Japan's Toshi Sato getting a kick out of life in the CFL
Calgary Stampeders kicker/punter Toshi Sato grew up wanting to be a professional soccer player in his home country of Japan.
But when he realized he wasn't good enough, Sato turned to a sport that wasn't very big in his country -- he decided he wanted to take a crack at football.
"I wanted to start something new and my high school had a good football team. So I joined there to be a national champion," Sato said.
Even though football isn't a big sport in Japan, Sato fell in love with the game as soon as he put the pads on.
He started out playing quarterback but says he then had to switch to kicking.
SWITCHED TO KICKING
"First, I broke my knee and after that, I broke my shoulder," Sato said.
"The doctor told me, 'You cannot come back to the field during your high school career,' so I started kicking because I used to play soccer."
Sato made an impression right off the bat.
He says in his first game, he kicked a 52-yard field goal.
DRAFTED BY ARGOS
In 2021, Sato was selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL global draft.
He ended up getting into one game in 2021 as the Argos' kicker.
This off-season, he signed with the Stampeders.
Sato is here as a punter and kicker and is playing behind two of the league's best in Cody Grace and Rene Paredes.
Paredes says he's there to help if Sato asks.
"You know, if they ask questions, I help out," Paredes said.
"He's been in the CFL for a couple of years, so he knows how the league works. He hasn't asked much about that but he does ask how we work around here and how we do it.
"I think he's had a great camp and is a great kicker."
GOOD CAMP SO FAR
Head coach and GM Dave Dickenson says he likes the fact Sato is both a kicker and a punter.
He says that may work in Sato's favour when it comes to earning a job.
"Yeah, I think he's made an impression. I mean, even in our red-and-white game, he made a 55-yarder," Dickenson said.
"He's pushing but obviously, he knows Rene is going to be our guy. But I’d like to think I can keep another kicker here and a guy that can kick and punt has value."
LOFTY GOALS
Sato's goal is to make the Stampeders but beyond that, the 29-year-old says he wants to one day play south of the border.
"My goal is the NFL but right now, I'm focused on the CFL," he said.
"I'm really focused on the Stampeders and I want to be a starter here. That's my goal now."
Sato is the first player from Japan to sign with the Stampeders.
He holds the record for the longest field goal in Japan.
Sato says he split the uprights from 58 yards out.
Sato and the Stampeders close out the pre-season on Thursday night when they travel to Vancouver to play the Lions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.