Today, CFC shines the spotlight on class 2009 star player and recent University of British Columbia commit, Adam Senuik. Adam’s first football stint was at the minor level for five seasons.
Adam Senuik
Positions:
Defensive Back (Safety), Quarterback, Receiver
Height/Weight:
6’3, 205 lbs
Teams:
Edmonton Wildcats (junior: CJFL)
Bev Facey Falcons (high school: ASAA)
North Alberta under-17
Team Alberta
Commitment:
Commitment to University of British Columbia
Class:
2009
During his time with his high school team, the Bev Facey Falcons of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA), Adam excelled as a player. In his senior year with the Falcons, he had 24 passing touchdowns and only threw two interceptions. He also won two consecutive Northern Provincial championship titles with the Falcons. Moreover, he was most improved in in grade 10; team MVP in his senior year and a candidate of both the Edmonton Journal and league MVP awards.
Playing in the 2009 Senior Bowl all-star game, Adam racked up the second highest passing yards total in the game’s history. Due to his stellar play, the football star was team MVP. Thus, the whole experience has been one of the highlights of his football career.
“We were big underdogs going into that game,” explains Adam. “We were predicted to lose by two plus scores, and ended up winning by a bigger margin than any North team in history.”
By having a successful all-star game, it created an opportunity which in turn, became a dream realized for the gridiron star.
“It was my dream since grade five to make Team Alberta after seeing a clip about it on TV,” comments Adam. “Winning that award was surreal, and all those years of dreaming and working finally fell into place, because Team Alberta was put together by the coaches based on watching the Senior Bowl game and winning that award pretty much sealed the deal.”
At the 2009 Football Canada Cup in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Adam captained Team Alberta to a silver medal finish. Not only has he represented his province through this team, but has also played for the North Alberta under-17 team.
For the past three years, Adam has been playing for the Edmonton Wildcats of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). While he was playing junior, the standout observed the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) scene to see what teams were doing on the field. After much thought, Adam decided to commit to the University of British Columbia (UBC). In particular, he was impressed with what Thunderbirds head coach Shawn Olson has done with the football program.
“Since Coach Olson came in, things have been completely turned around at UBC from what I can see, and they look like they’re headed in a very positive direction,” says the future Thunderbirds player. “Looking at his background, he is a winner; wherever he goes, also his past and current players all talk very highly of him.”
“And of course itβs hard to look past the perk of living in Vancouver for four years as it’s such a beautiful city, great lifestyle and I have some family there that I’d love to see more.”
One of the major reasons Adam has been able to achieve major feats on the field has been due to Falcons football coach Barclay Spady. The gridiron star says Spady has gone above and beyond the call of coaching during his high school career.
“He made sure from the moment I came in that I was taken care of properly,” adds the Wildcats star. “He surrounded me with amazing quarterback coaches with a lot of knowledge.”
“He made sure that I was being taught university concepts beginning in grade 10 which led to my understanding of the game being one of my biggest strengths.”
Adam is not the only one from his family that has found success on the field. His father was a Vanier Cup winner with the University of Alberta Golden Bears in 1972.
“My dad has always believed in me, no matter what,” comments the Wildcats player of his father. “But he’s also made sure I’m never content with where I am and always giving me advice on how to continue improving.”
Overall, he’s appreciative of the role both his parents have played in his career.
“They have been 100 percent supportive of whatever I want to do, and I’ve always wanted to play football and take it as far as I can,” explains Adam. “They have done everything they can to help me along the way and they are the main reason I’m still playing.”
For the past three years, Adam has been studying kinesiology at the University of Alberta. He plans on completing this degree in the next two years at UBC. After that, Adam would like to pursue an education degree for two additional years.
“I come from a family of educators having my parents, uncles, aunts, and grandmother as teachers and professors,” adds the student athlete. “I know it is definitely in my blood to work with people in that way but I’m trying to find a way to use it in a way to help a more disadvantaged (poverty or disabled) population.”
“My dream would be to find a way to tie sports into it somehow, but I’m still searching for my perfect fit.”
Two things Adam has learned from playing football are dedication and goal setting. Ultimately, he plans on continuing to set more goals while at UBC in the hopes of achieving more success on the field.
“Deciding on a dream, figuring out how to achieve it, making it a priority, making sure you don’t miss a single opportunity to come close to it and also blocking out anything that tries to stop you from achieving it,” comments Adam. “There will always be people who don’t believe in you but the only person’s opinion that matters about yourself is you.”
“You are truly the only thing that can come in the way of your success, it’s your choice if you want to give in or stay dedicated and put in the work you need to.”
Video of Adam’s Football Highlights:
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