A March Break that Changed my life

I was in Grade 9 at Runnymede Collegiate and had just finished the first semester leading to the March break. A year earlier, my friends and I had attended a leadership camp designed to prepare students to work with the City of Toronto Parks and Rec. A few of my friends that had attended this camp, received phone calls regarding summer employment. As I sat at the kitchen table asking my mom why I wasn't called, I began to question my worthiness as I always had. I once again linked my friends success to the fact that they were taller than me and looked more like grade nine students. It didn't help that just less than 6 months earlier I was victimized through bullying actions on my high school team because of my 4' stature.

My mom, God rest her soul, did everything she could to make me feel as though things weren't as bad as they seemed. My concern was that it was going to be one of those boring summers. Hanging out at the park and perhaps causing trouble while mooching money off my parents.

In the midst of her cleaning the house I remember her asking me what I wanted to do. I decided at that point that what I had always dreamed about was to be the ball boy on the Argo sidelines that got to catch for Condredge Holloway or give a towel to Terry Greer. When I spoke of this my mom said that it wouldn't hurt to call. So after some convincing I opened up the Yellow Pages. Right under the sports area were the Toronto Argonauts Football Club-(416) 595-9600. I decided to call and make an inquiry.

My hands were shaking., my voice crackling but I would muster all the esteem I could to show that I wanted this bad.
"Good Afternoon, Toronto Argonauts Football Club",

"Hello, I am calling to see if there would be any way that I could apply for a job on the sidelines with the Toronto Argonauts". The lady on the other end replied immediately as though this were a regular ask.

"Sure let me put you through to Jeff Howe our Equipment Manager".

I looked at my Mom who paused her cleaning to give me an approving nod.

"Jeff Howe, Equipment room."

"Hi Jeff, my name is Jason Colero and I am calling because I am interested in getting a job as a ball boy with you guys."

"Well, Jason we don't know who is coming back next season so its hard to tell whats available." "If you were to call back in a little while I'll know better." "How old are you?"

"I'm 14 and in grade nine."

"OK. Give us a call in a little while and we'll see what goes on."

"Thanks for your time Mr. Howe and congrats on a great season. I listened to the East Final on the radio."

"Well we'll be back at er next year." "Have a good one Jason."

"You too and talk to you soon."

After hanging up, I jumped out of the chair and said to my mom,"He said to call back. He said to call back." That March break turned out to be one of the best of my life, because as the story goes, I got the call back and the rest is history.

Thanks mom. That little nod of encouragement was life changing.

2011 Season comes to an end with a busy week

This week our season ended on Thursday November 3, but it was as positive as I can hope for. Tuesday night I hosted my first parent information night at Philip Pocock Secondary School. We were starting our parental education of cyber bullying. Constable Scott Mills, the Social Media officer of the Toronto Police and Crime Stoppers was a great addition to our parent session and I am sure the parents were intrigued with his point of view on cyber bullying. My evening ended quite interesting when a Runnymede alumnus introduced himself to me. When I heard his name I was excited because he was one of the last Runnymede football players that left a great mark for that team the year before I attended the school. He was disappointed to hear about the stuff that happened to me, and said had he been there, he would not have allowed that to take place.

On Wednesday afternoon I was a keynote speaker at the Gay Straight Alliance conference for 31 high schools in York region. When I was introduced, the MC asked the audience who was interested in organized sports and the response was not so overwhelming. However, after I talked about my experiences with bullying and where I am now and what I do, for the first time in a long time I received a standing ovation. I was very proud to have made a difference. Then later that evening our community team, made up of myself, Erin, Brian and our community intern, Blane, received more accolades at the 15th Annual Unforgettable Dinner for the Canadian Safe Schools Network. It was satisfying to know that not only is our program one of the most well known with bullying programs, but it was also supported by many who attended the dinner.

Game day would provide a very emotional moment for me and anyone that is close to the Argonauts. Earlier that week, I received an e-mail from one of our Level the Playing Field Schools telling me one of their players suffered an injury on the field that would end his sports career. Before the injury, Andre Durie had visited one of their practices to help motivate these players. He told the story of when he was injured at York and doctors told him he would never walk again let alone play football. The student's coach asked if there was a way that this young boy could get a signed ball from Andre. As I forwarded the e-mail to upper management and the GM and our head coach, Jim Barker, the response was overwhelming. After the game had ended Friday night which we won quite handily, Andre Durie was the star of the game and I knew that this ball would mean so much more. I walked the young man and his coach to the locker room to wait as the team made their way back in for the sacred team time after a game where only the team usually is part of. However, Coach Barker not only invited this young man and his coach in, but started his last post game speech by introducing the young man and dedicating the first game ball to him. The young man received a team signed game ball and more importantly words of encouragement from a number of players in that room. What an amazing experience for everyone involved. Since that day I received a number of e-mails from the school thanking us for that moment and to my team the Toronto Argonauts it was something that they were thankful to have been a part of.

