By Jadon Frank

When Briercrest hockey coach Dalton Stoltz took control of the team less than a month before the beginning of the school year he knew that he would need to look internal within the institution to find current students who could transition into student-athletes. Caleb Washington answered the call and has performed admirably.

“Wash has steadily improved since joining Briercrest hockey,” coach Stoltz explained. “His work ethic and buying into team play has made him a valuable asset on our penalty kill. I look forward to how Caleb can progress as a Briercrest hockey player.”

The 5’ 10” forward sees his biggest strengths originating internally.

“Total loyalty, and through that a strength of perseverance and heart is created,” Washington said. “That applies to my strength as a person and what I bring to the team. The best advice I have ever received is that there is only one day like today, so push your hardest, live it to the fullest, and give thanks to the Lord for it.”

The Calgary native came to Briercrest for a number of reasons.

“Honestly, I believe the Lord called me,” Washington said. “I came to Briercrest to escape and play at a higher level of competitive hockey than I have ever played, while developing my character with Christ. Briercrest offered me an opportunity to accomplish all three desires.”

The experience has been a special one for Washington, who cites the biblical Caleb as someone he would like to spend a day with.

“What differentiates my team from others is the good-natured brotherhood and companionship that surrounds us,” the Washington Capitals fan said. “It’s a feeling few guys can say they find on a hockey team.”

The Business student has simple, but strong goals for his time in Caronport.

“As a student my goal is to succeed in passing all my courses while keeping a consistent GPA of 3.0,” Washington said. “As an athlete my goals are simple and few: to commit to the team and offer my abilities to the areas they best fit. Be a single unit that does its part in the building of the whole.”

“Long-term I would take my business knowledge and ability into the economy and find a job as a business manager or owner,” the Alexander Ovechkin fan continued. “I want to become a successful business owner who leads with example and spirit. And if money wasn’t an option I would travel throughout different areas of the world.”

Washington acknowledges his mother as the person who has had the greatest influence on his life.

“My mother, Tina Washington, has had the greatest influence on my life because she has served as the greatest example of patience, faith, forgiveness, and servitude,” Washington explained. “She was also a driving force in my coming to Briercrest and I wouldn’t be where I’m at without her. Thanks Mom.”

The way that this Briercrest forward approaches hockey and life can be summed up in his favourite quote, by Aristotle.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”