1. Playingin the big leagues
By Sarah Harasymchuk
Long gruellingdays,intensivetrainingandsweat-drencheduniformsare now a realityand everyday
occurrence for Roughridersoffensivelineman#53...PatrickNeufeld.He wasrecentlyrecruitedbythe
CFL afterhe provedhimself worthyinRidercamp.Now, adreamof playinginthe bigleague is adazzling
realityforNeufeld.
“It’san amazingexperiencesofar,”saysNeufeld.“Igettodo what I love everyday – andI’m loving
everyminute of it.”
A formerHuskie player,Neufeldisquicktocreditthe Universityof Saskatchewanforhelpinghim
achieve hisgoals.He pointstoqualitycoachingandprofessionalguidance asthe source forhis
newfoundsuccess.“The five yearsIspentat the U of S were the bestfive yearsof mylife,”he says.“It
was everythingIwaslookingforandmore [...] WithoutHuskie football Iwouldnotbe where Iam
today.”
Neufeldhasone semesterremainingbeforeobtaininghisBachelorof Artsdegree inhistory. Originally
fromRegina,he chose to pursue post-secondaryeducationinSaskatoonbecause hisfatherisaU of S
alumnusandhe was drawnto the city.“For me,itwas the bestchoice for mypost-secondary
education,”Neufeldsays.“ItworkedoutbetterthanI had imagined[...] atthe U of S there is a really
positive environmentthatisconducive toachievingmore.”
WhenNeufeldwasaskedtojointhe Riders,he wasecstatic.“Whenyougetan opportunitytoplayfor
your home team,the SaskatchewanRoughridersthatyougrow up idolizing, youcan’tsayno.”
Football ismore like ajobnow,he says, andhe trainshard from8:30 a.m.until 3 p.m.everyday.
Neufeldplanstocontinue hisprofessional football careerinthe nearfuture.Long-term,however,he
seeshimselfasa historyteachereventually.Buthe saysthe U of S hashelpedhimaspire toboththose
dreams.
“The opportunitiesandeducationthe Uof S providesissecondtonone inCanada, andI am forever
grateful foreverything.”