McLEAN — Dhel Duncan-Busby’s off-season conditioning regimen included a recent visit to McLean School.

He broke a sweat while conducting two of the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation’s Grow the Game sessions and immersing himself in the activities.

During one flag football drill — resembling a game of tag — he evaded one pursuer by performing a smooth spin move.

“I might have to implement that one,” the 26-year-old Roughriders receiver, who is preparing for his third CFL season, said with a chuckle.

A Roughrider Foundation Player Ambassador, Duncan-Busby spent most of Wednesday at McLean School — which has 94 registered students.

He met with two groups (kindergarten and Grade 1; Grades 2-3) as part of the Foundation’s literacy program (Rider Reading).

The older pupils (Grades 4 to 8) first interacted with Duncan-Busby when he discussed the importance of mental health (via the Win With Wellness initiative).

The visit culminated with back-to-back Grow the Game sessions in the school gymnasium. Grow the Game offers an introduction to football and its fundamentals.

Accordingly, Duncan-Busby offered instruction on how to throw and catch a football. The tempo picked up when students, wearing a flag on each hip, demonstrated their speed and elusiveness.

“It’s the type of physical activity you need,” said Ivy Kraemer, a Grade 8 student who is involved in hockey, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, cross-country, track and field, badminton, boxing and, naturally, flag football.

Her classmate, Auley Whyte, also has a scroll-like sporting resume — hockey, baseball, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball, track and field, cross country and (whew!) badminton.

“For some kids, the value of a program like this is getting to play sports,” Whyte said. “For other kids, it’s about getting to play sports with people they idolize.”

The very same Dhel Duncan-Busby who plays pro football in front of tens of thousands of spectators and national-television audiences spent time with 23 students during Wednesday’s final Grow the Game workout.

“It’s fun, first of all, to meet the players and see how much bigger they are when they tag people,” Whyte said. “A few years ago, when the fullback visited us, it was pretty crazy.”

The fullback: 6-foot-3, 260-pound Albert Awachie.

Duncan-Busby, by comparison, is 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds.

“The message Dhel shared was that he was a multi-sport athlete,” said Crystal Bigalky, the school’s principal. “He started off with basketball and headed off in a different direction.

“You don’t always know where you’re headed, but it’s nice to maintain that healthy, active lifestyle and try different things. Grow the Game is an opportunity to teach us that.”

The students in McLean, located 40 kilometres east of Regina, have several opportunities to pursue fitness in a scholastic setting.

At McLean School, there is an emphasis on physical education and extra-curricular sports. Participation in pick-up games, such as those in which students partake during recess, is also encouraged.

“Sports help you learn a lot of important skills in life,” Bigalky said. “It doesn’t always have to be something that’s organized and refereed.

“There are things like problem-solving skills and making teams. If things seem one-sided, how do you negotiate those pieces? Sports helps to facilitate the skills that you can use in all other aspects of life. It’s good to be involved and to join your buddies.

“Here in McLean, we’re really lucky. It’s a very small community and so, quite often, we’ll look out at the playground and we’ll see kids playing pick-up sports, whether it’s football or baseball. We have a rink here, so they’re doing hockey at night.”

The school, adjacent to the McLean Community Centre, is often the epicentre of activity in the village of 400.

“It’s a small, close-knit community and a very active community,” said Bigalky, whose mother (Dorothy Schettler) is a former principal of McLean School.

“Lots of folks live here and work in the city, but the opportunities to be a part of the community are very numerous here. There are lots of activities that people can join individually or as a family.

“If somebody sees a need for something, the community works to provide it, so it’s really an awesome place to be.”