Drew Wolitarsky is the kind of guy – check that, the kind of dude – who thinks about the cosmos and his place in it. And no question he has taken time over the years to contemplate how the stars and moons all aligned perfectly for him to be in this place right here and right now.
This place is Winnipeg, with the Blue Bombers, as a receiver with two Grey Cup rings to his name. He is a leader, a renaissance man, a musician and a self-declared ‘old soul.’
And when the Blue Bombers take to the field in Montreal against the Alouettes on Canada Day Wolitarsky – a product of Santa Clarita, California who played his college ball at the University of Minnesota – will line up as one of the team’s veteran Canadians.
His mom and dad will be in the building, too, having travelled to Quebec to see their son in action, but also to visit. Wolitarsky’s mom is Quebecoise, having been born in Montreal. His father, an American, moved there when he was three.
“I love Montreal,” began Wolitarsky after Wednesday’s practice. “I grew up going to Montreal and seeing family. The first time as a kid I remember Canada it was the pine trees and the greenery and the sweet smell. I remember the toonies and the loonies and being able to buy Cokes with those things. We’d always be at the lake… I think it was near Mont Tremblant. Just really good memories.
“I went back to where my mom grew up, where my dad grew up in Laval. Went to the graveyard to see where some of my family is buried. Every time my parents come there I have a big game. It’s good to spend time with family. I only get to see them six-seven times a year. I just like the memories a trip like this brings back for them and hearing their stories and them showing me places that were a big part of their childhood. It’s interesting to see them in that light.
“It’s cool, bro. It’s like a little bit of a homecoming in a weird way.”
The Blue Bombers’ roster features homegrowns from all over the map, from New Brunswick to B.C., from Quebec to Winnipeg, from Ontario to Saskatchewan. Wolitarsky’s route to becoming a Canadian on the roster and a Canadian in spirit is a story that has been told on bluebombers.com before but is worthy of revisiting here.
As the story goes, Wolitarsky had just finished a rookie camp tryout with the Minnesota Vikings and was working as a waiter at Bellecour, a French restaurant in the Minneapolis suburb of Wazata. His roommate at the time was neighbours with former Montreal Alouettes/Toronto Argonauts head coach Marc Trestman. Wolitarsky called Trestman to ask what he needed to do to get a CFL look and when he dropped the nugget that his mom was Canadian, Trestman implored him to get his citizenship papers.
That done, the Blue Bombers would then grab Wolitarsky in the CFL’s 2017 Supplemental Draft – surrendering a third-round selection in 2018 to secure his rights – and it wasn’t too long after he was in Winnipeg soaking up his new surroundings.
“I’ve learned a lot up here, man,” Wolitarsky said. “I’ve learned a lot about tradition and history. I really didn’t know about Canadian history. It’s unique and fun to learn about different types of people and why they migrated here and how it came to be; how this land was made and what people believe in here. All these different things – different cultures, different foods. I’m having a really good time. I love Canada. I’ve said that before. This is a place I could see myself living.”
Again, this comes back to the stars and moons aligning and the mysteries of the cosmos configuring to put him in this place at this time. And what would he be doing if he hadn’t headed north?
“That’s a good question. I do think about that sometimes and, genuinely, I don’t know,” Wolitarsky said. “I was working at this French restaurant when it happened. Maybe I would continue doing that, maybe I would have done something else. I don’t think I would have found guitar though, bro, which is crazy when you think about it. I found music here. I just feel this was the way, bro. You know what I’m saying about that? This was the way, and this is the way it was supposed to be. I just feel like things are clicking and connecting.
“Maybe I’d be in the USFL or the XFL or whatever. What we have here is so special, and I came at a point where that was trying to develop. I was a part of that, and it felt really good to be a part of that and help me grow as a person and a man. My family is here now, and I have this family and I have music. So much has happened, so much good has come from being here in Winnipeg.”
And so, on Canada Day this Californian-turned-Canadian will spend it with his football family in Montreal, with his parents at Percival-Moslon Stadium and – he said Thursday – his fiancée having to deal with his dog howling at the fireworks in Winnipeg.
Asked if he truly feels Canadian now, Wolitarsky didn’t hestitate.
“I do. I’m here nine months out of the year. My family is here now. My community is here,” he said. “I have more friends here than I have anywhere else in the world. For me to think about where I want to live, it’s really hard for me to think about ‘I want to leave’ because I’ve built so much here.
“California is a great state. I grew up there. It was fun. I loved it. But, at the same time I don’t miss it. Minnesota, I went there for school for four years. Great city, but I’m not sold on where I want to settle down. I want to keep exploring and Canada has a lot to offer.”
FYI:
The latest Blue Bombers injury report came out after Thursday’s closed-to-the-media practice.
Among the notable items: RB Brady Oliveira was a full participant after missing the two previous days. CB Desmond Lawrence has been ruled out, but Demerio Houston has practice while DE Jackson Jeffcoat, LB Adam Bighill and DB Redha Kramdi all did not practice. Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea did say he expects Bighill to play and Jeffcoat indicated he is excited to return, too.
