Jack Hinsperger’s gridiron journey began when he was seven years old as a member of the Twin Cities Firehawks. His first head coach was Jody Brown.
Fast forward to the present, he is currently playing his second season as linebacker for the Cambridge Lions of the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL).
Prior to playing in the OVFL, he spent two years playing for Twin Cities,Ā with both the Predators of the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) and Warhawks. He also plays both linebacker and fullback for the Resurrection Phoenix of the Waterloo County Secondary School Athletic Association (WCSSAA).
“In both my grade 9 and 10 seasons I was fortunate enough to be named both captain and Defensive MVP for the two seasons,” said Hinsperger of his time with the Phoenix.
He has overcome some adversity over the past year, which has motivated him to become a better player. Hinsperger had a shoulder injury last year that sidelined him for most of the season.
In December of 2014, he tried out for the Team Ontario International Bowl team, but ended up getting cut.
“Maybe they didn’t know what I could do because I missed playing last season, or maybe they were more comfortable with picking their own players,” he said. “But ever since that day I have been using that as motivation to train, to grind, and to prove that I am one of the best linebackers in Ontario every chance I get.”
Hinsperger attributes a lot of his development to a couple of Lions coaches.
āMy head coach Gary Skalos, along with Bill Martindale are constantly preparing us to adapt weekly to who weāre playing,ā said the linebacker. āI can tell they love the game and their love of the game rubs off on the team which is needed on a successful team.”
“Our coaches always prepare us physically and mentally, and motivate us to stay determined and keep our team as a top priority. All of this has helped me become a better player.ā
He plans to continue playing and developing with the Lions for the rest of this season. Additionally, Hinsperger will continue to play for the Phoenix this falll and aspires to play beyond that point.
āI hope to continue on by playing football in university,ā he says. āAfter that who knows? CFL? NFL?”
“Then maybe give back at some point by coaching and passing the passion and knowledge I have for this game on to players coming up after me.ā
Jack has some words of wisdom for up-and-coming players.
āMy advice to any younger players is for them to motivate themselves,ā says Jack. āFind things in life to get them going.”
“If they get cut, improve and come back to show whoever cut them that they were wrong.ā
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