Rice tackles first training camp with Tiger-Cats
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/06/2013 (4691 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
All through his university career with the University of Manitoba Bisons, Landon Rice dreamed of playing in the Canadian Football League.
He’s one step closer to making it a reality as he currently competes for a spot on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ roster in their training camp at McMaster University in Hamilton.
“It’s absolutely a dream come true,” said Rice, a 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive lineman. “You grow up in Canada watching the game as a kid and one day you decide to go to university and play football and from there on it’s always the hope in the background.”
Rice, a 25-year-old Brandonite who got his start in the Westman Youth Football Association before moving on to the Crocus Plainsmen high school team, has had a lot of success on the gridiron so far in his career. He was on the provincial team that claimed the Football Canada Cup in 2005 before joining the Bisons, where he played for the last five years.
Rice was on the U of M team that won the 2007 Vanier Cup and participated in the 2008 CIS East-West Bowl. He captained the Bisons for the last two seasons and signed his first pro contract with the Tiger-Cats in December. Rice spent the past few months working hard lifting weights and practising with defensive linemen he knows to keep his skills up and hopes his success on the gridiron will continue with the Tiger-Cats. Rice took the first step last week, soaking up the experience of rookie camp before main camp opened on Sunday.
“It’s been fantastic,” he said. “The coaching staff is great. I really like the vibe that they’re building around the team and what they’re trying to build towards. I’m just happy to be here at this point.”
Rice has been playing left guard for the last couple seasons, but has no problem switching to another position if it gives him an opportunity to make the Tiger-Cats this season.
His goal for training camp is just to get better every day and improve right away on anything he’s getting coached on during training camp. He also wants to demonstrate the skill set that he possesses to the best of his ability.
Ultimately Rice would like to make either the 46-player roster or the practice roster for the Tiger-Cats, who are playing their home games in Guelph this season while Ivor Wynn Stadium is being rebuilt. If that’s the case, he’ll wait until the off-season to take the final class left to complete his bachelor of science degree, but he knows it’s not a sure thing that he will be wearing black and gold this summer.
“That is my hope and that’s what I’m working toward,” he said. “It’s up to the coaches to make the final decision, but all I can do is do the best I can and improve every day.”
Tiger-Cats training camp continues all week, with Rice possibly seeing his first action in the club’s pre-season opener on June 13 in Montreal.
» cjaster@brandonsun.com