Attending sporting events, you will often see photographers lining the sidelines capturing the plays in time, but one student captures the moments through a different art form. Drew Priefer (11) is a talented artist who brings in the spirit of each sport through his drawings.
“I started my drawings because of a Toronto Maple Leafs fan. His name is Brian or @brianbeleafs on Instagram,” Priefer said. “I saw all of his comics and drawings of the Maple Leafs anytime they win or lose. It made me want to do drawings like those for Oakville.”
Another part of his inspiration came from an OHS sporting event a few years ago.
“Drawing is just a fun hobby to me,” Priefer said. “I began drawing in 2023 when Oakville hockey beat Fort Zumwalt in the playoffs when we shut them out.”
Priefer shares his artwork on social media.
“I post them because I like to show how good we are at sports,” Priefer said. “The athletes love the drawings, and I hope everyone else likes them, too.”
His drawings come from his passion for the teams and some of them even motivate our athletes.
“I like to draw our athletes and wish them good luck or congratulate them on winning. I especially like to make drawings when we go to championships…” Priefer said. “Like how the Golden Girls are going to Nationals or when cheerleading has their first state competition in a long time.”
Although Priefer creates artwork for all sports, he does have his favorites.
“All Oakville sports are my favorite sports, but hockey is definitely my absolute favorite,” Priefer said. “They are fun, and this year they are going to the semi-finals, so good luck to them. They inspired me to play ice hockey.”
One specific hockey player gave Priefer more motivation to play.
“After seeing Jack Rogers play hard in the 2023 playoffs even though we lost, I thought about trying out for this ice hockey program,” Priefer said. “I play for Blues Special Hockey.”
Finding out that he was an inspiration to Priefer, varsity goaltender Jack Rogers (11) feels inspired to continue to be a role model.
“It is an absolute honor that Drew looks up to me. I am flattered, honestly…” Rogers said. “I like being a good role model to kids, especially kids who want to play hockey. He always sends me his drawings and texts, just wishing me good luck and supporting the team, and it’s really cool.”
While Priefer shows support through his drawings and motivational texts, Rogers likes to reciprocate and make Priefer feel like a part of the team.
“I like to keep him updated and let him know when and where the games are. He also likes to talk to me about his games and tell me how well he played,” Rogers said. “It feels good to know that I am one of the reasons that he started playing. That’s why I play and why I continue to play.”
Priefer is motivated by many Oakville athletes, with varsity pitcher Adam Kilburn being his number one baseball inspiration.
“It is so cool that Drew said that I am one of his biggest inspirations,” Kilburn said. “I can tell he does kind of look up to me as a player, but it feels great that he actually said that about me.”
Part of Kilburn’s influence on Priefer continues with their involvement together on the Oakville varsity baseball team.
“I think it is awesome that he is playing all these sports and even being a part of the Oakville baseball team, too,” Kilburn said. “I think him being there and being able to watch me and the rest of the guys practice and play is inspiring to him, but also inspiring to me. It really keeps me going.”
