Hundreds of elementary school students got to see some of Canada’s best football players up close and personal for a special initiative. The Toronto Argonauts welcomed approximately 400 students to an open practice at the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium on Tuesday as part of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment’s “Huddle Up” program. The event hopes to drive home messages about mental health, anti-racism and anti-bullying. “Patience is the hardest thing for people to understand,” Chad Kelly, a Toronto Argonauts quarterback, told the students during the event. “That’s taking deep breaths when you’re stressed, when you’re going through things. You have to think about everything before you speak,” Students from St. Peter Catholic Elementary School, Jean Little Public School, St. John Catholic School and Ken Danby Public School watched the Argos practice at Alumni Stadium and got to meet some of the players. “Such a great time today. This is what this is all about,” Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, General Manager of Toronto Argonauts said. “It’s huge. This is where it starts. We’re just trying to build a brand. To have kids like this be able to grow up around the CFL game and become fans and see good football and good players. That’s what it’s about. It’s building a brand and we want to see these kids be the future of football,” Kelly said. “I thought it was great. Seeing them running routes and the defense. I thought it was really cool,” Chase Schmidt, a Grade 7 student at St. John Catholic School, said. “I think it’s a pretty good day. I got to get three signatures on my back,” Isiah Viola, a Grade 7 student at St. John Catholic School, said. “I thought it was also pretty cool. This is my first time up this close seeing a football team.” The team said they look forward to their time in Guelph each season and the opportunity to grow the game amongst younger fans. “The first place I went when I got off the plane back in 1989 was Guelph. We practiced here at that time. So we’re used to being here, and they treat us so well, as you can see today. This is always how we get our season started. It’s a very big part of who we are,” Clemons said. As for the CFL preseason, the Argos are 1-0 after defeating Hamilton on Saturday. Kelly is back after spending last season recovering from a broken leg and calls Guelph a special place to be. “I just had a daughter three weeks ago. So, I’ve been kind of running back and forth every couple of days just to make sure everything’s going well. But I mean, this is the second home. We obviously love Toronto. It’s a special place. But when it’s camp time, it’s all ball, all day, every day,” Kelly said. The Argos will be playing a preseason game on Friday at Alumni Stadium against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats again and tickets are still on sale.
