sa国际传媒 Lions centre Tim O鈥橬eill looks across the Westshore Rebels鈥� new training facility 鈥� located in an industrial area on the Westshore Parkway in Langford 鈥� and wonders what could have been if he and his former junior teammates had had such amenities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome,鈥� said the wide-eyed Metchosin resident as he peered out across the 21,000-square-foot space that features various fitness equipment and an area that will ultimately have a stretch of artificial turf. 鈥淎ll we had was the dungeon back at Copley Park. There might have been some odd, old dumbbells in there, but we didn鈥檛 have much. This is so incredibly nicer.鈥�
It鈥檚 a space which could, and should, become the ultimate recruiting tool for the sa国际传媒 Football Conference club, which continues to push forward in building a stronger organization.
鈥淭his community really jumped behind us,鈥� said Rebels head coach J.C. Boice, who is delighted to have a training facility/clubhouse to call the team鈥檚 own. 鈥淏ob Saunders and Les Bjola really helped. This was [Les鈥檚] building and through Bob Saunders, he made the introduction and we shared our vision about providing a place where kids can come and get high-end training 鈥� the same thing we offer in the U.S.
鈥淎s a mentorship program, the Rebels players are helping the younger kids and in just 30 days, we鈥檝e gone from having five kids [minor football players] here to 30 kids and our Rebels kids are now up to 40. Les and Bob bought in and helped us make this possible.鈥�
Former Rebels president Roger Wade also played a large role in getting the wheels in motion.
鈥淣obody in junior football in sa国际传媒 has this and this, arguably, is a better facility than half the CIS programs out there,鈥� added Boice, who is also coach/director of operations with U.S.-based National Football Academies, where he works specifically with high school and college recruits, as well as in sa国际传媒.
With this new facility Boice, who personally purchased the equipment, hopes to cut down his travel from 120 days a year to 60 and hopes to have some of his U.S. clientele come in for training sessions starting in 2017.
He also stresses it鈥檚 not just for football athletes, it鈥檚 also for movement-sport specific training in which contact sports are the focus such as rugby, lacrosse and hockey.
Right now he and Rebels assistant head coach Shane Beatty, who led the Okanagan Sun to the 2015 BCFC title, are focusing on their junior program.
鈥淨uite honestly, we鈥檙e getting recruits that the Rebels haven鈥檛 had in years,鈥� said Boice. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going head-to-head with the Okanagan Suns and now we have things that they can鈥檛 offer and kids are seeing that. Of course, we have to win games this fall.鈥�
O鈥橬eill, for one, was impressed as he watched on Monday night.
鈥淭he turnout is impressive. They have the future generations working out and their own current guys looking fit. You show people this kind of stuff, they know that they鈥檙e going to come here and have the tools to improve,鈥� O鈥橬eill said of attracting recruits.
POINTS AFTER: A trio of Rebels are invited to sa国际传媒 Lions evaluation camp on May 6, including six-foot-11 OL Jake Hall, fellow OL Aarmin Purewal (who has decided to stay with the Rebels for 2016 rather than enter CIS football) and DL Jorge Monzon Yarwood.
