A trio of Canadian Football League players trucked out to Pincher Creek last weekend to put on a two-day camp with the area’s youth players. The three Canadian players — Calgary Stampeders’ lineman Quinn Smith, Stampeders’ wideout Anthony Parker, and Saskatchewan Roughriders’ running back Matt Walter — ran the local players through their paces under the blistering-hot sun.

“I played my junior, bantam and high-school football in Okotoks, so I understand the rural mentality,” said Parker, who put up career-best numbers with Calgary last season. “Camps like this just give [kids] the opportunity to see that it’s possible to go forward and be successful in football — or whatever you choose to do — even if you’re coming from a small town.”

All three of the players made the pros through the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) route; Smith studied at Montreal’s Concordia University, while Parker and Walter played college ball in-province at the University of Calgary.

All three believe that the calibre of football in the country is on the rise, specifically at the youth level.

“It’s amazing where [the game] is right now compared to when I started playing in 2006,” said Quinn Smith, a first-round draft-pick of the Stampeders in 2014. “Hockey’s not the only sport in Canada — football’s on its way up, and it’s awesome to see this kind of turnout at youth camps.”

For the three CFL players, camps like the one put on by the local-area Mustangs organization represent an opportunity to give back.

“It’s awesome to be out here with them and give them an opportunity to improve a little bit in any way we can,” said Parker, who has spent the entirety of his five-year pro career with the Stamps. “This grassroots work will make the CIS better, which will in turn make the CFL better — [there are] all-around great things [happening] right now in Canadian football.”’

The weekend was a win-win for all involved; the three pro football players were able to mentor the next generation, while area youth players received high-level instruction from the players they watch on television every fall.

Football season in Pincher Creek is now just three short months away.

@Echo_CVerde

cverde@postmedia.com