Christian Covington (VC'11)

photo source: Surrey Now-Leader (Tom Zillich)

Christian Covington (VC'11), Defensive Tackle for the Dallas Cowboys and a former Houston Texan, shares his VC story. 

How did VC help or influence who you are today such as in your career, life, spiritual and community involvement?

Being able to attend a school such as Vancouver College opened up so many opportunities that would soon follow my high school years. But it truly gave me the opportunity to grow from a young boy to a young man at an exponential rate. One could only grow having attended the same school for 13 years straight, but only at VC are you able to grow in all areas to better prepare yourself for life after high school. VC, as well as my parents, helped me set a standard to be able to strive for excellence in all areas of life. Whether it was my spiritual walk with Christ, my moral compass to embrace worldly situations and environments, the education and maturity to be able to handle what college would bring, or the grit and determination to handle any obstacle thrown my way on the football field, all said things were developed and crafted at VC and could truly only be done at a school like Vancouver College. 
 

What was your fondest memory or experience at VC?
My fondest memory of VC had to be Encounter. Growing up in the VC community and being a 13 year man led to many conversations about what Encounter was like and how almost everybody goes. It was an experience I waited to attend for 13 years and was so thrilled to do so my senior year. To be with so many friends and classmates together, bonding through fellowship, and growing spiritually, was a time like no other at VC. Oh yes, and a little something called the 2010 Football Provincial Title, almost slipped my mind.

 

Who or what was your biggest influence during your time at VC?

Football was my biggest influence while at VC. It’s been a part of my life since my childhood and still is to this day. I still remember the days in elementary school when I was the water boy and ball boy looking up to the Varsity team and hoping and wishing I could be like the upperclassmen one day. Football itself brings on many skills that one can take and develop in order to better themselves for the future. It is a beautiful game with so many benefits besides the physical attributes. The brotherhood built, the family atmosphere, developing leadership skills, learning how to rise above challenges, the sense of perseverance you must learn, a “won’t quit” attitude, all of these are just a few examples of what playing football can do and has done for me. But to experience all of these attributes at the same school in the same program was something beyond amazing; more so life changing. Growing up in the football family, seeing the ups and downs of a program, experiencing many wins, suffering heartfelt defeats, and accomplishing a championship as a team my senior year when so many brothers I grew up watching at VC couldn’t do the same, you can’t make this up. What a crazy yet amazing ride it was.