Making it as a pro athlete isn’t easy. Even with tons of practice,
raw talent, and a little bit of luck, playing in the big leagues is
often nothing more than a pipe dream for many.
Two talented former Blues have beat the odds. Football players
Hugo Lopez and Chris Kowalczuk have signed with CFL
teams for the 2011 season.
While at first it seems the hard part is over, the work is actually
just beginning for Lopez and Kowalczuk.
Lopez, a defensive back who played for the Waterloo Warriors
from 2007 to 2009, joined the Varsity Blues in 2010 after
the Warriors announced they would not be competing in the
2010 OUA season following a steroid scandal involving nine
players on the team.
Although Lopez posted 22 tackles and one interception in just
one season with the Blues and was selected 14th overall in
the CFL draft by the Edmonton Eskimos, he failed to make any
tackles or interceptions in his first game as a pro.
Kowalczuk played for the Varsity Blues his entire collegiate
career. He switched intermittently between guard and tackle
during his time with the Blues, starting 24 straight games from
2007 to 2009.
Kowalczuk signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on October
28, 2009, following his last game as a Blue. He spent the final
two weeks of the 2009 CFL season on their practice roster.
In 2010, Kowalczuk signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,
but again didn’t make it onto the active roster. For the 2011 season,
Kowalczuck was moved up, but never got the chance to
see the field in his first game with the big boys.
But the fact that neither Lopez nor Kowalczuk
didn’t really contribute in their first days as pros
hardly speaks to their futures in league. The
Eskimos wouldn’t waste such a high draft
pick on a player they didn’t believe in, just
like the Blue Bombers wouldn’t waste
valuable team money on someone they
didn’t expect to ever play the game.
Edmonton beat the Saskatchewan
Roughriders 42–28 in it’s season-opener
while Winnipeg won its 24–16 against
the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. There are a
number of reasons why Lopez and
Kowalczuk did not have an impact
in these games, the main one being
that the two players are rookies.
A rookie isn’t likely to make
an impact right away, because
there are only eight teams in
the CFL and as a result, the
talent pool is spread out
less than it is in other
sports. It’s harder for a
rookie to claw his way to
the top past the scores of
veterans that are going
to be on the field. With
time, however, they will
get the chance to prove
themselves in practices
and games, and to show the coaching staff that they are
ready to make the jump to a role with more responsibility.
Both Lopez and Kowalczuk play positions that their respective
teams are well-stocked in. Lopez is one of ten defensive
backs on the Eskimos’ active roster and of them, eight have
more experience than he does. The one other rookie that plays
the position also made a negligible impact on the Eskimos’ first
game.
When there are a large number of defensive backs, rookies
typically start on special teams coverage before moving up to
actual defense. Lopez is likely to mostly play on special teams
in the near future.
Kowalczuk plays offensive lineman, and is listed as a guard.
The Blue Bombers have four guards in total, and the other
three are more experienced than Kowalczuk. Offensive lineman,
whether guard or tackle, is a position that rookies rarely
step into right away.
So while Lopez and Kowalczuk have their respective teams’
faith as pieces for the future, they have their work cut out for
them if they want to make their mark in the big leagues.