Yesterday, I was part of the "Underachievers" Movember golf tournament. In assisting one of my coworkers in the organization of this tournament it is rewarding to see the number of people that don't hesitate to help out.

Finally today, Ricky Foley and I will be 2 of 7,000 people in all of Canada that will be participating in the 25th Anniversary of the Rick Hansen Relay for making a difference in our community. A proud moment knowing the significance of what Rick Hansen did 25 years ago.

Hope you all read my next blog of what that relay was like.

Winding Down

As of November 4th, the 2011 edition of the Toronto Argonauts comes to a close. I remember past seasons, being a part of the locker room when the season ended too soon. When you are eliminated from a playoff game, all you can think about are the "what ifs" "should haves" "could haves". It wasn't too long ago, this past May, when I spoke with a bunch of our current players and could feel the optimism going into this season. I feel their disappointment now and can understand it from my past. For me the early endings I experienced on the sidelines came in 1985, 1989, 1992 and 1995. Of those, the most memorable for me was the 1992 season when we were eliminated from contention of the playoffs and a bunch of us, including our owner at the time, John Candy, talked about the disappointment and the bright future that potentially lay ahead of us. It was a memorable evening having a few chuckles despite the outcome. That would be the last time many of us would get a chance to laugh with John Candy, as he passed away in 1993.

Ever since my transfer to the community relations department, the early season end comes with mixed emotions, as I now plan for the next important season, which takes place in the schools: my work to help prevent bullying. The questions always exists, "who will be back next season?" "what free agents will remain with the Double Blue" or specifically for me "who will stay in Toronto this off season and be a part of the Huddle Up Program?"

I hope to keep you all intrigued with the various stories that both myself and the Argonauts players will experience this off season. But one thing I can guarantee is that the issue of bullying seems to escalate every day and we have a big hill to climb in order to make a difference. Rest assured, I am one person who is doing everything I can to make sure kids in my community don't have to experience what I went through during my time in high school. And believe it or not, one person can make a difference. But there is power in numbers and we need all the help we can get.

The Follow Up

First, Thanks to everyone who read my last blog and commented. It was great to see that this writing isn't just for my self amusement. So in case some of you don't follow the Toronto Argonauts, we played the "Think Pink" game and on the field it wasn't a great success as the team lost 31-24 to the Edmonton Eskimos, however it was definitely a see of pink. It was actually quite symbolic the way the team lost. Down 31-3 in the third quarter things were bleak and the stadium had already started to empty. Then things changed, call it a collapse of the Eskimos if you'd like but there are always two teams on the field and rather than letting the Eskimos finish them off, the Double Blue made a fight of it. They fought back from a 31-3 deficit to fall one play short of tying it. This is very similar to the battle one fights against this horrible disease. Many people diagnosed with this disease can simply let it take over, however I know all the people that have survived or succumbed to the disease never let it take over their lives. Fighting until the end. For all those fans that attended the game, Thanks for your support. For me, I did what I used to do a long time ago. I looked up to section 212 to imagine my parents sitting in their seats give me a wave of approval for the job we did on and off the field. Fittingly there was my moms name just beside the section. As the comment to my blog said,there are always angels watching over me.

In less than a week I will be participating in Movember and yes I'll be asked whats with the moustache, or told "looks like you have more hair on your face than on your head", "you look like an adult movie star". Despite this I will start a new form of support to help those battling prostate cancer.

My next blog I'll chat about my trips to high school football practice where I realized why I do what I do.

A battle of the ages

I submitted the following post to go on the Argonauts Community Corner, however with all the content occuring it may not go up so my hope to have people read it here for now.


It was 2003 and here in Argo land financial difficulty saw a reduction in staff. I couldn’t believe that after almost 20 years I was almost unemployed. This wasn’t the only thing my family was dealing with that summer. My mother had gone through treatment for her bout with breast cancer and it appeared as though she was in remission. November we were playoff bound to Montreal for the East Final. I was there as the mascot and very excited because it was a Cinderella story in the making. Our dreams were demolished as a last second fumble was not called and the Als were Grey Cup bound. Just before I boarded the train home, I made a phone call home and heard something that made the loss miniscule compared to what my family would deal with for the remainder of the off season. While I was away my mom was rushed to the hospital and my mom’s cancer was back and had spread. It didn’t look good. I tried to be strong on the 5 ½ hour train ride home. That year, I was also asked to work at the Grey Cup in Regina. The people at the CFL during that year had said they understood if I couldn’t make it but my mom insisted I go because the Argos and the CFL meant as much to her as much as it meant to me. My sister and I shared the moments with my mom taking her to her treatments as my dad had passed away 4 years earlier. My sister and I had each other and that was what we needed to help us through everything. The Toronto Argonauts organization was classy enough to tell me that I can take as much time off as needed to be with my mom. I continued to do the Huddle Up program to take my mind off the situation and on April 1, 2004 my mom lost her battle to cancer. Then that following September, my wife’s sister-in-law lost her battle to Breast Cancer at a young age and left behind a husband and 2 year old daughter. I knew that there are many people that fight this fight with Cancer and share similar stories to what I shared. That’s why today’s game is so special to me and many people involved with the game. I can understand what Taylor Robertson, Wes Lysack and Kevin Huntley went through when someone close to them lost their battle. I commend everyone that helps support those in need. Everyone who is going through this dreadful disease whether they are fighting the battle themselves or they are family of people that are fighting it, needs support from everyone that’s why this is somewhat of a call out for all the fans out there to not only buy a ticket for tonight’s game but to wear pink and support the survivors, the people that are battling and those that have lost the battle. Understand that Friday’s game is not only about a battle on a field.
I know that my mom is looking down on today's game with my dad beside her and somewhat proud of cheering for the team and seeing how they are giving back.

