Martin quits as Liberal leader - Laval News

Third time’s a charm
Laval’s Joash Gesse gets chance to play in NFL Juniors
NaNcy GirGiS
Laval’s Joash Gesse finally got what he has been striving
for the past three years: a spot on the national team
that will be competing at the 10 th NFL Global Junior
Championship from January 22 to January 29.
For Gesse, that was no small feat. The 19-year-old
linebacker from Cegep Vieux-Montreal has been trying
for the past three years to win a spot on Team Canada.
His hard work over the past year finally paid off as he was
chosen out of a pool of 1,000 hopefuls.
Gesse realized he had to double his efforts to make it
on the 2006 team as it was his last chance to participate
in the under-20 tournament. “It feels great to finally get a
chance to play on the team,” Gesse said. “This is a once in
a lifetime opportunity for me.”
Gesse admitted that he trained a lot throughout the
regular football season to be able to stand out during the
national selection camp last December. “I worked hard
and was even named MVP at Cegep Vieux-Montreal,”
he said. “I deserved this spot and told myself going into
(training) camp that ‘This year, it’s my turn’.”
Team Canada head coach Danny Maciocia was
impressed with Gesse’s performance during the selection
camp in Laval, during which 120 players turned up for a
chance to play on Team Canada. “He performed well at the
camp in December, he came out and stood out,” Maciocia
explained. “He’s an active player and makes plays…he fits
the bill of what we were looking for in a linebacker.”
Geese believes his athletic ability and enthusiasm for
the game will make him a great asset throughout the
tournament. He says his speed, strength and versatility
in all three linebacker positions will help Team Canada
defend its 2005 title. “I always give it my all when I play
and can play all three linebacker positions,” Geese said.
“I’m also very vocal on the field; I always encourage my
fellow players.”
Canada ready to defend title
at NFL junior championships
Team Canada is ready to defend its global title at the NFL
Global Junior Championships in Detroit, says head coach
Danny Maciocia.
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8 • The Chomedey News • www.chomedeynews.ca • January 26, 2006
NaNcy GirGiS
At a press conference held at the St-
Martin Hotel on January 17, Maciocia
introduced the coaches and roster for
the 2006 edition of Team Canada,
which will play at the global junior
tournament from January 22 to 29 in
Pontiac, Michigan. This year marks
the seventh participation of Team
Canada in this official Super Bowl
event. Super Bowl XL will be played in
Detroit on February 5.
The 2006 edition of Team Canada
features 36 of the top under-20 football
players in Canada, coached by some of
the country’s best CFL and collegiate
coaches in the country. Quebec is
the biggest feeder to the team with
18 players, followed by Ontario’s 16
players and one each from Alberta
and British Columbia. The team will
be playing against team from the U.S.,
Mexico, Germany and Japan during
the week-long tournament.
Maciocia, the head coach of the Grey
Cup champion Edmonton Eskimoes,
is in his third year as head coach of
Team Canada. He’s confident that this
year’s team, selected from a pool of
1,000 players nation-wide, will readily
defend the 2005 title. “We’ll go down
(to Michigan) and be prepared to play,
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Joash Gesse is eager to play in the NFL.
PHOTO: Nancy Girgis • TCN
both mentally and physically,” Maciocia said. “We’ll play at the maximum
of our ability and give it all we’ve got.”
Maciocia added that this position allows him to keep in touch with
amateur sports in Canada. “Coaching this team allows me to work with
younger players and train them for the future,” Maciocia said. “It allows
me to give back to amateur football in Canada.”
Team captain Samuel Fournier says he and his teammates are ready and
confident for the championships. As a captain, he explained that it is up
to him to give a good example to the team. “I give 100 per cent on the field
and my goal is to lead us to victory,” Fournier said. Fournier continued by
saying that victory is attainable thanks to the leadership and experience of
the coaching staff. “I think we have the best coaches from the best college
and professional football programs,” he said. “I have what I would say is
the cream of the crop of coaches in the country.”
Preparations for this global tournament have not been easy. At the
tournament, the game will be played according to NCAA rules, many of
which are different from the Canadian game. For example, NCAA rules
calls for 12 players on the field instead of 11, four downs instead of three
and a smaller playing surface.
There are 10 returning players from last year’s team, which defeated the
U.S. 38-35 in the 2005 championship final game.
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