The days of playing flag football as a 10-year-old are long past for Toryn Swystun-Bernes. After completing an award-winning season with the Martensville Royals, Swystun-Bernes has been scooped up by the Regina Rams.
“Being signed by the Rams was an unreal experience, for sure,” said Swystun-Bernes. “From the start I guess it was all about how I would fit into their football family.”
Several other teams across Canada and a few from the US were talking to him. But Swystun-Bernes opted to stay loyal to the first team to approach him.
Training with the Rams starts this month and spring training camp will likely be held in April or May. Swystun-Bernes will move down to Regina around early August. The season launches with the start of classes at the University of Regina.
Swystun-Bernes is keen to begin the new chapter. “I cannot wait. I’ve been waiting 18 years to get my life started and it’s coming soon!”
First, he has to graduate from high school. Swystun-Bernes spent time during the holidays working out and doing schoolwork.
“It’s definitely a lot of things to do at once but it’s all worth it,” he said.
He’ll begin working on a business degree when he hits university next fall.
The young athlete went out on a high note with the Martensville Royals by snagging the Defensive Player of the Year award.
“It was quite a season with the Martensville Royals. We had a pretty good team this year with great success just playing the game,” Swystun-Bernes said. The Royals won the provincial nine-man high school football championship last November.
Due to COVID-19, the Royals football roster was cut in half for the past couple of years. Some players ended up playing more than one position.
“I was playing both offence and defence, always trying to get those extra few yards and trying to be as aggressive as possible.”
Experience playing other positions can make a player a bit dangerous to the other side.
“It adds a bit of an advantage because you know what the other players are going to do; like if they’re going to run a certain way because of how their feet are positioned,” he said.
However, it can also be pretty taxing.
Swystun-Bernes is ready to start playing only the D-line for the Rams and focus on improving in that position.
Swystun-Bernes started playing football in grade 6. “I was sort of always that bigger kid, so when it came down to sports it was like, I’m a little too rough to play basketball and I’m a little too rough to play soccer. So, my mom put me in football, and I just grew to love it.”
At 6’3” and 250 pounds Swystun-Bernes is a bit shorter than most lineman at the university level, he said. “But I’m already at the same weight as some of the best in the country and definitely have the skill level to do something with it, so coaches came to me and thought I was a good pick.”
Besides putting in a lot of blood sweat and tears, Swystun-Bernes credits his mom and his coaches for helping him reach this level.
“My mom helped me a lot with traveling and expenses and my coaches were a huge help, always encouraging me to get better and be the best.”
Swystun-Bernes expects to build strong bonds, a new sense of family and unified purpose with the Rams like he had with the Royals.
“I’d love to help the Rams start a new winning streak,” he said.
No doubt he’ll bring that same drive, intensity and physicality to his new team while continuing to nurture big dreams.