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Many Americans coming north to play football in the CFL face a period of adjustment on and off the field.
What Canadians may take for granted is new for some players.
“Hard to breathe,” laughed defensive lineman Devin Adams, referring to some cold days.
Adams, who is from Miramar, Fla., is in his first year with the Saskatchewan Roughriders after spending the previous two seasons as a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.
“It was a little bit cooler,” Adams said.
“(But) if you play football or hockey, they’re gonna give you some love, man, I’ll tell you that. So it’s been amazing.”
Adams said learning about the loonie or saying “bonjour” are just some of the little things someone from Florida needs to figure out.
There’s even a difference between playing for the Bombers and for the Riders, he said.
Roughriders defensive lineman Devin Adams says he loves what he has seen so far of Saskatchewan and Rider fans. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
“(Saskatchewan) is a little bit closer to Florida because it’s a little bit hotter, slightly more grimy and things of that sort. And it’s just like a junkyard dog mentality.”
Rookie quarterback Brayden Schager spent a month last fall with the team and is back in camp.
Schager is from Dallas, Texas, and spent four years playing for the University of Hawaii.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit of a culture shock both ways,” Schager said. “It was a culture shock when I went to Hawaii from Texas. And then, you know, a big culture shock coming from Hawaii to Regina.
“It’s different everywhere you go, but at the end of the day, it’s all football.”
It might be football in all those places, but Schafer is still adjusting to some nuances of the Canadian game.
“There’s obviously differences in field size, in the number of players on the field and the way that the game is run with a smaller play clock,” he said.
Brayden Schafer says it was a culture shock coming to Saskatchewan to play for the Roughriders after growing up in Texas and going to college in Hawaii. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
One thing that’s the same between Texas and Saskatchewan: the fans.
“Coming from Texas high school football, the fans love it. And you know, that’s kind of what it feels like here, is just the fans are really into it and love the game,” he said.
When it comes to food, he’s been lucky with the cuisine in all of his stops, Schafer said.
“The barbecue in Texas, that’s about as good as it gets. And then the fish in Hawaii is about as good as it gets. So I’ve been pretty spoiled to some good foods.
“But you know, there’s good food everywhere and you just gotta go find it.”
The Roughriders will play their first preseason game on Monday in Calgary against the Stampeders. (Travis Reddaway/CBC)
Adams said it took him a year to really feel comfortable on the field.
“It’s super fast with the yard off (the ball), the penalties, the three downs, the extra player. My goodness, the extra player for the first year, I would always count our numbers and be like, ‘We have 12, we have 12!’
“The coaches would say, ‘We’re supposed to have that many. Devin, relax.’”
Adams said he also loves the incredible diversity in Canada.
“The people, man, just everybody’s so mixed, different ethnicities and things of that sort. It’s just been nothing short of amazing,” he said.
The Riders continue training camp in Saskatoon until May 23, when they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a preseason game at Griffiths Stadium.
This Monday, they will be in Calgary to take on the Stampeders.