ROUGHRIDERS’ HUS IS PROUD TO PLAY ON A SPECIAL TEAM
‘There’s so many valuable lessons that sport can teach,’ says long snapper
Work is a snap for Jorgen Hus. But don’t infer that his job — that of long snapper for the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders — is easy. Only an elite few can master the essential, yet oft-overlooked, skill of ensuring that the football reaches the punter or holder without any misadventures. One errant snap can turn a long snapper into a not-for-long snapper, considering the unforgiving nature of professional football and that position in particular. So it is noteworthy, then, that Hus has spent five seasons with the Roughriders — following NFL stints with the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. “You’re not supposed to know my name,” Hus says with a chuckle from his hometown of Saskatoon. “That’s the whole goal. “If you know my name, it could be for the wrong reasons.” That said, there are so many good reasons to know all about Hus — a home-province success story who excels on and off the field. Hus uses the platform provided to him by football to reach young people, spread a positive message, and ideally change lives. When much of the world is not locked down by a pandemic, Hus routinely travels across the province — and even as far outside the borders as Nunavut — as part of the Imagine No Bullying campaign. “When I was growing up, I had a good friend who was bullied in elementary school,” says Hus, 30. “It affected him, for sure, so I was always sensitive to it. “As soon as I was approached by the Red Cross in 2015 and asked if I wanted to be a part of the program, I immediately said yes and I immediately thought of him and other people who have gone through those type of experiences. “It’s one of the worst things people can go through. Even if we can change something that happens for one person when we go out to communities in all corners of our province, it makes it all worth it.” Hus made the most of his time at St. Joseph High School in Saskatoon, developing a love of football and taking early steps toward a career in the sport. “I don’t think I was naturally gifted in any way,” he recalls. “I was just a normal kid growing up who forced my way into football. I practised and practised and made that skill happen. I had to work for everything. “I just want kids to know that if you’re picked last in gym class, that’s OK, because I was, too. You can work at it and you’ll get there. All it takes is reps. “Anybody can do that. It doesn’t matter what size, shape or body type you are. Football’s an amazing game and a lot of sports out there are the same. As long as you work hard, you can get there. That’s really what my whole story was. I just had to grind it out.”