By Michael Boriero
While Samuel Ducharme is back at Bishop’s University preparing for the upcoming Gaiters football season alongside his teammates, he spent most of his summer tackling professional athletes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Ducharme, a 25-year-old undrafted offensive lineman, was invited to attend the Montreal Alouettes training camp. It was a surreal experience for a Quebecer who started playing football in Saint-Hippolyte, only 45 kilometres north of Montreal.
“It was kind of a dream for me because I grew up in a small town outside Montreal, so I grew up with the Alouettes as my team,” said Ducharme.
The Bishop’s veteran, who is returning to the Gaiters for a fifth season, quickly learned it was not going to be anything like university football. The first few days of training camp were eye-opening for the 6’6, 285-pound Ducharme, as he battled stiff competition.
