GRIDIRON: For many athletes representing their country is one of the highest honours and something to aspire to, Queanbeyan man Jason Aslimoski is no different and was "privileged" to get the call up to represent Australia in the 45-man Outback Gridiron squad at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championship.
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The Woden Valley Gladiator left for Canton, Ohio in June, he is currently attending a two-week training camp before competing against ten other teams from across the globe.
"We're looking to be competitive, we will be competitive, but there are so many variables in the game," Aslimoski said.
"Other teams have high quality college players, so the level of competition is high."
This is not the first time Aslimoski has represented Australia, attending the 1999 World Cup in Italy, playing for six years before suffering a knee injury.
Aslimoski also made the ACT Monarchs state side in 2000 and 2014 and played in the Australia v New Zealand clash in 2001.
The 39-year-old offensive tackle returned to the sport in 2010 and said he has trained hard over the past three years to work his way up to national selection once again.
"I feel privileged and excited to be representing my country... it'll be a great experience," Aslimoski said.
"It's a great opportunity to play at Tom Benson stadium as it represents a huge part of American football."
Aslimoski is a Denver Broncos fan, but said he prefers to play.
"It's a sport very specific to ability and physicality, it's a game that accommodates for everyone," he said.