Thanks to a friend, Andrea Bonaventura was lucky enough to score free tickets to last year's Labour Day Classic.
If Bonaventura can stick with the Edmonton Eskimos, the squad that selected the Calgary Dinos linebacker in the third round of last month's CFL Draft, he'll be the one with seats to fill come September.
"I haven't thought that far ahead, but if I could be in a Labour Day Classic and be on TV with 28,000 fans cheering and watching your every move, that would be something else," he said.
If his story sounds a bit familiar, it's because a Bonaventura has been down this path before.
Linebacker Joseph Bonaventura was drafted by the Eskimos in the third round six years ago and spent one season with the Calgary Stampeders.
His 23-year old brother is trying to follow his footsteps to the pro ranks starting Sunday, when the Eskimos open their main training camp at Clarke Stadium.
Bonaventura, who led the Dinos in tackles last season and is the reigning Canada West defensive player of the year, is eligible to spend two more seasons in the university ranks but has visions of returning to McMahon Stadium in Green and Gold.
"I think the most exciting thing is walking in the locker-room and thinking of who would be in the stands," Bonaventura said. "Not so much playing against the Calgary Stampeders, but who would be there watching me -- ex-teammates, all my best friends, family. Just everyone that would be here watching me gets me excited."
Bonaventura isn't the only Dinos standout going camping as CFL squads kick off their preparations for the upcoming season.
Offensive tackle Dylan Steenbergen, 21, will battle for a roster spot with the Montreal Alouettes, the organization that selected him with the seventh-overall pick in the draft.
James Green, 25, is on a mission to win a job with the Toronto Argonauts, who'll convert their third-round pick from safety to linebacker.
There were three Dinos graduates, including Stamps reserve offensive lineman Tim O'Neill, toiling in the CFL last season.
"It's just like football camp all over again when you're a peewee," Green said.
"You're going out and you've got to make the team. It's like that all over again, just with the addition that you're a professional."
Bonaventura, Steenbergen and Green have each inked entry-level contracts, although they could all return to the University of Calgary for another post-secondary campaign.
Their departure would be a blow to the defending conference champion Dinos, but it would also send a strong message to future recruits.
"The biggest thing, when the guys come here, they want to know whether or not they're going to have a shot, whether they're going to have a chance to make it to the pros," Bonaventura said. "With three guys getting drafted and three guys getting that chance, I think that's just going to pull more people in."
