Missing family part of the job

Making it in professional football is a dream come true.

Imagine starting your workday by running out of a tunnel and onto a field while thousands of people cheer you on.

You don’t experience anything remotely close to that while chained to a desk from 9 to 5.

“Like this is my job? It’s crazy,” said Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo after Tuesday’s practice.

“In university, I was like ‘Hey I’m kinda good at this’ and started planting the seed that maybe I could do something with this. I put it on the vision board and here we are.”

But is it all fun and games? Far from it, especially for CFL players who are far away from their wives and young children.

“And that’s the tough part. Like my son is playing soccer right now and I’m missing that. I’m missing taking care of my daughter and being with the wifey,” said Castillo.

“But here’s the thing: in life you get to pursue something you want or you don’t. But there’s something they have in common and it’s the struggle. You see a lot of people that are working and doing something they don’t enjoy, and that’s a struggle. If it’s gonna be hard, or if there’s gonna be tough phases, it might as well be worth it.”

Castillo’s wife, Adriana, a high school Spanish teacher and soccer coach, their five-year-old son, Jared, and baby girl, Luisa Renata, spend the summer with him in Winnipeg before returning to Texas.

“(My son) is starting to realize what I do, so, he thinks I’m cool,” said Castillo with a grin.

“The other day, he showed me a picture he drew in school and it was a football field — and it was pretty detailed for a five-year-old — and it was us against the Calgary Stampeders. He had three football players in red and he had three of us in blue. He had Willie Jefferson, Brady Oliveira and me. I think it’s cool that my son gets to look up to these people and he sees them on TV but he knows who they are.”

Receiver Tim White faces a similar situation. He and his wife, whom he met at Arizona State when they were both competing in track, have four children. The family lives in Murrieta, Calif.

“It’s challenging because a lot of guys have their families here — especially if you’re from Canada or from Winnipeg. Like Nic Demski over there, he has his family here every day. It’s definitely tough, but we know it’s a part of it,” said White.

“They send me videos every morning when they’re going to school saying ‘I love you Daddy’ and stuff like that. And I’m on the phone with them pretty much the entire day when I get home (after practice).”

White’s family loved spending the summer in Winnipeg and even appreciated the Assiniboine Park Zoo and its polar bears, despite living just over an hour from the world-renowned San Diego Zoo.

The separation isn’t easy, but the family has grown accustomed to boarding a plane back to California without Dad.

“They take it in stride, honestly. My kids, especially my two sons, they’re football heads. They understand football season, plus, they play sports of their own,” said White.

“After watching Daddy and his teammates all summer, they go home and they’re pretty much like, ‘It’s our time to shine now.’

“They want me to train them, show them new things about the game, they want to watch football and have me break down the tape for them. We’re like a house of football, for sure.”

Left tackle Stanley Bryant’s young son lives in Calgary but spends the summer in Winnipeg with his father. His birthday was last month while Bryant and the Bombers were playing in Montreal.

“Missing his birthday is always disappointing, but that’s part of what you sign up for in professional football. I can’t remember the last time I had a summer off. So I miss birthdays, family reunions, funerals, weddings, all types of things. At the end of the day, you deal with it,” said Bryant.

“I know deep down he knows I want to be there and I know he’s pretty sad that I’m not there. It’s just one of those things we both accept it, and he just tells me all about it and shows me pictures.”

If the Bombers (8-9) lose Friday in Vancouver to the B.C. Lions (10-7), Castillo, White, Bryant and the rest of the team will get to see their loved ones sooner rather than later.

Winnipeg needs a victory to advance to the post-season.

As much as the players miss their families, they’re hoping to rattle off several wins before having to book a return flight.

“Oh yeah, without a doubt,” said White.

“The biggest joy would be playing in the Grey Cup and seeing them run on the field to celebrate. It’s all worth it at the end of the day. There’s no rush to get back home right now, kids, sorry.”

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