Mitchell Blair
The term “Saskatchewan Tough” may be used Sunday afternoon when the Western Semi-Final is played between the Roughriders and the visiting B.C Lions. When the two teams hit the Mosaic Stadium turf at 3:30, the temperature is expected to be a chilly minus nine. It’s not the conditions that either team would like, but barring a change by Mother Nature that is what they will get. The Riders are fine with that as they feel it might be an advantage.
“Minus nine!” defensive lineman Keith Shologan says with wonderment. “It should be an advantage for us because I don’t think Vancouver ever sees minus nine. We had pads on all day today and we were hitting with it. It can be an advantage for us, but it’s only an advantage for us if we make it one.”
Head Coach Corey Chamblin agrees with Shologan to a point, but he adds the weather could be a negative for them if his squad doesn’t have the right attitude.
“It is an advantage, but it can turn into a big disadvantage for us if we come out here thinking the weather is a huge bonus for us. “ Chamblin said. “Guys have been in this league long enough to know it’s going to be cold at this time of year. We just need to do what we need to do and have the focus and energy to be successful no matter the weather.”
Geroy Simon played with the Lions for many seasons. He knows that organization inside and out and believes the forecast while not ideal will be something both teams have to contend with.
“When both teams come out, it will be cold and we both have to play in it.” Simon stated. “The fortunate thing for us is we’ve been practicing with it all week, but when I was in B.C we played in cold weather games and we played alright. We took this team to overtime a couple of years ago and the reason why was because we executed. At the end of the day, the team that executes the best will win.”
Simon adds the mental part of the game will really come through as the two teams battle the elements as well as battling one another.
“You throw on whatever you throw on and go out there and play. “ Simon said. “A lot of guys do worry about the cold and it does affect them, but if the ball is coming at you and its cold, you had better catch it, because it’s going to stay cold out there.”
Sunday will not be the first cold weather game Darian Durant has played in while wearing Rider green. He believes the offense can do what it would do if it were nine above and not nine below at kickoff.
“None,” Durant insisted. “We practice in this type of weather at this time of year and it’s not the first time we’ve done it. The rain and the wind are more of a factor to me than the cold. We will see what we can do and what we can’t do, but I’m not expecting the conditions to be a problem for us. “
Durant, who was named the West Division all-star quarterback on Wednesday, took the final regular season game of the year against Edmonton off to rest up a body that has been beaten up over the course of the year. He says that taking the week off has him feeling ready to go for what he hopes is a long playoff run.
“It helped me tremendously because it allowed my body to heal up,” Durant said. “It gave me a chance to sit back and re-evaluate myself and re-evaluate the things from early this year so I’ll be ready to go.”
While Durant and the team are ready to go, it is hoped the Rider Nation is as well. At last word, many tickets were still available for the clash. Tickets can be purchased through riderville.com, ticketmaster.ca or by calling the ticket office at (306) 566-4242 or toll free at 1-888-4-RIDERS.
