inglis dreamed of a life beyond baby back ribs and Big Mouth Burgers ®. Today, in addition to his long snapping duties, he is the manager of real estate and development at the Edmonton International Airport. Nice gig.
Messam’s pre-football resume is much shorter. He worked at a go-kart track and delivered the Toronto Sun. Since his early morning deliveries many years ago, he has graced the newspaper’s sports pages dozens of times.
Thompson’s first job was making snowballs (a.k.a. snow cones) and nachos at a concession stand 10 minutes from his home in New Orleans, Louisiana. His favourite job, however, is a full-time/over-time gig during the off-season – playing dad to his daughter Cailyn.
The men and women of the Eskimo Empire work hard, too. In appreciation of all you do, Save-On-Foods will give away 5,000 Eskimo hard hats and 900 backpacks. The hard hats could come in handy, particularly if you find yourself climbing 30-feet in the air to deface a billboard.
Be careful if you do. There will be plenty of police and fireman on hand from Edmonton and Calgary. They’ll play a flag football game during halftime. Talk about dream jobs.
As for unforgettable jobs, Thompson says that’s easy. “Right now, on the team. This is memorable.”