Most players haven\'t exactly had an easy path to the China Arena Football League. But for Beijing Lions rookie Bryce Gauw, the path has taken him thousands of miles from home, to the land of his origin.

　　Background

　　Bryce is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The 22 year-old has always been a football fan, but if you ask Bryce who inspired him to play football, he would tell you it was Norman Lim Kwon, a figure from a long way back in the past.

　　Norman Kwon was the first player of Chinese descent to ever play at any level of professional football. He did not fit the mold of a typical football player, as he stood just 5\'7", but nonetheless was a formidable running back. From 1948-1960, Kwon played in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos, winning 4 Grey Cup championships, and setting numerous rushing records along the way.

　　Inspired by Kwon, Bryce joined the football team at his school, école Secondaire Dalbé-Viau, at the age of 13.

　　Beginnings of a Football Career

　　If Norm Kwon first inspired Bryce to play football, then this is the coach who really became like another teacher to Bryce. At Dalbé-Viau, Bryce also played table tennis, and his commitment to it almost caused him to drop football. Everything changed when he entered Ross Sheppard High School however, and met Coach Colin Hackett.

　　Hackett\'s genuine nature as a coach led Bryce to consider quitting table tennis instead. But Bryce was afraid that his father would not agree with his choice to focus solely on football, and cover the costs needed to play. When Coach Hackett got wind of Bryce\'s predicament, he offered to coach Bryce one-on-one instead, completely free of charge. Touched by this gesture, Bryce decided to go full steam ahead in pursuit of becoming a better football player.

　　In the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Bryce played for the Sherwood Park Wolverines and Edmonton Seahawks youth football programs. He then transferred to Archbishop O’Leary High School, where he led the special teams unit, and also led the team in sacks.

　　For his outstanding performances on the field, Bryce was selected to represent Archbishop O’Leary High at the Alberta Senior Bowl.

　　CAFL - A Goal

　　With hopes of furthering his football dream, Bryce attended the Canadian Junior Football League Spring Camp after graduating high school, andwas selected by the Edmonton Huskies, but eventually signed with the Edmonton Wildcats.

　　During a practice in 2015 however, Bryce suffered a serious setback, tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). His serious injury put his dream of participating in the 2016 CAFL season on hold, as he could not train for the 2016 CAFL Combine.

　　The tough times continued for Bryce, as his mentor Coach Hackett passed away from cancer. But instead of losing hope, Bryce used his misfortune as further motivation, undergoing intense rehabilitation and constant workouts to get back to the level of play he knew he was capable of. On May 7th of this year, Bryce traveled to Shanghai, and participated in the CAFL Combine, one year later than he had originally planned to.

　　By his own assessment, Bryce did not perform up to his potential on that day. Nevertheless, the Beijing Lions selected him in the 4th round of this past summer\'s CAFL Draft. To further prepare himself for playing in the CAFL, Bryce let go of his Canadian football dreams, switching his CJFL allegiances and temporarily moving to China to play for the Hong Kong Warhawks of the American Football League of China (AFLC), as a way to warm-up to playing in the CAFL.

　　Bryce Gauw - Football Player, Traveler

　　Bryce strives to be a playmaker on the field, but very much enjoys traveling when off the field. His first stop upon arriving in China was his mother\'s hometown of Meizhou, Guangdong.

　　Some of his favorite travel memories have come from visits to Hong Kong, Las Vegas, and the Great Wall.

　　But when asked about where his favorite place to travel to is, Bryce answers with his own hometown, Edmonton.

　　I was born and raised in Edmonton, so not much more needs to be said about that. The city\'s numerous festivals and holidays are another reason I love it there.

　　Edmonton\'s Heritage Festival: A day to celebrate Canada\'s diversity in racial and ethnic background, full of performances and great food.

　　Edmonton International Street Performers Festival: From music to martial arts, this holiday and festival features over 1500 different types of street performances

　　“Edmonton not only has great festivals, but also great sports teams. We\'ve got the NHL\'s Edmonton Oilers and the CFL\'s Edmonton Eskimos. ” Bryce says, “I still like going out in the middle of the winter, throwing on a thick coat, and traveling with my whole family.”

　　Travel is a way of releasing stress, and is also a way of experiencing new cultures and environments. When I see how other people live, that gives me the ability to be more thankful for how I live.

　　"I\'m focusing right now on doing the best I can in the AFLC, because that will prepare me well for the rigors of playing in the CAFL."