Election candidates reflect on lessons from the gridiron

Long, gruelling days at football practice are good for more than just another tally in the win column.

But for a pair of former players, the points are political and the championship is an election-day victory.

Both the Saskatchewan Party’s candidate for Regina Gardiner Park and the NDP candidate for Regina Rochdale have played the game, taking the skills they learned on the gridiron into their campaign offices.

Gene Makowsky, Sask. Party candidate for Regina Gardiner Park. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

For the Sask. Party, many in the province know about Gene Makowsky’s accomplishments on the field. He played four seasons with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies before being selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the second round of the 1995 CFL draft.

He then spent the next 17 seasons with the Roughriders, winning the Grey Cup in 2007, being named the CFL’s most outstanding lineman twice (2004, 2005) and being a five-time all-star (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009).

“It took me 13 years in the CFL to win a Grey Cup and something I dreamed about since I was a little kid,” Makowsky said. “The political side, it wasn’t on the radar for me for a long time. You have lots of people working with you and behind you and along with you and to be successful is always good.”

Makowsky won a seat as an MLA for Regina in 2011 and was re-elected in 2016. The next year, he was named the province’s Minister of Sport and Recreation.

While there aren’t any two-a-day practices in politics, there are some similarities to the sport, Makowsky said.

“There’s that aspect of a team from various jurisdictions coming together to attain a goal. Politically, the election part of it happens usually every four years but in football it happens more frequently,” Makowsky said. “The hard work and the camaraderie and trying to attain that ultimate goal, there are some similarities there.”

As Makowsky heads out door-knocking and campaigning for another term, he said his work ethic is as good as it was when he was on the field.

“I’ve always had the philosophy — and I always tell the kids this when I talk to them — if I happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time but I worked hard at it, I could live with myself,” Makowsky said.

“If you didn’t work hard and you weren’t successful on the football field then that would be something that would stay with me and bother me. You can’t control everything but you can always control your effort.”

Brett Estey is the NDP candidate for Regina Rochdale. Estey played offensive line for the Winston Knoll Wolverines and finds some crossover between sports and politics.

While the NDP’s Brett Estey never achieved the professional ranks of football, he said the sport taught him lessons he carries throughout his campaign. Estey played offensive line for the Winston Knoll Wolverines and won the Regina Intercollegiate Football League’s Citizenship Award.

“Certainly on the practice field, you’ve got to make sure that you are prepared and you have to take time … it takes a lot of hard work and commitment and you can carry that over in terms of campaigning because it does require a lot of handwork to get out there and hit the doorsteps every day and all day in a lot of cases. I think it’s just that commitment that you need to have,” Estey said.

He also coached the Wolverines from 2009 to 2011. While he doesn’t need a whistle to motivate his team in this campaign, there are some similarities to the two.

“I think it’s about stressing teamwork in that case. I think they do carry over very well when you look at if you want to succeed on the field or if you want to succeed on the campaign, it relies on everyone working together as one towards that common goal in that case,” Estey said.

More recently, Estey has been helping out with Ranch Ehrlo Sports Venture’s football program.

“It’s been really rewarding in that case to be able to help give back and a lot of these cases are kids that are coming from maybe lower-income families or ones that can’t afford to pay the higher fees when it comes to sports,” Estey said.

Estey, who was defeated by Sask. Party incumbent Laura Ross in the 2016 provincial election, is looking for a different result in the rematch.

“When it comes to offensive line you’re doing your work to protect your quarterback and your team in that case. I’m starting off by working to defend our Crowns and public institutions we all count on. I have played some defence when I was in minor football so I know what it’s like to go after the quarterback and go on the attack if you will. I’ll look at how we can better our province,” he said.

The Saskatchewan election takes place on Oct. 26.