Veteran Dobko ready to rumble
Set to help young Dinos settle in
Chris Dobko is the only player on the University of Calgary football roster to be heading into his fifth straight season of play with the Dinos.
He is, without a doubt, the old man on the team.
“A lot of the people I came in with, people I was good friends with, graduated last year,” he explained, “and so this year the team feels a lot younger. I feel older, I feel like more of a leader this year and that I have a different responsibility this time around as I have in past years.”
Dobko enjoyed an all-star season last year and is hoping to mirror that in 2013 as he suits up alongside a talented pool of receivers. Included in that group is 2012 Canada West rookie of the year Brett Blaszko, the sure-handed Jake Harty, the recuperated Elie Bouka and young Rashaun Simonise, a towering rookie with reams of potential.
All were wandering around Dinos’ training camp, sponsored by Perpetual Energy Inc., on Wednesday morning in various stages of exertion. Harty has a hamstring tweak, so he’s taking it easy and won’t be going to Laval this weekend for that pre-season tilt.
Dobko came to the Dinos from the junior Wildcats in 2009 and steadily improved to become a most reliable contributor. In six outings last year, he averaged nearly 110 yards per game and scored a team high five touchdowns. His name had been bandied about prior to the CFL draft in May, but unfortunately it didn’t get called on the day. To say he was disappointed would truly hit the nail on the head.
“Absolutely,” he admitted. “I wanted to get drafted, of course. I went to the combine. That was something that I wanted. But you know what, everything happens for a reason. I’m not going anywhere. Everybody’s road is different. It gives me a little bit of a fire underneath me. It’s disappointing, but I wanted to come back, I said that at the end of last year. So I’m excited to be here. I’m happy to be a Dino, I’m happy for one last year, and I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Being the veteran, his job takes on an extra dimension, as well.
“It’s a big turnaround for guys like Rashaun that come from high school,” Dobko said. “It’s a big step up to get to uni- versity and it’s my job to make sure they’re calm, they know what’s going on and keep everything glued together.”
Simonise, the first-year out of Vancouver College, is thrilled to be joining the club.
“It’s an awesome experience,” the rangy youngster noted. “Coming out here from high school, it’s way faster. You learn a lot quicker. I’m really blessed to travel on to Laval and happy that my hard work paid off.
“I look at it as a challenge and I’m just trying to do the best that I can. Hopefully I’ll exceed the expectations they have for me.”
For Bouka, meanwhile, this upcoming campaign will mean a return to action after a rookie season of injuries which forced him to miss much of the year. The trip to Laval, specifically, gives him a chance to go back home and be cheered on by his parents in the stands.
“They work hard; we work hard, too,” he said of the Rouge et Or. “It’s a chance to show we can play as well. It’s a good setup for the season.
“To me, every year is a big year,” Bouka added. “I thought last year was going to be my big year and it didn’t happen. This year will be my big year again. I’ve been playing football for 15 years and I didn’t get injured that much. I felt that it had to happen one day.”