SASKATOON — Ryan Berta was just a wee lad when he was introduced to “Oskee Wee Wee!” — the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ traditional cheer.
But long-standing allegiances to his hometown’s CFL team were instantaneously, unreservedly dissolved early in the morning of May 1, when he received a call from, and soon signed with, the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“I am now coming over to Saskatchewan and the Green and White,” the personable offensive lineman declared on Friday, after the Roughriders’ third and final session of rookie camp at Griffiths Stadium.
“It’s an amazing opportunity, especially being from Canada. I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario and the CFL has been a huge part of my life. I’ve always followed the CFL and watched the games religiously.
“Being a part of it is something special to me.”
The 6-foot-3, 302-pound Berta, a member of the Queen’s Gaels from 2019 to 2023, turned heads at the CFL Combine this past March by leading all participants in the bench press — with 30 reps of 225 pounds.
“I was actually hoping to get a little more,” said Berta, whose personal best is an astonishing 38 reps, “but I honestly want to shout that out to my genetics.
“Even my brother, who is a smaller guy, has a wide base like me. Coming out of high school. I think I was able to do 315 (pounds) for six (repetitions), so that was a good starting point.”
The number 315 is, dare we say, a benchmark — a weight that, if hoisted in the bench press, is indicative of supreme strength.
“I’ll shout that out to hockey as well,” Berta added. “The development of hockey, especially in Ontario and in Canada, is huge. Becoming more athletic in any sport will translate to another sport.”
As a hockey player, Berta was rather formidable.
“It was hilarious,” he recalled. “People would try to hit me and just bounce off me. It was like that for a number of years. Basically the whole time I played hockey, I was always the biggest guy out there.
“I was a winger. I was always one of the fastest skaters, too. I probably displayed my game like Dave Andreychuk, just sitting in front of the net and getting garbage goals, but they were good goals.”
Considering that the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Andreychuk scored 640 NHL regular-season goals, did Berta ever aspire to a big-league hockey career?
“In your first sport or whatever your parents put you into, you’re always reaching for the stars,” he said. “Honestly, the NHL probably was a goal for me at one point. But, as I got older and I got heavier, it probably shifted towards football, which was great.
“Also, a shout-out to the HMFA (Hamilton Minor Football Association) and Jim Gamble. Having house-league football is a huge instrument in developing football players.”
Berta, who began playing football in Grade 6, was initially a tight end — and a talented one at that.
“I still remember a championship game in the HMFA,” he reflected. “I got an 80-yard pass and just turned the burners on — I didn’t gain a lot of the weight until later — and it was the game-winning touchdown.
“It was awesome. I still remember it today, so that’s how you know it’s awesome.”
As time went on, though, Berta’s body type morphed into that of a quintessential interior lineman.
“Going into high school, my one friend was a guard and another friend was a tackle and I was the centre,” he said. “They were just very instrumental in creating me as an offensive lineman.
“It just involves a lot of McDonald’s trips and a lot of dinners at a lot of my friends’ houses. Usually, doubling up on dinner does that to you for a couple of years.
“You get a license to be big and I do appreciate that. But you’ve still got to make sure you get the nutrients to stay healthy and work out, which is huge.”
The power of the mind is also important, as Berta can attest.
Despite being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder as a youngster, he was an exemplary student.
“ADD is honestly a superpower,” Berta said. “Yeah, you have squirrel-like looking-around, but you’re also able to have a hyper-focus on things that matter to you. You’ve got to create things that matter to you and then you have a better sense of focus on that.
“I find that really helped me, especially in school. I’m a big history guy, so if I’m given a history topic, I can learn it and have it stick to me. I’m sure it relates to football and anything like that, so that’s good.”
That’s also an inspiring message to others who may face learning challenges.
“I would just say, ‘Stick to it,’ ” Berta advised. “Don’t ever have an excuse. Don’t ever let anything pull you down. Keep pushing and keep seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, because it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. You’ve just got to keep chasing it.”
Just like he is chasing a CFL dream after signing with the Roughriders as an undrafted free agent.
“I think the Draft ended at 11 p.m., and I got the call from the Roughriders at 6:30 the next morning,” Berta said. “I woke up to the call, basically.
“I was super-excited. My girlfriend was super-excited. It was amazing. I let my family know and everyone was really supportive.
“They were just pushing me to do my best and I was just trying to put myself in the best spot to come out here and compete.
“So far, the atmosphere here has been absolutely amazing.”
