For this edition of Beyond the Wall, AFL Communications sat down with Spokane Shock wide receiver Raul Vijil. Vijil played for the Shock since 2006 and is touted a face of the franchise. Vijil caught 33 touchdowns last season and helped Spokane capture the ArenaBowl title. This season, Vijil ranks second on the team with 715 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. Vijil and the Shock face the Philadelphia Soul on NFL Network’s “Arena Football Friday” on Friday night.
Editor: You didn’t start playing football till your senior year of High School. What sports did you play before that?
Raul Vijil: I played soccer. I really enjoyed being a soccer player. I started when I was really young and began to play competitively as a teenager. I played High School, club ball and in the Olympic Developmental Program which is where one or a couple of teams represent the state. I also enjoyed and played indoor soccer a lot when I was younger. Once I got to school, I joined basketball and played that here and there. I was very dedicated to the game of soccer until my senior year.
ED: What made you decide to play football? Why did you pick it up so late?
RV: My dad always encouraged me to play football. I was always hesitant because I had a niche for soccer. I had a lot of good friends playing football at the time and one of my best friends was the starting quarterback. He was a junior and he came up to me and told me to come out and give it shot. He told me to test it out and if I didn’t like it, then I wouldn’t have to play. I told him alright and I decided to try it out. I went to camp and realized that I didn’t know anything about it. They told me to run this way and run that way and catch the ball. I knew I could do it and was able to get more and more comfortable as I went on. I was fortunate to have some success early on.
ED: Did you pick up receiving quickly and how did you play your senior season?
RV: I played really well. My team went 14-0 and we won the State Championship. I started returning punts as well and I excelled at that. I was all over the place because I had good quickness and speed. I set the record for yards in the State Championship Game with 204. I started getting recruited by schools around the area. I didn’t get any calls from the big schools because I was only in my first year so I didn’t know exactly how the recruiting game worked.
ED: After your senior season, you got recruited by Eastern Washington. How did you play in your college career?
RV: It was very different that anything I had experienced before. I got to college and realized that everyone was fast now. Like I said, I didn’t know too much about football. I had to learn it in a short amount of time, while everyone else had been playing the game since they were little. It was definitely tough and I struggled early on. I questioned whether or not this is what I wanted to do. I thought I maybe could go somewhere and play college soccer. But I decided to stick with it and being close to home really helped. After my first couple years, I really began to enjoy and excel at it. Getting on the field and playing in games always helps. I enjoyed it very much after that.
ED: After you graduated, you signed with Spokane in 2006 and have been with them ever since. How has your time been with the Shock franchise?
RV: It’s been an unbelievable experience. The city of Spokane doesn’t really have many professional teams. We have the Seahawks but they are about four hours away and no NBA team. In 2006, I came over from Eastern Washington University, which is a quick 20-minute drive. I got picked up by the team and have had a lot of success here. We won the championship in 2006, lost in the playoffs in 2007, lost in the championship by a point in 2008, won the championship in 2009 with af2 and then won the AFL championship last season. I have enjoyed playing in Spokane and I hope they have enjoyed watching me play.
ED: In 2010, Spokane made the move to the AFL and won the championship. What was last season like?
RV: It was awesome. Right when I started with the arena game, my goal was to make it to the AFL. I actually had an opportunity to sign with the Utah Blaze after my 2008 season. However, I wasn’t able to sign because of the troubles in the League. It was tough during that time. But I am enjoying my time now playing in Spokane. I decided to stick with Spokane and then the League returned in 2010. Then Spokane joined the League, so it worked out great for me. Every athlete wants to play at the highest level possible and the AFL was that for me. I worked very hard in training and came out here on a mission to have success and was able to have that last season.
ED: You are now finishing up your undergraduate degree in Graphic Design. Where did you pick up Graphic Designing and what do you like about it?
RV: When I was in school, I changed my major around a few times. I always wanted to do something involving computers and was an artsy kind of guy. So I went to school and started learning the programs. I didn’t quite finish in 2006 and began playing with the Shock. Last year, I tore my ACL and MCL in Week 10 and figured that it would be a good time to finish. I went back to school and now my degree is going to be in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Graphic Design. It was something I was able to finish up a bit quicker than strictly in Graphic Design. I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with that afterwards but I enjoy doing side projects for myself and my family. Right now, I am a performance coach because I love working with people and kids.
ED: Last season, you and quarterback Kyle Rowley made interesting player posters. What made you guys want to do that?
RV: Rowley is exactly like myself. He’s actually a lot better with Graphic Design because he went to Brown and got a degree in art. Being in Spokane for a little while now, we built a name for ourselves. We tried to market ourselves a little bit and we felt that what better way than to make a cool poster. We felt that it would sell well and wasn’t too expensive to make. We came up with a design of me holding up my hands in the shape of a “V”, for Vijil. The Spokane fans were the ones who actually started that for me. Every time I make a catch or a touchdown, everyone will throw their “V” up. That is where we came up with the idea for the posters and it turned out really well.
ED: What do you like to do fun in Spokane?
RV: There are a lot of lakes around here. During the summer time, it gets to around 90 to 100 degrees, so we like to get out on the boat and do a lot of outdoor stuff. I enjoy a lot of typical stuff. I love movies, going out, eating good food, playing sports and hanging with the family. Having my family being from Washington and seeing them is great.
ED: Any other cool hobbies or talents?
RV: I really enjoy spending time with people so being a sports performance coach is great. I get to see these kids come in at a young age and see them develop into really good athletes. To see them move to colleges and succeed is really rewarding to see. I really have a passion and enjoy doing that. Other than that, I am a huge movie fan. I enjoy seeing the huge blockbusters and love to watch good movies.
