Patrick understands the powerful thrill of competition—and the empty feeling left behind once it's gone. At Ridley, he was a member of the gymnastics team, played Second Hockey and was a vital participant in the football programme, his team winning the Little Big Four Championship in 1966.
After graduating from Ridley, Patrick played five years of varsity football with the University of Guelph Gryphons, and was a letterman in each one. He was named to the 1970 OUA All Star team and was the second choice of the Edmonton Eskimos in the 1971 CFL draft. Later in life, Patrick represented Nova Scotia on the provincial squash team and was active in inter-club squash in Toronto. After playing his last college football game, Patrick certainly recalls the “very hollow feeling" left behind, but recognizes the infinite gains of putting one’s heart and soul into athletic endeavours.
“The greatest lesson I learned from sport was that if you wanted to succeed you had to work very hard at your skills and personal strength. I applied this philosophy to everything I did.”