For the first installment of Huskie How-To, the Sheaf caught up with Huskies football field goal kicker, Sean Stenger.

For those who watch the Huskies — or any football on TV, for that matter — it may seem like kicking is the simplest job. I mean, they make it look so easy, just kicking a ball every now and then. How hard can it really be? Well, as it turns out, it’s not easy at all.

Stenger put me through the paces as we lined up our field goal attempts from the 35-yard line, on the right hashmark. Since I had never attempted to kick a field goal before, Stenger coached me to the best of his ability.

“First, you put the tee down, line it up roughly with the middle of the uprights accounting for any wind. Take three steps back from the tee and two to the left [assuming you’re right-footed]. From there you want to focus on a nice smooth swing, kind of like golf. You don’t want to try and overswing or you’ll typically lose accuracy,” Stenger said. “You want to keep your head down while you swing and have a nice follow through and that’s usually what leads to putting it right through the uprights.”

Easier said than done. None of my kicks even made it to the posts and I managed to pull my groin in the process. Stenger meanwhile, connected on two of his three attempts, easily clearing the bar and sailing it into the back of the endzone.

“I played soccer my whole childhood and then I played Kinsmen football and I kicked there as well. From there I kicked in high school and I played Team Sask. It was under-17 and we went to nationals in Nova Scotia. It was a really good experience, we ended up winning and we’re one of two Saskatchewan teams to ever win,” he said. “I ended up getting special teams player of the tournament so that was probably the highlight of my career so far.”

While my lack of leg strength was apparent, kickers don’t have the same problem and Stenger definitely fits into that category.

“I also won the skills competition [at nationals] with a 52-yard field goal… Just goofing around out here I’ve hit a 62-yarder. In game, though, I think 44-yards or something.”

While kicking may seem easy with practice, it’s easily one of the most pressure-packed positions in all of sports. With games sometimes being decided on a last second field-goal, dealing with the pressure is an important part of the job.

“In a game, I often take a deep breath once I’m lined up and taken my steps, I take a deep breath and try and relax. If you’re on the road you always have people yelling at you or whatever, but you just block that out and focus on the ball that’s going to get snapped and pinned. I wouldn’t say I let it get to me too much,” Stenger said. “You always enjoy the pressure if you make it, but if you don’t make it you never enjoy it. So it’s either you’re the hero or the goat.”

Huskie How-To will be a recurring series throughout the year as Huskies athletes teach our sports editor Austin Arvay basic skills in their respective sports. If you want to see Austin learn a Huskies skill, email your suggestions to sports@thesheaf.com.

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Photos: Caitlin Taylor/Photo Editor