September 14, 2011
ESKS.com
Rose Mary Phillip
It doesn’t matter who wins and who loses. What’s important is that Adarius Bowman didn’t vomit during the Labour Day Rematch.
Tee hee.
Truth be told, W’s do matter. It would be cliché to say there is a lot of football left to play, but there is – eight regular season games to be exact. Anything can happen.
And don’t knock clichés. Ever hear “school gives you options?” Cliché? Yes. True? Absolutely. In honour of the back to school season, ESKS.com caught up with Patrick Kabongo and Gord Hinse to find out their school days.
Sit down and be quiet.
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| Kabongo grew up in Montreal. |
“I was a trouble maker. I always talked in class and never listened to the teacher,” says Kabongo. (Tisk tisk.) “But, I did fairly well in school.” (That’s better.)
Having grown up in Montreal, he is fluent in French and English. He wants to add Spanish to the list and regrets not studying the language in high school. There wasn’t time. On top of his studies, he was busy touring the U.S. playing basketball and learning the Macarena.
Why the Macarena, you ask? “I’m a dancer. Dances were the best part of school,” says the six-foot-six, 315-pound offensive guard.
His favourite subject was social studies, mainly because of a keen interest in medieval times. Coincidently, that’s also the favourite subject of Hinse.
Knowledge is power. It’s also freedom.
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| Hinse has been an Eskimo fan since he was a kid |
Hinse was a strong student at Austin O’Brien High School where he played with the AOB Crusaders. Post-secondary education, however, came with some struggles.
“[I did] poorly in my first year of university and had to go on the ‘dean’s vacation’ if you will,” says Hinse. “I ended up going to a different school and got my marks back up and got back into U of A.” Attaboy!
If he could go back and give his 10-year-old self some advice it would be: “Keep working hard. It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to go through a lot of ups and downs, but it you keep at it you will wind up in a good spot.”
The more you know, the more you grow.
A high premium is placed on education inside the Eskimo locker room. T.J. Hill is working on his master’s in special education and Andrew Nowacki is completing his MBA.
During the off-season, and while wrapping up his student teaching placement, Derek Schiavone gathered several CFL friends to talk to kids at Our Lady of Victory Catholic School in Fort Erie, Ontario, about the importance of education. That message is echoed through the Playbook for Success program. Players also talk to students about relevant issues like bullying and attitude.
Calling all school kids.
Because every hard working kid deserves a break, the Eskimos distributed 200,000 ticket vouchers to students in Edmonton and surrounding areas for the September 23rd game against the Montreal Alouettes. Each voucher is good for one bronze-level ticket so long as they are accompanied by an adult.
It’s a shame (or guilty pleasure) that adults embarrass kids so easily. But if you can ignore chatter about “The Facebook” and focus on their ability to buy hot dogs, pizza and pop, it’s not so bad.
Vouchers can be redeemed at the Eskimo Ticker Office, TicketMaster outlets (fees may apply) and at stadium ticket wickets on game day.
While not everyone is enthusiastic that another school year has begun, most can agree that brings a sorely missed perk: high … school … football.