Burke, Reinke, Colton excited about being tri-captains

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders have drifted toward a 'leadership council” in recent seasons, so it was no surprise this week when it was announced the club would have three rotating captains.

Second-year players Cal Burke, Mitch Reinke and Ross Colton get the honor, considered one of the biggest in sports. They'll wear the 'C” on their sweaters in five-game increments moving forward.

The Riders were at Bloomington on Friday night and host Tri-City on Saturday night at 7:05.

'It's a huge honor,” Reinke said. 'Being around this team, it's something I was looking forward to because I know a lot of guys always look up to (captains). It's definitely something special.”

Only captains or assistant captains are allowed to speak with referees during games about penalty calls or other officials decisions. But the most important aspect of the position is leadership, on and off the ice.

These guys know that. They are the conduit between players and coaches, responsible for helping their team be the best it can be.

'How to act around the rink, how to perform on the ice,” Reinke said. 'Just your everyday routine, working hard, and hopefully guys follow you. That's the biggest part to being a leader.”

'It's a great honor, special,” Colton said. 'I worked hard in the offseason to prepare myself for this year. Coach was talking about me stepping up and becoming a leader. I tried to do as much as I could with that coming in ... I think the three of us have worked very hard for this honor. We are trying to do a good job of trying to create an identity for us in the future and moving forward with these guys.” As always, the team voted for captains, with head coach Mark Carlson getting a chance at a final veto. He didn't exercise that right in this case, which should tell you something.

The three are pleased they will share the captaincy, saying they all bring different things to the leadership table.

'Cal really does a great job of leading by example,” Colton said. 'Mitch is quiet but does everything the right way. I'm a little more vocal, stuff like that. I think all three of us will work together well.”

'We can connect with guys in different ways,” Reinke said. 'I think Ross is a little more outgoing than Cal and I, so I think that's good. I think it's good to have a variety of personalities.”

They're happy they get to do this together.

'It's nice to bounce ideas off the other guys,” Reinke said. 'The more input we have, the better off our team will be. Sometimes, people don't always see things the same way, and that's fine. You don't always have to agree with everything, so I think it's great to have that leadership council, so to speak.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com