Q&A with Saskatchewan Roughrider long snapper Jorgen Hus
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — Jorgen Hus of Saskatoon is a professional Canadian football long snapper for Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. Jorgen has been in the sport for 17 years. He played Highschool football for 4 years at St. Joseph Guardians, Junior Canadian football for 3 years with ‘Saskatoon Hilltops’, University football for 3 years with Regina Rams and has been playing for 7 years in the CFL with Saskatchewan Roughriders.
We asked Jorgen a few questions about his life in Football.
What are your personal goals within your sports/athletic dreams?
Jorgen Hus: My personal goals have changed throughout my career, but one that has always been consistent is to be the best snapper in whatever league I’m playing in.
What is the biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Hus: There are many challenges in my sport, but I would say the biggest challenges are being consistent, healthy, and limiting distractions. In my case, it was also very challenging getting my body bigger, faster and pro-ready, as I was always a bit undersized. As I age, and now playing into my 30’s, there are also other challenges associated with that.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Hus: The best football advice I was given as a young player, was to learn how to long snap. This skill is extremely uncommon, as next to nobody aspires to be just a professional long snapper. I took this seriously, and thought this would be a good way to get noticed. The best life advice I ever received was from my dad, who always said (and still does) “if you’re going to do something, do it right”. I applied this to football by training relentlessly, doing everything I could, and working jobs so I could travel to receive the best coaching I could possibly get.
What do you love about your sport?
Hus: What I love most about football and more specifically long snapping, is the chase, the grind, or whatever you want to call it. You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse- but you’re not staying the same in my opinion. This always weighs on my mind and motivates me to get out there and not just practice until I get it right, but to practice until I can’t get it wrong.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Hus: No, I do not have a pregame ritual. If we’re on the road for example, and I’m not able to have that exact meal I want, or get to the stadium at a certain time- I don’t want these things to affect me and the game. So instead, I eat what I feel like, warm up until I’m warm, and go from there. Some guys are really superstitious like that, but that would drive me nuts.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Hus: Outside of football, I am a mortgage broker with TMG. I also enjoy hanging out with my wife and friends, working out, watching curling, and travelling when able. There’s not much I’m not interested in!
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Hus: Being a member of a team has taught me the most valuable things in life, and I am so thankful for that. I am not sure there is anything better than sports for teaching these, but I am obviously a little biased. Some of these lessons are:
1) Teams work better when everyone is pulling on the rope,
2) NO ONE is bigger than the team itself,
3) Practice makes everyone better,
4) Be all in, and trust your teammates,
5) Don’t get upset or frustrated when things don’t go your way- stay calm and figure it out, and
6) Be accountable, so people can rely on you. I believe if these things are taken into any environment outside of sport, you will succeed.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Hus: The best piece of advice I’ve received from a coach was very early in my career. They said- “If you want to play for a very long time, learn how to long snap”.
When asked to describe a mistake he had made while competing and how he overcame it.
Hus: Jorgen replied, After grinding my tail off to make it professionally in football, I thought all I had to do now was work out smart. Turns out I was completely wrong. You have to work not only smart but harder than everyone else year in and year out. These were things I learned to do from a young age outwork absolutely everybody at all costs, and that came easy as I was never the most talented on any team. However, I realized if I want to have a long career, I am going to have to continuously work to get better, or it would soon be DOD (Dinner on Delta). I’ve always had a fire and burning passion for football, so it was easy in this case to redirect my efforts, from what I thought was the right thing, to what actually was.
Jorgen concluded “I am very thankful and lucky for all the people I’ve met along the way with football, as there’s no way any of my career would have happened without them. As a 32-year-old still playing my childhood dream, I am more motivated than ever to help my teammates hoist that grey cup at the end of this season. I think for young athletes, it is important to not burn yourself out by specializing in one sport, but instead, just have fun and play everything you can. If I could go back in time, I would have played more team sports, as that would have transferred over to football and made me a better overall athlete.”
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