Inside the Helmet: Blue kicker a ‘cartoon guy’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/07/2010 (5892 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A QUICK CHAT WITH:

Bomber placekicker ALEXIS SERNA…

BORN: Feb. 8, 1985 in Upland, Calif.

ALMA MATER: Oregon State

COLLEGE CREDENTIALS: Finished college as the Beavers’ all-time leading scorer with 384 points. Won the Lou Groza Award for the best kicker in college football in 2005.

CFL RESUME: Signed as a free agent in 2008…Went just 34-of-51 in field goals and had a 42.1 yard punting average that year…in 2009, he went 40-of-49 (81.6 per cent), setting a club mark for accuracy…Won special teams player of the week honours in Week 13…Hasn’t missed a convert in two CFL seasons…Longest FG in the CFL is 54 yards.

STATUS: Married to Julie. Cat named Ella; dog named Bear.

YOU WENT 40-of-49 IN FIELD GOALS LAST YEAR, YET SOME PEOPLE ARE ALREADY CALLING FOR YOUR RELEASE THIS SEASON. THIS IS A WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY BUSINESS, ISN’T IT? I look at it this way: Your job is always on the line. Doesn’t matter what you do.

WHAT’S THE NAME OF THE OREGON STATE MASCOT? Benny Beaver.

FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Two and a Half Men

MOST-LISTENED TO ON MY IPOD: Canadian singer, Justin Nozuka.

CURRENT VEHICLE: Nissan Murano.

FAVOURITE MOVIES: Any Toy Story movie, The Replacements, Finding Nemo. I’m a cartoon guy.

BE HONEST. DID YOU CRY DURING TOY STORY 3? (laughs) Um…it was very sad.

WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? Reading two these days. Next Man Up by John Feinstein. It’s about the Baltimore Ravens and life in the NFL. The other one is Gandhi and Churchill (by Arthur Herman).

WORST HABIT: My wife would say that I don’t pick up after myself.

TALENT YOU’D MOST LIKE TO HAVE: I wish I was one of those guys who could play all types of instruments. You put a guitar in their hands and they just start playing. I want to be that guy. Being able to play guitar and sing — that’s what I want to do. I can’t even walk and chew gum.

THREE THINGS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST: Oh man, this is going to be tough. There are too many things. I definitely want to become fluent in Spanish. I can understand it, but I don’t speak it very well. Um…I want to go to all 50 states, just to say that I’ve been to all 50 states. Let’s leave it there.

WHAT DO YOU EAT BEFORE A GAME? Whatever is in front of me.

FAVOURITE TEAM GROWING UP: Dallas Cowboys. My dad is from Texas, so there was little choice.

FAVOURITE ATHLETE AS A KID: Michael Jordan.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Math. I majored in history, though.

MY HERO: My mom, Celia Gonzalez. My parents were separated when I was in the third grade, so she was the rock for us.

FAVOURITE THING TO DO ON AN OFF-DAY: Explore Manitoba. We try to get out and see things. The other day we checked out Gimli, so that was cool. There’s not a lot of time in a season, so I think it’s important to get out and explore.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THE CFL: It’s real laid-back and the people in the league are so nice. It’s funny, you have the same quality of athletes here, but a lot of guys just didn’t get a chance (in the NFL). It’s a great game.

FINALLY, WHERE’S THE TOUGHEST PLACE TO KICK IN CANADA? Look around you…welcome to Winnipeg.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca