CFL E-Camp: University of Waterloo lineman quick to grasp role

by Brian Snelgrove
CFL.ca

Talk about a fast learner.

At the end of his rookie season he was chosen to play in the East-West Bowl – the signature CIS event designed to showcase the best and brightest of Canadian university football talent

This year, following a second campaign in the trenches, he will attend the CFL’s annual Evaluation Camp in Toronto.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t play a down of organized football until his fourth year of university.

Joel Reinders, an Offensive Lineman from The University of Waterloo Warriors always had the size to play football – at 6’ 8” and 315 lbs he is tailor-made for the gridiron - but his sport of choice had always been basketball.

That changed two years ago when he traded in the round ball for one more sphere-shaped.

“I was playing some pick-up basketball in the gym with some of the guys from the football team and they suggested I come out,” says Reinders, “so I got hold of the coach and set up a meeting with him.”

“His basketball coach had also called me and told me the team was moving in a different direction,” explains Warriors Head Coach Dennis McPhee. “He said that there was a big kid that wouldn’t be getting as much playing time as they moved to more of a speed-type game but that he might be interested in playing football. After a long talk with Joel, I thought he may have a lot of potential if he was willing to work at it.”

Reinders, a fifth-year Kinesiology student from Oakville, decided to give it a shot. “I actually found the transition a little easy,” he says. “I was a little out of my element but Coach made it very easy and was really helpful. I went to a winter training session and he explained that I needed to get bigger and faster. I guess the toughest part at first was that there are so many guys on the field and there are so many more elements to the game. There are a lot more options than in basketball where you’ve only got five guys.”

“His toughest transition was just getting into position,” McPhee says. “Just being able to bend as an Offensive Lineman. It was all new to him. But he is an extremely driven kid. He has good feet from his time on the basketball court and will benefit from the excellent training he got there. The good thing is he is constantly trying to get better.”

The 23 year-old Reinders, who is considering a future career as a veterinarian or police officer, hopes to continue his quick learning curve at E-Camp. “It should be great exposure for me,” he says. “It’s a chance to gauge where I am at and should be a huge part of my learning process.”

Reinders will be joined at E-Camp by his teammate from Waterloo: fellow lineman, Michael Warner, a 6’ 2”, 304 lb Civil Engineering student from Hamilton.

Warner has become something of a mentor. “I really look up to him,” says Reinders. “He doesn’t make many mistakes. He is a really solid player who doesn’t crack under pressure.”

For Warner, experience has never been an issue. The High School MVP from Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton in 2005 has four seasons of university football under his belt. In both 2008 and ‘09 he was named Lineman of the Year for the Warriors.

“It felt great to win this twice in a row,” says Warner, “to understand you can have a lead role on a team was big for me. It was great to know that I could help out.”

“I was ecstatic when I heard about the invitation to E-Camp. I know a few of the guys who have been selected so when coach told me I was going as well I was pretty excited. It gives me a chance to see where I rank against some of the other players in the CFL and I hope to show myself well.

“There are a lot of demands on Michael,” says McPhee who likens him on the field to Wayne Smith of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. “Trying to balance a difficult course of study like civil engineering and football is tough. But he is very bright and has a huge upside.”

The 21 year-old Warner also credits former long-time CFL player and coach Joe Paopao, now the Offensive Coordinator for the Warriors, with his improved play. “Coach Paopao brought a lot of changes to the offense and it was a little overwhelming at first but I adopted pretty quickly,” he says.” He is very clear on his expectations and that makes it easier. It has helped me a lot.”

“I’m dedicated, hard-working and love to learn,” adds Warner, who played basketball as well as football prior to university. “I am pretty athletic and basketball helped a lot. It made playing football a lot easier.”

“He is very quick, extremely athletic, has great feet and a bit of a mean streak,” says McPhee. “He is a great leader and is always in command. He is physically imposing but is a sort of cerebral kid. He is very articulate and very demanding in a good way.”

“I wouldn’t have sent either of them (to E-Camp) if I didn’t think they had a chance at the pro level,” says McPhee. “It’s really up to them now and a question of how tough they are.”