Busy summer for twin Hatters

By Medicine Hat News on August 16, 2019.

PHOTO COURTESY FOOTBALL ALBERTA - Brothers Aayden and Dylan Callan pose with coach Quinn Skelton in Hawaii last week during Football Alberta's under-17 camp.

It’s been a busy summer for the Callan brothers, but they’re hardly complaining.

Aayden and Dylan, twins headed into their Grade 10 year at Hat High, have taken part in both football and wrestling camps, set track and field records during the junior high season and won’t have much time to rest before the school year is upon them once again.

Along with Mohawks coach Quinn Skelton, they returned from a Football Alberta under-17 camp in Hawaii this week. Dylan had nary a chance to shake of the jetlag before heading straight back on the road to Swift Current for the Western Canada Summer Games where he’s set to compete in wrestling starting today.

“It was kind of shocking in a little way because it was more than we did last year,” said Dylan. “But last year was kind of the same way, we did a bunch, we didn’t really have much of a break.”

Thankfully, his 115-kilogram weight division only has one other competitor. But there’s also a team event so he will get a few matches in during the Games.

Medicine Hat is also represented in wrestling by Kiana Ivey, who opens singles competition this morning.

The experience in Hawaii was one the Callans will never forget. They got to play and practice with four Hawaiian teams, blown away by their first look at high school football in America.

“Teams that we’ve played, the way they are together as a team is way different than in Canada,” said Aayden, who plays linebacker. “The intensity and energy on the field at all times, I’d love to bring back into our Canadian game. It’s fun to watch.”

“It was great just to see because it’s so different,” added defensive lineman Dylan.

Skelton is understandably thrilled the duo got to go on the trip, a great lead-in he hopes they can rally off of as they begin their careers as Mohawks. High school football season isn’t far off, with some teams starting to practice already.

“They’re pretty committed kids,” said Skelton, who’s now gone to Hawaii for the camp about a dozen times – the past three years as an official Football Alberta coach. “Selfishly for me to have a pair of my boys involved with that, hopefully they bring the culture and that intensity back to our team as well.”

They definitely have the work ethic, as shown during one weekend this summer when there was a Football Alberta camp in Red Deer and a provincial wrestling camp in Wetaskiwin, about an hour away. At one point they left the football camp, had a few wrestling matches in Westaskiwin, then drove back to Red Deer.