(ENGLISH VERSION BELOW)
MONTRÉAL – Le joueur de ligne offensive des Redbirds de l'Université McGill Domenico Piazza participera cette semaine au camp d'évaluation de la Ligue canadienne de football (LCF), qui se tiendra du 21 au 23 mars à Regina.
À six, deux pouces et 290 livres, Piazza est une pièce d'homme qui ne laisse pas sa place sur un terrain de football.
VOIR L'HISTOIRE
==============================================================================
CFL COMBINES EVALUATION CAMP:
Piazza high on representing McGill University in Regina
MONTREAL – McGill University Redbirds offensive lineman Domenico Piazza will participate this week in the Canadian Football League Combines evaluation camp, to be held March 21-23 in Regina.
At six-foot-two and 290 pounds, Piazza is a man's man who leaves no room on the football field. That's why this writer was surprised when Piazza told him that the sport that allowed him to be discovered in football is... swimming!
"In high school, I was on the swim team. The football coach was also in charge of all the sports at the school," recalls Piazza. 'He came to me and said, 'Listen, you don't really look good in a Speedo, but in shoulder pads and a football helmet, you should be fine.'"
Piazza fell in love with football from his very first workout session. He cites the camaraderie with his teammates in the locker room as one of the most appealing aspects of the sport.
"From the age of 13, I started dreaming of playing professionally, or even at university level," he says. 'There were some former students from my school who were playing at those levels and I thought to myself, 'Wow, those guys are crazy!' And here I am today, preparing for the evaluation camp."
While completing his junior college education at John Abbott College, Piazza began to receive attention from several universities in Canada. He finally decided to join the Redbirds at McGill. And at the end of his first season, Piazza began to believe that his dream of playing professionally might come true.
"My coaches told me that if I kept playing like that, I might make it to the pros."
Marc Glaude, the offensive line coach and head of mental performance for the Redbirds, remembers Piazza's debut on campus.
"When he arrived at McGill, he was an extremely athletic guy who also had a penchant for the technical side," he explains. "We've worked on that a lot in recent years, and his technical progress has been enormous. He pays great attention to detail. In terms of understanding the game and mental preparation, he has made great progress in recent years. He has become a very complete player."
McGill Athletics
A jovial natured man, Piazza says his personality changes completely when he sets foot on a football field. When the game gets going, he fights for every yard and likes to be intimidating.
"On the field, I have a completely different personality to how I am in life. I'm quite aggressive, I really want to dominate the person in front of me. I never stop playing until the referee blows the whistle. But I'm also very cerebral; I like to study the tendencies of defences, what they want to do on the field. When I go back to the sidelines, I am very calm. I stay in my zone and I don't let my emotions get the better of me."
On this last point, Glaude agrees with his protégé.
"He has improved a lot in terms of mental preparation. His level of play has become more and more consistent. He has mental routines for every game. In the beginning, he had some extraordinary moments and some not so good. Now he has stabilized, and a large percentage of his plays are extraordinary," says Glaude.
Piazza says he is a little disappointed that he will be the only representative of his team to be part of the trip to Regina, but he does not see this as a disadvantage compared to the other hopefuls who will be accompanied by several of their teammates this week.
"Of course I would have liked to have had some of the guys with me. I think we have a lot of talent at McGill, and it's a bit of a shame that we won't all be represented. But at the same time, football is a small world. I have played with or against several guys who will be there; we all know each other a little. I am lucky enough to go to the CFL evaluation camp, it's an honor. I will try to represent my university as best I can."
RELATED LINKS
» Complete list of CFL evaluation camp participants
» Evaluation camp: Félix Despins confidently prepares for Regina
» Evaluation camp: Carabins players as seen by their coach
» Evaluation camp: Rouge et Or players as seen by Glen Constantin
» More Canadian Football League (CFL) news and features
