Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin / Zoom

By Scott Roblin

Charity Camp

Medicine Hat charity camp a passion project for Stamps’ McGough

Nov 10, 2020 | 5:08 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A year without professional football has come as a challenge to Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman Connor McGough.

He’s making good use of his free time in his hometown however, as McGough is set to lead his first camp for local football players near the end of the month.

McGough spent much of the last few months on the sidelines for his alma mater Crescent Heights High School football team, giving him the idea for the local camp.

“Seeing how much they appreciated it just gave me the idea to run my own camp,” said McGough. “So, I’m pretty excited about all of that.”

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McGough was able to jump in as a coach for the defensive linemen and got a firsthand look at the high school talent in Medicine Hat.

It’s an experience that stuck with the 2017 fourth overall pick, especially getting the opportunity to see the game through a coach’s lens.

“I’ve never been able to have a group working with other coaching staff to come up with game plans or come up with plays and adjustments during the game,” said McGough. “It’s really interesting to see how that side of football works.”

McGough’s ‘D-Line Charity Camp’ will be held from November 27 to 29 at the Cypress Centre Fieldhouse and is open to linemen from Crescent Heights, Medicine Hat High School, and Monsignor McCoy High.

The goal is to make the camp an annual tradition in the city in the springtime, while also being able to open it up to other positions.

Shane Chynoweth from Temple Fitness and YogaU4ia will be providing yoga instruction, while two hour sessions on defensive schemes and basics will be taught.

“The first day is going to be based off of stopping the run because you never pass rush without stopping the run,” said McGough. “So, we’re going to focus on run defence first and the second two days will be working on our pass rushing skills.”

McGough will also be giving back to the community as a whole through the camp, partnering with the Medicine Hat & District Food Bank who will receive the proceeds from registration fees while the Stampeders Foundation is matching donations of up to $5,000.

For the 25-year-old, it’s a piece of the camp he really wanted to emphasize to the public.

“That’s the first charity that I thought of giving to immediately,” said McGough. “Especially with COVID-19, a lot of people have been hit financially. I think it’s just a great opportunity to donate to the food bank right now, especially when it’s coming close to Christmas.”

Tickets for the three-day camp are $85.88 each and you can sign up through the following Tweet.