JORDAN HERDMAN

My fitness journey started at a very young age. I can remember my father taking my twin brother and me through football drills as early as 3 years old. As a kid, I didn’t completely understand what I was doing—I was just having fun—but little did I know I was building a foundation that would help me later in my life.

The first time I put on shoulder pads and a helmet, I was 10. I remember getting my first tackle, hitting the ball carrier with all my strength and tackling him to the ground, and feeling the joy and excitement. It was at that moment I fell in love with the game and knew I was going to be a pro football player when I got older.

However, as I continued playing through high school and college, I realized how many obstacles I had to overcome to reach my dream. Less than 1% of football players make it to the professional level, and keep in mind, I was never the biggest, the strongest, or even the fastest player. The odds were definitely against me. Because of this, football taught me many life lessons: how to be resilient and that you’re going to get knocked down—just like a tackle in football—but you can’t give up. You must will yourself back up, knock the dust off, and get ready for the next play.

I was even told many times I could never be a pro football player because I was too small or too slow. However, I learned that the same people who said those things didn’t measure my heart and how hard I worked. So I didn’t worry about the negative comments but instead believed in myself and put in the effort and stayed persistent. Now that I’ve been a pro football player in the Canadian Football League since 2017, I can say: “Don’t ever give up or let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your dream—no matter how hard it might seem.”

When I’m not playing football, I speak with at-risk youth about what I’ve learned, such as making good choices, setting goals, and staying active through playing sports. I’m also a personal trainer in my spare time for my business “The Kings of Hustle,” which helps young football players reach their football aspirations—just like I did.

DK
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