Mitchell Blair
Many Saskatchewan Roughriders past and present have made Regina their year-round home. However, for one member of the football team, he calls a small town near the capital city home and he makes no apologies for it.
Brendan Labatte makes the daily commute to Mosaic Stadium from Radville—a town with a population of 950, which is located about 130 kilometers south of Regina. His reason for living in the country is quite a simple one.
“I love it out there,” Labatte insists. “My fiancée is from Radville, my dad is from there originally and my grandma is from there. That’s where family is and that’s where home is.”
Some might not want to drive an hour and 20 minutes to and from work every day, but Labatte says it is something that really puts him at peace whether he is headed in or out of the city.
“My days might be longer than some of the others, but I get up an hour earlier and by the time I get here I am fully awake,” Labatte said. “I don’t take the game home with me. I just unwind on the drive whether it be a practice or a game. I use that time home to relax and leave football at the Stadium. It allows me not to dwell on things. I’ll take that 75 minutes to think about my plays and the team’s performance and reflect on a lot, but by the time I get home I can go back to being a dad and a husband.
Being in a small city like Regina, there is a fishbowl mentality with players finding it tough to go out and do things because they are recognized by fans who sometimes want more than just a piece of their time. It could be worse in a town of 950 where everyone knows who you are and sees every move you make on a daily basis. Labatte says the people of the town are very cognizant of who he is, but he adds they are very good in letting him live his life without being bothered.
“If the truth be known, the people are real good to me,” Labatte explained. “It is surprising because I thought I would have to be talking football with people all the time, but when people see me out at the park with my daughter, they give me my space and have been very respectful. They love their football there and they love to talk about the game, but they do let me have my space and I really appreciate that.”
When Labatte started his career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he stayed right in Winnipeg, but he says the fact he is closer to home played a big decision in his factor to live in the country.
“In Winnipeg, I just lived there like anyone else, but when I came back here, I was thinking long-term with my family.” Labatte said. “I do love it down there. It feels like I have a lot of freedom there and as I said, the people are fantastic to me and my family and it really takes off some of the pressure.”
While it’s no problem from training camp to October making the daily 130 kilometer trip back and forth from Regina to Radville, it could become a problem once the weather gets colder and the snow starts to fly meaning possible slippery conditions and highway closures. It begs the question whether or not there is a Plan B if for some reason he can’t make the trip for practice or a game.
“To be honest, I don’t even know if the coaching staff knows where I live.” Labatte says with a laugh. “I haven’t had a problem in showing up on time, but if the weather dictates that I have to get up earlier to get into Regina that’s fine with me. Its only six months of the year that I have to do it, and for five months, the weather is great. I’ll admit if I had to do this all year long I might have second thoughts about living where I am, but I know I’m not the only person working shiftwork in that area and for me, an hour and 10 minutes is a lot closer than it is for others. I’ll gut it out and tough it out when I have to and it’s only for a few weeks if it’s a problem at all.
Labatte has managed not to let his work life interfere with his family life and he feels his daily commute is a big reason for that as he prepares for his day while driving in and clears his mind on his way home by thinking a variety of things. One can’t argue with his train of thought as he has been fantastic since donning Rider green in 2012 so his time behind the wheel can’t be blamed for lackluster play.
Labatte will be thinking about what he has to do to be successful Sunday morning when he leaves Radville and makes the daily trek to Mosaic Stadium as the Riders try and put a two game losing streak behind them when the B.C. Lions visit in a 230 start. Win or lose, Labatte will have an hour and fifteen minutes to think about the 60 minutes he was a participant in so when he walks back in the house he can go from being a protector of Darian Durant to being a father and a husband which is what he wants to be in the peace and quiet of small-town Saskatchewan.
