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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.