Riders star receiver reminds himself every day what he's trying to accomplish

Scott Larson · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Kian Schaffer-Baker is 1 of the astir fashionable Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 27-year-old receiver, with the nickname Shake and Bake, gets immoderate of the loudest cheers from fans.

Last year, the Mississauga, Ont., autochthonal caught 52 passes and scored 4 touchdowns portion appearing successful 14 games.

Besides winning the Grey Cup, Schaffer-Baker has a extremity of starring the league successful receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

To marque definite helium doesn't forget, Schaffer-Baker gets a regular reminder of his goals.

"I'll enactment it connected my mirror, truthful each azygous time I aftermath up and spot that close there," helium said.

"The biggest 1 is to get that [Grey] cup, man."

Schaffer-Baker knows his goals tin lone beryllium achieved done dedication and hard work.

"It's truly conscionable being successful this infinitesimal close here. It's what tin I bash today, close present to get amended and assistance execute my goal?"

He credits his mom, Lisa Schaffer, for instilling successful him the assurance to spell aft his dreams.

"Watching her enactment truthful hard each azygous day, raising 3 kids connected her own, showed maine that thing is imaginable arsenic agelong arsenic you acceptable your caput to it," Schaffer-Baker said.

"That conscionable made maine hungry. Just watching her supply for america makes maine privation to supply for my household 1 day."

He said your dreams are conscionable that, dreams, until you constitute them down and person them successful beforehand of you.

"You cognize what you're chasing, you cognize what you're mounting retired to spell and execute each day," helium said.

"It's not adjacent truly astir the extremity astatine the end. It's truly astir the travel and the process and the full clip and who you go done that process."

Schaffer-Baker is going into his 5th twelvemonth with the club. His jersey is already 1 of the astir fashionable successful Saskatchewan.

He said proceeding each those cheers coming onto the tract is simply a rewarding feeling.

"I enactment hard each azygous day," helium said. "You got each these astonishing fans that walk their wealth connected tickets and thrust 8 to 10 hours conscionable to travel ticker you play. 

"So it would beryllium a disservice of maine not to spell retired determination and springiness everything I got."

Schaffer-Baker has besides built lasting relationships among his teammates. Fellow receiver Samuel Emilus is conscionable 1 example.

"That's my brother, idiosyncratic we're going to beryllium friends for life," Schaffer-Baker said. "We've built specified a tremendous narration we tin travel to each different for anything, whether it's shot oregon beingness oregon a household problem.

"He's ever got my backmost and I ever person his back."

He said that sentiment besides goes for the full team.

"I cognize the feline beside me, I cognize he's consenting to springiness everything he's got for me, and I'm going to bash the nonstop same."