For Toronto Argonaut quarterback Cameron Dukes, the 2024 season has seen more, and bigger ups and downs than an elevator at the CN Tower. He looked tremendous in the first few games, stubbed his toe in a loss in Regina, bounced back with a huge win in Montreal, then was lifted after an ineffective first quarter last week against Winnipeg.
On Monday, Dukes was able to get away from pro football and spend a day in his happy place; still involved with the sport, but teaching it to young kids at the Argos third annual football clinic at Quinte Mohawk School in Tyendinaga Territory, just east of Belleville.
The non-contact camp was free to kids aged 6+ and each of the 90 participants was given an Argos tee-shirt, leaving the playing field awash in a sea of blue. But one athlete, who appeared to be close to the minimum age requirement, wore his own shirt. It too had an Argo logo on the front, but his had Dukes’ name and number 11 on the back.
It didn’t go unnoticed by the Shepherdsville, Kentucky native.
“It’s awesome, it means everything,” Dukes told Argonauts.ca, unable to hide a wide smile while talking about his young fan. “Growing up you dream about having your own jersey or seeing your name on the back of people’s shirts. To be able to see a little kid – having long blonde hair – doing it too is really cool.”
Dukes wasn’t the only teacher at the camp. He was joined by teammates Folarin Orimolade and Peter Nicastro, who spent the day smiling as much as their quarterback.
Also on hand were four members of the Ottawa Gee-Gees; Kevin Victome, Eli Cruickshank, Matt Mahler, and Ben Maracle.
Maracle was born and raised in Tyendinaga. He worked closely with the Argos to springboard this event in 2022 and has watched it grow each year.
The Gee-Gee QB is coming off an even more frustrating stretch than Dukes. In his first game of the 2023 campaign he suffered a torn ACL, ending his season. He redshirted and spent the year rehabbing the knee. He was recently given the thumbs up from his doctor to again don the garnet and grey.
Like his Argos positional counterpart, Maracle used yesterday to help his own mindset.
“Being away from football for so long, it really showed me how much I miss it,” Maracle told Argonauts.ca. “Teaching other kids football and expressing my love for the game just really opened my heart today.”
It did likewise for the campers. They had varying levels of football experience, some of them playing for the first time, and they were able to receive instruction from CFL and OUA athletes.
Maracle has seen football interest grow in his community since the program started and knows it’s going to get bigger and better going forward.
“I overheard one conversation with a couple of kids talking about playing football and about how excited they were for the fall to come so they could start playing it and convincing their other friends to play football. Overhearing that made me very happy.”
Peter Nicastro is quiet by nature, but like all of the coaches, kids and parents on hand, the Argos starting centre seemed to have a smile on his face for the duration of the four-hour event.
“It’s been great being around the kids,” the Calgary native said during the event’s lunch break. “They were different ages too, which I was surprised by, but it was good to see all the kids interact and get into football. A lot of these kids are playing any type of football for the first time, so it was good to get some kids into it and get used to the game.”
At times it can be difficult to keep young kids’ attention for an extended period of time, but the four hours flew by, and the young athletes didn’t seem to waver from focusing on the drills and the advice and encouragement of their coaches.
Orimolade was thrilled to attend the event, but admitted there was a selfish nature to his appearance because he got as much out of it as the kids did.
“It was an opportunity to give back to the kids, number one,” he told Argonauts.ca. “But also, to hopefully be a part of a success story, whether it be on the field or off the field.”
The all-star defensive end comes to speaking engagements armed with a big smile and an Ivy League degree. The Darmouth grad, along with all the coaches, spoke to the kids as a group and each shared stories of the importance of focus, hard work, and education.
But it wasn’t a conversation that made Orimolade’s day. His highlight came during a drill and was something the always prepared lineman wasn’t ready for.
“My favourite moment was when one guy lost a rep – and I love competition – and he started knocking off pushups. That was awesome.”
With that he broke into smile and a loud laugh, underscoring how much he enjoyed the young player taking responsibility for not accomplishing his goal, while Orimolade was still in the glow of his own contributions to the day.
The kids were given a gift bag on their way out and given notice that everyone who attended the camp was invited to be guests of the team when the Argos host Montreal on Indigenous Culture Night on September 28, which is also the Orange Jersey Game.
Maracle will be playing that day too, as the Gee-Gees will be at Laurier for a 1:00 kickoff. He still has a dream of playing in the CFL, having attended an Ottawa Redblacks camp as a part of the league’s quarterback internship program.
He also has another football vision, one that goes beyond his own playing career.
“If I saw my dream come true, it would be that every CFL team help me reach out to the community and have a day like this, to the point where every community in Canada is running a football program so every kid has the opportunity to play football.”
It’s a lofty goal, but Maracle is a determined young man. He’s working on his master’s degree in psychology, prepping for his final season of OUA football, while at the same time trying to introduce the sport to Indigenous communities.
There is little doubt that he will continue to chase that goal, and it would be foolhardy to bet against him achieving it.
