Calgary Stampeders player can rejoice now – the two-a-days are over.

After nearly two weeks of training camp, the majority of which featured two sessions every day, the Stamps know that’s all behind them now.

“There is always a pretty good mood when it’s the last day,” said head coach John Hufnagel. “We are trying to focus on the game on Friday night, take some stress off their legs and their bodies.”

Just because two-a-days are over doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing though for the Stamps. Training camp is only half over, with two pre-season games around the corner.

After only seeing his team in a mock game, Hufnagel is excited to see what his players bring on Friday night against the BC Lions.

“You get antsy to see what your guys can do under the lights,” Hufnagel said. “When the gun sounds and the football is a lot faster, can they keep their pace when the play is faster? Can they execute their assignments and adjust in a split second?

“You get an indication during practice, but it’s really during the games when the players come out.”

Enough of the terrible twos

At this point in the calendar in Calgary, days last in excess of 16 hours.

Impressive, but the sun’s got absolutely nothing on Stampeders players, coaches and staff.

During training camp — especially during the dreaded, groan-inducing two-a-day phase — McMahon is already buzzing with activity by 6 a.m. Coaches are huddled in their offices, breaking down film, making notes and adjusting practice scripts.

Equipment staff is carefully laying the gear for the players — and remember that at this stage of camp, there are more than 80 bodies on the roster, which means 80-plus helmets, 80-plus jerseys, 160-plus socks, etc. — while the medical squad is taping ankles and nursing sore joints.

By the time practice gets under way at 9 a.m., Stampeders personnel has already put in three or four hours of toil. And the day is just beginning.

On the field, it’s running, stretching, play execution, one-on-one battles, on-the-spot coaching and adjustments. Except for a few quick gulps of water, it’s a solid two hours of sweat and grind . . . and job hunting.

After head coach and general manager John Hufnagel whistles to signal the end of morning practice, there are media questions for the players and coaches to answer.

Even the players who aren’t requested for interviews stay busy, either with extra work on the field or a quick stop in the weight room to pump iron.

Then it’s lunch time, although the coaches invariably put their food in a to-go container and bring the chow back to their offices for a working lunch. By the time they get to their desk, the video crew — yep, it’s a long day for them, too — has already edited the morning practice film and provided the coaches with the specific clips they want to review.

After lunch, the players have what theoretically is a brief rest period, although many — especially rookies and newcomers — use the time to bury themselves in their playbooks and absorb pages and pages of formations and assignments as well as the corresponding terminology. Lack of due diligence to homework inevitably leads to confusion on the field and the type of mistakes that earn a camper a ticket home.

Then it’s afternoon meetings. After that, with muscles still aching from the morning practice, it’s time to suit up again and return to field for the afternoon practice — that’s the dreaded “two” in two-a-days.

Then, finally, at 6 p.m. and after a two-hour session, players and coaches head off the field. The end of a long day, right? Not so fast. After a supper break, there are more meetings and film review.

By the time it’s all said and done, the sun has started to disappear and it’s only a few hours until they have to get up the next day and do it all over again. In an 11-day span, the Stamps had eight days with two practices. Even the single-practice days are long as all the work set aside on those double-up days must be completed.

Players and coaches with young children can go more than a week without seeing their kids awake as the youngsters are still in bed when dad heads to work in the morning and have already turned in by the time they return some 16, 17 or 18 hours later.

It’s no wonder players break into a grin when someone — as was the case Wednesday at McMahon Stadium — mentions out loud: “Hey, it’s the last of the two-a-days!”

Letters From Camp with Yannick Carter 

In the midst of his seventh CFL training camp, Yannick Carter took time to tell us about meeting his new teammates, how the new CFLPA rules have changed training camp and his eagerness for the pre-season game on Friday.

>> Letters From Camp with Yannick Carter

How does Juwan maintain that beard? 

Last week you saw middle linebacker Juwan Simpson interviewing defensive back Keon Raymond. This week Raymond turns the table as he grabs the mic and quizzes Simpson on his beard, his advice to the rookies and being a new dad. 

>>Video: Keon interviews Juwan

Photo Gallery 

>>Photos from training camp – June 12

Injury Update

Non-import offensive lineman Dan Federkeil and non-import offensive lineman Jon Gott both returned to practice. Non-import defensive back Eric Fraser and non-import receiver Jabari Arthur both missed practice. There were no other developments on the injury front.

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Tomorrow’s Schedule

The Stamps have a walkthrough practice from 10 a.m. to approximately 11:15 a.m.