Feature story on UH QB commit Cayman Shutter

SP = The StarPhoenix

SP Note: "Cayman Shutter -- a Green-Card carrying Saskatchewan Roughriders fan who passed for 400 yards to lead the Punahou School to the Hawaii state championship earlier this month -- played his minor football in Regina before moving to Honolulu at age 10."

About how he struggled with kicking even though his first coach was former Riders' kicker Dave Ridgeway, Shutter said:
"We had punt, pass and kick competitions and I didn't do too well at that." (SP)

SP Note: "A number of Shutter's relatives remain in Saskatchewan, residing in Regina, Saskatoon and Kenosee. Shutter shudders to think of the minus-40 weather he left behind."

About the cold weather they had in Canada, Shutter said:
"Actually my dad (Darryl) and I were sort of talking that we forget what it's like to be really cold." (SP)

About how he listens to Riders games on the radio via the Internet, Shutter said:
"For a while there, we could get it on satellite TV until the CFL (Canadian Football League) made a new deal (to broadcast all games on TSN). We were pretty disappointed. Last year, we were following the Grey Cup run pretty hard." (SP)

SP Note: "The 2008 season was his 10th at quarterback. Last June, the pro-style passer won the QB MVP award at the Nike invitation-only camp in Oregon. He was one of four platoon leaders at the EASports Elite 11 camp."

About the possibility of NFL and CFL in his future, Shutter said:
"NFL is, like, a lofty goal for me. It's my dream and it's always been there. A lot of people here don't really know about the CFL. They think playing in the Arena League is a better choice for them, but I would say, that, right next to the NFL, is coming back home and playing. I'm definitely more of a pocket guy (rather than a scrambling QB), but I definitely wouldn't mind having that wide-open game that the CFL plays, unlimited motion and all that kind of stuff. Hey, if I'm going to be on a CFL team, I'd like it to be the Riders." (SP)

About how Canadian kids don't get the same opportunities to advance in football as kids in the US, Shutter said:
"I don't think I noticed (the difference of calibre) then (at age 10), but, just because it's so big here that it kind of gets more serious as you go. When I started playing for my school, it got more and intense. Obviously, you practice year-round here, so that's a big advantage. That definitely made a difference in my skill, timing and everything like that." (SP)

Asked how his family moved from Saskatchewan to Hawaii, Shutter said:
"My grandma had U.S. citizenship, so my parents decided to apply for a green card when I was younge. I guess, if you're going to make the jump from Regina to the United States, (Hawaii) is probably a good place to go. When my mom (Maureen) first got here, she took classes at UH (University of Hawaii) to get her PhD. The job she's working at now is at my school in communications. My dad does regulatory work for the state as a health planner." (SP)

About how he hasn't been able to go back to Saskatchewan for four years because of football camps each summer, Shutter said:
"I was hoping to come back this summer and see everybody. All my cousins are anxious to get me back home and I've been anxious to get back home." (SP)

SP Note: "Both sets of grandparents and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins still live in Saskatchewan. Although both sides of the family are big Roughrider fans, his MacLeod grandparents, Amber and Ken, were Rider season ticket holders for more than 40 years. Grandma Amber MacLeod is a former Rider director and, as a volunteer, published two Rider cookbooks and organized the Meet the Players days for more than a decade. Dennis and Monica Shutter are his paternal grandparents."

About how his family members are big Riders fans, Shutter said:
"My cousins and family usually go to the games and my grandpa calls me after every game and tells me how it went and gives me a pretty good update of it and a pretty good picture of what happened. Back when I was a little kid, I always liked Don Narcisse. He was my favourite player. There was that catch streak he had going and he had all those funds for every catch he had (SaskEnergy Catch for Kids) that he'd give to charity." (SP)

About about his favorite all-time Rider QB, Shutter said:
"We haven't had one stay for a while since I was born, but I guess it would be Henry Burris. He's been the best since I've been little." (SP)

About winning the Hawaii state championship, Shutter said:
"It was unbelievable. It was the first in our school's history. We've always had a pretty good athletic tradition here, but to be the first in anything here is pretty amazing, especially a football state championship -- I think that's the last one the school needed because we've won in everything else. Again, it couldn't have gone any better. When I first moved here, I kind of set goals for myself and those were the two cornerstones of my goal. To have both come true is good for me and now I've got to kind of re-set and look ahead and start making more goals." (SP)

About how he is named after the Cayman Islands and Cayman means "little alligator", Mareen Amber MacLeod added:
"his early football goals included playing in college for the Florida Gators." (SP)

About how his parents thought he should play for Florida, Shutter said:
"That's where my mom and dad thought I should go. They thought the writers would have fun with that one." (SP)

About what he wants for Christmas, Shutter said:
"I thought a good gift for me would be a state championship ring for me." (SP)