HIGH ACHIEVERS: Alex La Vecchia hopes B.C. Lions’ training camp experience jump-starts his UBC football career

By Martin Cleary

Ah, the first day of camp. It’s a full blend of anticipation, excitement and nervousness.

Ottawa’s Alex La Vecchia felt some of that earlier this month, when he attended the first week of the CFL’s British Columbia Lions training camp in Kelowna. It was a rather surreal time for the University of British Columbia student-athlete, who will enter his third season as a Thunderbirds quarterback in August.

La Vecchia, who was only introduced to tackle football at age 16 after receiving a medical clearance when a painful nerve problem that lasted 12 years disappeared, was invited to the Lions’ camp as part of the CFL’s quarterback intern program.

Each of the nine CFL teams could bring one university-level quarterback into camp to learn more about the game. The Ottawa Redblacks brought Alex Vreeken of the Queen’s University Gaels to their camp, which was conveniently held in Kingston.

Following the opening morning workout on the field, the players were ready to eat.

“The lunch area was about 10 minutes away. Nathan (Rourke) called me over and said: ‘get in my car,’” the six-foot, three-inch La Vecchia said, recalling that rare moment that served as a real welcome-to-camp-you’re-part-of-the-team gesture. “Five minutes in the car and we talked about football. That helped me.”

Rourke had CFL star status as the Lions’ No. 1 quarterback with NFL experience. He had an outstanding 2022 season, breaking the record for most passing yardage in a single game three times and winning the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian award. In 2023, he signed a futures contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars and later touched base with the New England Patriots, New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons.

He returned to the Lions midway through the 2024 season and signed a three-year contract.

“He’s such a leader and genuinely a good person,” La Vecchia added. “It’s incredible to be around that guy. They (all three quarterbacks) are so knowledgeable. Every hour I was learning something new. I soaked it all in like a sponge.”

For one week, La Vecchia participated in all quarterback drills and assignments with Rourke, Hank Bachmeier and Chase Brice. It was an experience he’ll never forget and will take what he has learned back to his Thunderbirds’ training camp this summer.

“I was told by my head coach (Blake Nill) one month ago (about the invitation to the Lions’ camp). You don’t turn down an opportunity that would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said La Vecchia, who graduated in 2022 from St. Pius X High School, which hasn’t had a senior football program for a number of years.

“It was awesome and great to learn from the coaching staff. Head coach Buck Pierce is great, a real leader of men. I admire his leadership and he has got personality. I talked to him a handful of times.

“The tempo of the game is so much faster and the playbook is huge. They talk about every single possibility. The biggest thing I’ll take away is how quick they (quarterbacks) are in processing the game. It’s crazy to be (part of it), especially when I’ve watched it every week. It’s surreal.”

Everywhere La Vecchia went, it was an enlightening moment as he continued to develop and polish his quarterbacking skills. He joined the UBC Thunderbirds after only two years of tackle football experience with the Bel-Air Norsemen U19 team, but he was impressive in both seasons. He also had one summer season with the Myers Riders and attended one football camp in Florida.

“I felt super comfortable (in the Lions’ camp). The first day or two it took me time to get used to it. I talked to the guys and I was really comfortable,” La Vecchia explained.

“I’ve improved on the mental side of the game. I’ve definitely grown, seeing how the quarterbacks push each other, how hard they (work) on the field and in the meeting room. I’ll be taking that with me back to UBC.

“They are so prepared and always communicating. They work as a strong unit. They are a tight unit, which makes each other better.”

The Lions’ training camp was yet another golden soak-it-all-in-like-a-sponge opportunity for La Vecchia to develop his skills. For the past two seasons with the Thunderbirds, he has been doing exactly that, learning behind talented quarterbacks Garrett Rooker and Derek Engel.

La Vecchia didn’t toss a pass or play a down in his first two seasons, but he’s aiming to change that for the 2025 season.

“The plan was to go to UBC and sit for two years. I was new to the game. I only started in Grade 12,” said La Vecchia, who has learned from Rooker and Engel in games and practices.

But he now feels he’s ready to take what he has learned and bring it onto the field for game situations.

“I’m more than ready. It has all done wonders for my development,” he added confidently. “It has been tough. I’ve wanted to and I’m eager to play, but I knew it wasn’t my time.”

When UBC football training camp starts, La Vecchia will be fully prepared to go head-to-head with Engel, who is expected to return for a fifth season, for the No. 1 quarterbacking assignment.

“We’ll see what happens. I’m not caught up in depth charts,” said La Vecchia, who intends to train with Tony Greco this summer.

When La Vecchia was five years old, he learned he had a painful nerve problem called Vagus. It’s the main nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system and responsible for the regulation of internal organ function such as digestion, heart rate and respiratory rate.

He was unable to play contact sports as he was sensitive to motion and had bouts of nausea.

But when he suddenly grew out of his migraine headaches and sickness at age 16, a door opened that allowed him to play contact sports.

He tried out as quarterback for the Bel-Air Norsemen U19 team, but the coaches were skeptical. When he filled out the registration form, he was asked to state his previous tackle football experience. He wrote he was the quarterback for a flag football team that he and his peers created two years previous.

La Vecchia made an impression in his first year with the Norsemen, but was a dominant player in the fall of 2022, when he threw for more than 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns in eight regular-season and one playoff games. He was named Bel-Air’s offensive MVP.

Those are the type of numbers he would like to revisit when he gets the opportunity to bring his CFL training camp experience and two years on the university sidelines to the Thunderbirds’ 2025 football season.