ED: Thanks for joining us today and good luck tomorrow against Philadelphia!
Editor: You didn’t start playing football till your senior year of High School. What sports did you play before that?
Raul Vijil: I played soccer. I really enjoyed being a soccer player. I started when I was really young and began to play competitively as a teenager. I played High School, club ball and in the Olympic Developmental Program which is where one or a couple of teams represent the state. I also enjoyed and played indoor soccer a lot when I was younger. Once I got to school, I joined basketball and played that here and there. I was very dedicated to the game of soccer until my senior year.
ED: What made you decide to play football? Why did you pick it up so late?
RV: My dad always encouraged me to play football. I was always hesitant because I had a niche for soccer. I had a lot of good friends playing football at the time and one of my best friends was the starting quarterback. He was a junior and he came up to me and told me to come out and give it shot. He told me to test it out and if I didn’t like it, then I wouldn’t have to play. I told him alright and I decided to try it out. I went to camp and realized that I didn’t know anything about it. They told me to run this way and run that way and catch the ball. I knew I could do it and was able to get more and more comfortable as I went on. I was fortunate to have some success early on.
ED: Did you pick up receiving quickly and how did you play your senior season?
RV: I played really well. My team went 14-0 and we won the State Championship. I started returning punts as well and I excelled at that. I was all over the place because I had good quickness and speed. I set the record for yards in the State Championship Game with 204. I started getting recruited by schools around the area. I didn’t get any calls from the big schools because I was only in my first year so I didn’t know exactly how the recruiting game worked.
ED: After your senior season, you got recruited by Eastern Washington. How did you play in your college career?
RV: It was very different that anything I had experienced before. I got to college and realized that everyone was fast now. Like I said, I didn’t know too much about football. I had to learn it in a short amount of time, while everyone else had been playing the game since they were little. It was definitely tough and I struggled early on. I questioned whether or not this is what I wanted to do. I thought I maybe could go somewhere and play college soccer. But I decided to stick with it and being close to home really helped. After my first couple years, I really began to enjoy and excel at it. Getting on the field and playing in games always helps. I enjoyed it very much after that.
ED: After you graduated, you signed with Spokane in 2006 and have been with them ever since. How has your time been with the Shock franchise?
RV: It’s been an unbelievable experience. The city of Spokane doesn’t really have many professional teams. We have the Seahawks but they are about four hours away and no NBA team. In 2006, I came over from Eastern Washington University, which is a quick 20-minute drive. I got picked up by the team and have had a lot of success here. We won the championship in 2006, lost in the playoffs in 2007, lost in the championship by a point in 2008, won the championship in 2009 with af2 and then won the AFL championship last season. I have enjoyed playing in Spokane and I hope they have enjoyed watching me play.
ED: In 2010, Spokane made the move to the AFL and won the championship. What was last season like?
RV: It was awesome. Right when I started with the arena game, my goal was to make it to the AFL. I actually had an opportunity to sign with the Utah Blaze after my 2008 season. However, I wasn’t able to sign because of the troubles in the League. It was tough during that time. But I am enjoying my time now playing in Spokane. I decided to stick with Spokane and then the League returned in 2010. Then Spokane joined the League, so it worked out great for me. Every athlete wants to play at the highest level possible and the AFL was that for me. I worked very hard in training and came out here on a mission to have success and was able to have that last season.
ED: You are now finishing up your undergraduate degree in Graphic Design. Where did you pick up Graphic Designing and what do you like about it?
RV: When I was in school, I changed my major around a few times. I always wanted to do something involving computers and was an artsy kind of guy. So I went to school and started learning the programs. I didn’t quite finish in 2006 and began playing with the Shock. Last year, I tore my ACL and MCL in Week 10 and figured that it would be a good time to finish. I went back to school and now my degree is going to be in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Graphic Design. It was something I was able to finish up a bit quicker than strictly in Graphic Design. I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with that afterwards but I enjoy doing side projects for myself and my family. Right now, I am a performance coach because I love working with people and kids.
ED: Last season, you and quarterback Kyle Rowley made interesting player posters. What made you guys want to do that?
RV: Rowley is exactly like myself. He’s actually a lot better with Graphic Design because he went to Brown and got a degree in art. Being in Spokane for a little while now, we built a name for ourselves. We tried to market ourselves a little bit and we felt that what better way than to make a cool poster. We felt that it would sell well and wasn’t too expensive to make. We came up with a design of me holding up my hands in the shape of a “V”, for Vijil. The Spokane fans were the ones who actually started that for me. Every time I make a catch or a touchdown, everyone will throw their “V” up. That is where we came up with the idea for the posters and it turned out really well.
ED: What do you like to do fun in Spokane?
RV: There are a lot of lakes around here. During the summer time, it gets to around 90 to 100 degrees, so we like to get out on the boat and do a lot of outdoor stuff. I enjoy a lot of typical stuff. I love movies, going out, eating good food, playing sports and hanging with the family. Having my family being from Washington and seeing them is great.
ED: Any other cool hobbies or talents?
RV: I really enjoy spending time with people so being a sports performance coach is great. I get to see these kids come in at a young age and see them develop into really good athletes. To see them move to colleges and succeed is really rewarding to see. I really have a passion and enjoy doing that. Other than that, I am a huge movie fan. I enjoy seeing the huge blockbusters and love to watch good movies.
ED: Thanks for joining us today and good luck tomorrow against Philadelphia!
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