Castillo knows importance of balance

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This article was published 27/05/2024 (531 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

You can take a lot away from watching Sergio Castillo drill field goal after field goal.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker, like most players in his position, is strict when it comes to the fine details. He’s all about positioning and finding the right angles, ensuring his kicking motion is the perfect swing, as if he’s fine-tuning his golf shot.

Take a moment to speak with the man, and his open-book approach to life isn’t only refreshing, it’s a sign of someone who has never taken his opportunities for granted and appreciates everything he has. A big reason for why he’s been able to play professional football for the last decade and enjoy the life the sport has afforded him, is because of the sacrifices made by those closest to him.

People such as his wife, Adriana Cavazos-Loya, who has been there through the inevitable ups and downs, through thick and thin. When Castillo got word her grandmother had died the first week of training camp, he knew he needed to be home in Texas.

“To be there for my wife, it was big, because she’s been there for me when I didn’t have anything going on, in terms of football, where I was just unstable with kicking jobs and had to do a lot of substitute teaching,” Castillo said following a workout at Princess Auto Stadium Monday. “She was like, ‘Sergio, you focus on you, and I’ll help out anyway I can.’ So, for me to be back there for her — and, obviously, for the whole family — it was a must. I am very appreciative of the team for giving me the time to go back.”

Castillo was on a plane shortly after going two-for-two, including a 53-yard field goal, in a preseason opening loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on May 20. He missed a few days of camp, with the Bombers adding him to the suspended list while he handled the situation back home.

Castillo said the time away gave him a chance to reflect on things, take stock of what was happening around him and where he is in life. At 33, he’s in the back half of his career, so there was the feeling of football mattering both more and less, depending on what he’s talking about.

“To be there for my wife, it was big, because she’s been there for me when I didn’t have anything going on, in terms of football, where I was just unstable with kicking jobs and had to do a lot of substitute teaching.”– Sergio Castillo

“When you’re in your 20s, you’re just trying to make something of yourself and then you get to your 30s and it’s just like, man, my mom’s getting older, my grandma’s getting older and then you start experiencing deaths in the family,” Castillo said. “It’s just unfortunate. It was almost exactly two years to the day that her father passed away, too.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has spent the last 10 years building a culture in Winnipeg that preaches respect for one another, as if they are one large family. It came as no surprise when Castillo was told of the death in the family, he had his coach’s full support.

“I’ve never tried to figure out why it’s important. It’s just the way it is, which it should be,” O’Shea said. “We’re all human. Life continues every single day. We talk about this often, no matter how much we want to stay in this little bubble, outside the walls, life’s going on — without us, unfortunately, sometimes.”

Castillo noted he often shows up to camp with a chip on his shoulder, usually over a team that had cut him or wasn’t willing to pay him his worth. He’s got no beef heading into this season, having signed an extension with Winnipeg relatively early in the off-season and there’s no competition to take his job.

He has always been a strong communicator, this season he wants to be a better leader for his team. With no score to settle this camp, Castillo is finding different ways to be a leader by helping out some of the younger, less experienced players.

“I’m 33 years old, I’m not the 21- or 22-year-old anymore and there’s all these guys asking me questions,” he said. “So, I feel like this year, for me, this training camp is taking that role and just helping out as much as I can to the young guys coming up. Because I remember when I was coming up, I was always asking (former Bombers kicker Justin) Medlock questions.”

“I’m 33 years old, I’m not the 21- or 22-year-old anymore and there’s all these guys asking me questions. So, I feel like this year, for me, this training camp is taking that role and just helping out as much as I can to the young guys coming up.”– Sergio Castillo

His advice? Find something you love outside of football.

“Keep it simple. I remember I would get too much in my head; I overthink a lot. When you’re out of the building, try to find something other than football,” he said. “For me, the past couple of years it’s been golf, it’s been photography or just going to any other sporting event. Just get your mind off it, because if we just surround our lives with our job, job, job, it can drive you nuts. I experienced that back in 2021, when I was with the New York Jets. I was in way over my head. So, try and find an outlet.”

Castillo doesn’t have any rookie kickers or punters to talk to, so his advice is often for guys fighting for spots on offence or defence. If he finds himself in the sauna or in the hot tub, if the moment is right, he’ll start asking players about their families or what their passions and hobbies are.

“It kind of throws some guys off maybe because I don’t do much. I just kick a ball, but the offence and defence, they’re constantly talking about, ‘Hey, we do this. We do that,’” he said. “That’s how you build relationships, and that’s one thing that I’ve learned throughout my years of being a pro. You get to know someone, you find out someone like (punter) Jamieson Sheahan isn’t just kicking for himself, he’s kicking for his wife, too. If we’re in a constant phase of growing, getting to know each other, and challenging each other — mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally — that’s when good things happen.”

As for the season, Castillo is taking the same approach he’s had for years. He wants to continue to earn the trust of his coaches, to be relied on to make big plays at big moments. The Bombers are favoured to return to a fifth consecutive Grey Cup, after winning two, followed by losses in the last two championship games.

Castillo, still in his reflective mode, has another thing he’d like to collect this year outside of wins on the field.

“Making memories,” he said. “Because 10 years ago I was starting out myself, and it’s just crazy how I’m already over here, more in the second half of my career than beginning. I’m just glad to be here on the field. It’s just having that appreciation, never taking things for granted.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton