Next Game
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Brooke Andrus is Head Coach Bart Andrus‘ daughter and is in Mississauga interning with the Argonauts’ communications department during 2009 training camp. She is a photojournalism major and a track athlete at the University of Montana.
Today was my first day at Argos training camp, and although I’m no football expert, I would say the team is looking great. I have been a football coach’s daughter my whole life, so I’ve seen my fair share of practices and games. I still remember trying to outrun the Rocky Mountain College linemen during their practice drills when I was just eight years old. My dad would try to motivate them to hustle by threatening them with being beaten by a third-grade girl – apparently, it worked: the Bears won their first game in four years the fall my dad took over, and they finished the season with a 6-4 record.
Almost 13 years later, I’m still amazed by my dad’s motivational tactics and leadership qualities. At home, he can be a softy – he was always there to console me when I failed to meet the high standards I set for myself in my own athletic career. On the football field, though, he does not tolerate anything less than total focus and 100 percent effort. Today, I saw a team that has bought into his no-nonsense philosophy. I saw a team that worked together, practiced hard, and left their egos and attitudes at home.
The year my dad coached the Amsterdam Admirals to a World Bowl championship in NFL Europa, he said he knew during the first week of training camp that he was part of something special. From the looks of things, I would say that this group of Argos might just turn out to be something special too.