A PLAYER’S PERSONAL STORY
Rider shares bullying experience
Dan Clark is bullish about antibullying.
The 30-year-old Saskatchewan Roughriders centre lends his time and good name to the Imagine No Bullying school presentations.
He speaks from the heart — and from experience.
“It’s definitely a situation that I went through as a young student,” the Regina-born Clark says when asked if he had been bullied.
“It’s important for the kids to understand that they ’re not alone and they ’ve seen not only a professional athlete, but a 310-pound lineman who definitely looks strong on the field but has gone through situations and been able to overcome them.”
Clark reserves specifics about his own story for the students he addresses.
“It’s something that makes them realize that it’s not just a presentation,” he says. “It’s a truthful, personal message that each one of us tries to give out with Imagine No Bullying. Anytime that we have a chance to share our story, we like to.”
Clark, fullback Spencer Moore, long-snapper Jorgen Hus and defensive tackle Eddie Steele talk to students as part of Imagine No Bullying, a wide-ranging Red Cross program.
“There are definitely kids who you can make a big impact on,” Clark says.
“As long as you affect one and your message hits home with them, they can affect many students in their schools.
“That’s something that we try to do not only in their schools, but in their community. It’s about being a good community member.”
Clark has been recognized for being just that. He was the Roughriders’ 2017 nominee for the Jake Gaudaur Veterans Award.
Since 2010, the award has been presented annually to a Canadian CFL player who best demonstrates the attributes of Canada’s veterans — strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contributions to Canadian communities.
The former Thom Trojans and Regina Thunder standout, who made his CFL debut in 2012, is one of only three current Roughriders who also played for the 2013 Grey Cup championship edition. Moore and guard Brendon LaBatte are the other members of that exclusive group.
As one of the Roughriders’ mainstays, Clark makes an effort to create a welcoming environment for veterans and rookies alike.
“It’s all about being able to represent the club and carry on what I’ve been taught by the veterans before me,” he says. “When you’re in the locker room and you’re a veteran, you’ve just got to carry that through in everything you do dayto-day and be an example.”
For example …
“It’s about being in your books and, when there are rookies who need help, being around,” Clark continues. “We want to have the next-man-up attitude as a group, and that’s something that goes with teaching the rookies and helping them, and that’s every dude in our offensive meeting room and our O line meeting room.”
And if he can provide assistance off the field, and away from the team, it is his pleasure.
“Whenever the Riders need something, being able to help them out and being in this situation, I’m very thankful that anytime they need, they ask,” Clark says.
“It’s not even the fact that we’re Saskatchewan Roughriders. It’s the fact that we’re adults who have gone through situations that, a lot of the time, the platform gives us a chance to speak about and gives us a chance to give examples of things in the past that we’ve dealt with.
“The biggest thing is we let them know that if they’re in a situation, they ’re not alone. We also let them know that ‘you can get through it’ and ‘you’ve conquered 100 per cent of your worst days.’ ”
Take it from someone who knows.
“It’s never for a good cause that you’ve been bullied, and that’s something that we try to teach the kids,” Clark says. “So when we have the opportunity to be able to go into a school and be able to help out people, it’s about teaching them that bullying is a learned issue.
“It’s not a fact that you just wake up one day and you’re bullied.
“We let the kids know that it’s OK to talk about it. We let them know that at any time, at any moment, they can talk to someone. If that person doesn’t listen, find someone else.”
We let them know that, at anytime, at any moment, they can talk to someone. If that person doesn’t listen, find someone else.