“Make your passion your Life and No one can take that away.

To have Heart or Not to Have Heart. Who can answer that question.

There is a great truth to the fact that when you are winning there are never many issues regarding the team. However, when you arent in the winning column everything becomes magnified. The truth is that there are alot of factors that can lead to this.

In the media every mistake is discussed in great detail and fingers are pointed. Performance is always questioned when things go wrong. Not only in sports but in business as well. Why arent we meeting our quarterly goals? Why are sales slow? Why dont people buy the product? Our restaurant is empty. Why? It doesn't matter what industry you are in, someone has to be to blame. Often its the decision making at the top. What bothers me most, is when the integrity and heart of an individual is questioned. This was the case in a recent article by a colleague and former Argonaut, Sandy Annunziata.

The article was on yahoo sports on Wednesday and was a blog just as this one. It is an opinion and I am never one to say an opinion is wrong but the topic was dealing with the injury Cleo Lemon sustained during a home loss to Winnipeg. He cracked his teeth exposing a nerve, causing him to be sidelined for the rest of that game and the following game. This is understandable considering the possibility of causing further damage is great. In the blog, Sandy compares Cleo to the Winnipeg counterpart Buck Pierce. Categorizing Cleo as a person not "tough as nails" and missing an opportunity to inspire his teammates. In this day and age the notion is unsafe for youngsters.

I'm not taking away from the grittiness others have shown by playing through an injury risking not only their careers but the possibility of living a normal life because that is the choice of an athlete. However, I feel that the integrity and heart of an individual that has been sidelined dueto injury should never be questioned. If we could look into the desire and feelings of others that would make alot of our decisions in life more predictable.

Blaming a loss on a team because of their performance is fine but questioning their heart or determination is not fair. Imagine a high school athlete playing football sustains hit on the head which to many on the sideline looks as though it was a simple graze. This high school athlete has a history of concussions and in order to show his teammates he has grit he hides his concussion and makes his way back to the field only to sustain another head injury that forces his high school career and football career very short.

I have been fortunate to work around the people that decided to lay it on the line and to thm I tilt my hat. In fact, it was the decision of Matt Dunigan, Michael Clemons and Chris Gaines to play through their injuries that helped bring the cup home in 1991. But I never feel someones heart needs to be measured by their will to play injured or not. Moreso their desire to give their all out there. After all Cleo was criticized for not sliding on the scramble he got injured on.

If we were 3 and 1 I'm sure this wouldnt even be an issue.

Us against the World...even our own city!

I write this blog a little disappointed in the city of Toronto. After a few people read too deep into an ad that they interpreted to mean something that is the furthest from the truth. I say this because when a politician believed the Argonauts were sending a message of domestic violence in an ad that in its context referred to the sport of football.

Yes people are definitely entitled to their opinions. That is the beauty of freedom, however the opinions should come educated rather than judged prior to research. As a person who is very proud to ensure that youth never have to go through the bullying I endured, I know for a fact that the ad we placed was meant to demonstrate the grit this team has to defend their home field. But the home field we protect has resistance within our city. All the ad critics had to do was look into the lives we have saved while sending the bullying prevention message through our 10 year Huddle Up Bullying Prevention Program. Instead, they tried to make it appear that we condone violence towards others, off the field, in particular, in the home. The ad was removed nonetheless but I still feel very disappointed at the principal. The removal of the ad was the right thing to do to show that we respect what people think. However, I wonder if any of the people that complained know how many years we have been in the schools helping and mentoring youth. Or that the players participating in the program are required to conduct a police Vulnerable Sector Report as per our own program requirements and this is not requested by the schools we attend. These people are probably people that haven't even seen an Argonauts game and have little idea that we do over 500 community appearances annually.

To those that understood or know what we have done to help youth, I thank you. To those that complained, there might be bigger fish to fry in this city such as a football league that has just arrived exploiting women in lingerie playing the sport of football. Why can't they just play football? Why do they need to be in underwear to have it accepted, but then again I guess our ad is more controversial.

I hope anyone who reads this blog will understand my frustration and realize that all I'm trying to say is that maybe if some of the good things we have done received a little more attention in this city I wouldn't feel so disheartened when something like this happens.

Thanks for reading.