He restlessly taps his fingers on the steering wheel as the car in front creeps ahead only inches and fiashes its brake lights. Stop, creep, stop, creep. The traffic jam, annoying to some, but excruciating torture to those like him who thrive on constant motion; destination, ahead. For Dinosaurs Football wide receiver Hughes Audet, avoiding congestion is as much a daily goal as an on-field one.
After catching the pass, one must set their eyes on the end zone and go, the straighter the better. So unexpected detours, such as being sidelined with a sprained ankle this past weekend while his team played the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in Saskatoon, have the same appeal as chewing on tin foil to the Bishop Carrol graduate. Carrol-isn’t that the school where you work at your own pace? Methinks it is.
You might ask yourself how such a person as the ever-oscillating Audet could sit still through a lecture listening patiently to the monotone drone of a bored prof, jotting down the odd note, without rapping a dent in the desk with his pen or pulling his hair out. Well, he does what many others do in the same scenario-he doodles. The only difference; Audet’s scrawlings won’t see him scrubbing the desk with Comet under the supervision of a pissed off janitor because not only are his works done on paper, they’re good, as well as pivotal to completing his Fine Arts degree in drawing this year.
Hoping to land a job as an illustrator in commercial advertising, the Quebec City native who came to Calgary in 1981 realizes the delicate balance between art and the business world.
"A lot of young artists try to find new ways of looking at things and expressing what they want to say. There’s some weird stuff coming out… from people trying to push the boundaries," says the conservative Audet voicing the tradeoff with taste and income. "Practicing artists are going to have to find some middle ground if they want to eat!"
Rightfully concerned with his future paycheques, he seems unconcerned whether they have a Canadian Football League team’s insignia in the corner as he downplays football’s role in his plans.
"I’m not really holding my breath for the CFL. Football has been
something I liked doing while in school."
And that’s just what he’ll be doing this coming Saturday if his ankle allows, as the Dinos take on the Univeristy of Alberta Golden Bears at McMahon Stadium in their bid to clinch a play-off spot. That spot also hinges on the winner of U of S vs. the University of British Columbia in Vancouver this weekend, since last week’s 1411 loss to U of S dashed the Dinos’ right to host the Western Final as firstplace clinchers. Recap: losing to Edmonton, bad. U of S beating ubc good as U of S will have clinched first place and the Dinos are ahead of ubc in point differential. All right? All right. It all hinges on beating U of A Saturday.
Such is the division in which they play-a sultry mistress. Just as quick to sweeten loss with a victory as to sour a win with defeat. Another great game looms with the season approaching an exciting finale which, if Audet has his way, won’t come to a screeching halt. A game I’d rather witness than have to read about in the paper the next day. How ’bout choo? Saturday, McMahon
Stadium, 1:30 p.m.: beer, yummy food, me.