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<\/p>\nA.J. Ouellette spent part of a recent bye week saying hello to a Canadian sporting legend.<\/p>\n
The Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 star running back met figure skating great Elvis Stojko last week in Lucan, Ont.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe got to talking and he\u2019s a great guy,\u201d Ouellette said on Thursday. \u201cWhen it comes to the one per cent of the one per cent of professional athletes, he definitely has the mindset of that one per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is crazy and cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ouellette, a former Toronto Argonauts standout who signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent in 2024, had a connection that brought him back to Ontario while the 7-1 Roughriders had a one-week respite earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s Segway Powersports partnered with Demon Powersports,\u201d Ouellette explained. \u201cThe guy who does Demon Powersports used to work for MLSE, which owns the Argos, so he knew me that way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked if I wanted to make a guest appearance at one of their events. (Stojko) was also one of the guest-appearance people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two made an immediate connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked about a little bit of everything \u2014\u00a0how to get into the zone, how to manage your emotions if you\u2019re too high or too low before competition, and how similar we have to be emotionally and mindset-wise, even though our sports are very different,\u201d said Ouellette, 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s physical versus technical and all that stuff. It was cool to pick his brain as a younger athlete myself, I like to think, learning the stuff that he said he wished he would have known earlier in his career.\u201d<\/p>\n
What a career it was!<\/p>\n
A three-time world champion, Stojko won silver medals in men\u2019s singles at the 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
He earned the latter medal in Nagano, Japan despite suffering an excruciating groin injury. Pain tolerance is also a prerequisite for anyone who plays the gruelling game of professional football.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, you get through stuff with adrenalin, but there\u2019s also the passion you have for the sport that you play and you want to participate every chance you get,\u201d Ouellette said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat (silver-medal skate in 1998) was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people. You\u2019re not going to let an injury stop you from at least trying your best.\u201d<\/p>\n
As much as he enjoyed talking with Stojko, listening was the best part.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of let the athletes talk and where they lead the conversation is probably where they\u2019re more comfortable or what they know,\u201d Ouellette said. \u201cSo if there\u2019s an athlete who starts talking about strength and conditioning, I\u2019m going to pick their brain about that, obviously.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis sport is so technical. A minor error costs you points. His mindset is, by far, the most important thing. Obviously, he\u2019s going to be fine-tuned on that, so I\u2019m going to pick his brain on that as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
And who knows? There may be future opportunities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the off-season, if I can get approval, we might set up a skating thing where he teaches me how to skate, because I\u2019ve never been on ice,\u201d said Ouellette, who hails from Covington, Ohio.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Yeah, as long as you teach me how to throw a football,\u2019 so I\u2019m going to have to have one of these quarterbacks teach me how to throw a football first.\u201d<\/p>\n
It should be noted that Ouellette\u2019s impressive CFL resume does include a touchdown pass \u2014\u00a0a 26-yarder he threw to Dejon Brissett for the Argonauts against the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 4, 2023.<\/p>\n