The Red Deer Buccaneers are ready to begin another season in the Alberta Football League. They started indoor practice several weeks ago and now the outdoor practices mean things are getting real serious for the players.

I am still a few weeks away from my regular football contribution to the Advocate, but this week I would like to discuss this community and personal angle of the Red Deer Buccaneers.

The Bucs play in a senior men’s football league with a province-wide array of teams from Grande Prairie to Calgary. The league players range from former high school stars to former pros from the CFL and NFL. In between are former and future junior stars, university stars and guys who always wanted to play football.

The common bond is the fact that all of the players have a deep affection for the game of football. Football is warfare with civilized rules and these guys love the ultimate thrill of collision and conquest in this game of strategy and violence.

Every Red Deer Buccaneer pays several hundred dollars of their hard-earned cash to get a chance to play on the team. These guys earn their job by sacrificing their free time to practice, games and travel.

You hold onto a starter’s job by perseverance and talent. Football is the ultimate team game and requires precision that gets 12 guys to do exactly the right thing on every play. This kind of precision means that practice does indeed make perfect for successful football teams.

Practice for the Buccaneers also means that a cloudless July evening will not mean barbecues, water-skiing or a round of golf. It will be another night of practice for a weekend game with one of their arch rivals.

It makes a tough choice in view of our short summer season, but the best of the Bucs readily accept that practice is an essential and crucial part of football.

I’ve gotten to know the Buccaneers on a personal level as one of the team sponsors, and I have nothing but admiration for these guys as athletes and quality human beings. They play the game for the purest of reasons — they love the game of football.

Over the years I’ve noticed that it might be -30 degrees in the dark of winter, but these guys still talk football. They discuss last year’s games and strategize the next season that might be several months in the future.

It is impossible to avoid a personal, physical price that must be paid in football. It is an inherently violent game with built-in risks, but the upside is the addictive glory of the big play, the big hit and the big win. You live and die on the same hill as a team and these guys live for these moments.

These guys could use much more corporate sponsorship here in Red Deer. They have a large annual team budget which will take a major jump this year with extra travel costs.

Right now is a good time for you or your company to support one of Red Deer’s highest-profile sports teams. Contact team president Dave Hanni at Z-99 (343-1303) to back the Bucs. Tell him Jim and Jer sent you.

Jim Sutherland is a regular contributor to the Red Deer Advocate. Watch for his weekly CFL column starting in June.