Ardith Stephanson
I have to admit, it’s been a bit difficult this season to get the mojo for Riders games.
Don’t get me wrong. I love to watch football, I love watching the Riders, and I love to do both in person, in particular. And the team has done very well this year, despite some bumps and some ugly wins. I’ve watched them all.
But after the amazing season that was 2013, it seemed a little anti-climatic in the first half of the 2014 season.
Until the Labour Day Classic, and following that, our decision to attend the rematch in Winnipeg.
Nothing like a little Banjo to get the mojo!
We followed up what was an amazing game on August 31 in Regina, with all of its atmosphere, costumes, sold-out crowd, flyover, parachutists, noisy section of Bombers fans – and an amazing Rider victory – with a trip to Winnipeg to the Banjo Bowl. Another great Riders win, and a great atmosphere in which to enjoy it.
My last trip to the Banjo Bowl was in 2009, and that was a pretty easy one to attend. The Riders got an early lead and went on to the largest margin of victory in “Banjo Bowls” with a 55-10 win. I remember cheering pretty hard and having some nasty Bombers fans around us. So I was a bit nervous about this trip, with the Bombers having a good season, having put up two good games to the Riders, and a loud home crowd behind them. What would be the reaction to some avid Riders fans in crazy green outfits?
First, it helped that there was a Riderville to attend. It’s pretty amazing that this team is so popular, they have a travelling Riderville. There’s something about gathering with other greenies that is good for the soul. From Grenfell to Gainsborough, you could find them in Riderville, set up outside the stadium in Winnipeg. And a little visit with Gainer was all I needed to get my courage up to venture into Bombers territory with my green outfit and banjo in hand.
It’s a good thing I ventured out. Riderville was just one component of an amazing atmosphere at Investors Group Field. This trip has made me pretty excited to get a venue like this in Regina. The pre-game, game, and post-game experience was outstanding.
We love our practice field, but this pre-game festival, circled around the outside of the stadium, is something else. There was a lot going on, including a Riders dunk tank, and Bombers fans love to dress up and hang out almost as much as Riders fans. There was even a guy dressed as the Golden Boy, the famous topping on their Legislature, which was an interesting sight to see (picture only a golden Speedo and the rest golden skin….) My husband got to meet the Riders board chair, who was mingling with Bombers fans, and try on his Grey Cup ring. I don’t think that happens in the NFL.
And then there was the pièce de résistance, the “bottoms up” beer dispenser. I had never seen nor heard of this device, but apparently they have it at Jets games as well. This draft-dispensing delight uses magnet technology to dispense draft beer into the bottom of the glass (you heard me right) with lightning speed, with no foam excess on top. Fully filled beer in seconds means no lineups.
I digress. That was all pre-game. Fun for sure. But as we walked into the stadium, and sat through the game, I could only imagine how awesome it will be when we get one built here. Open concourse level, comfortable theatre seats with room for people to walk by, lots of bathrooms and concessions (did I mention the bottoms up beer dispenser?). The seats are designed to provide clear sightlines to the front and side.
This was a great atmosphere for watching a game, and yes it is a loud stadium. At the risk of sounding a bit cocky, Riders fans helped make that atmosphere. I believe Winnipeg has sold out twice this year, and that would be in August when (you guessed it) the Riders were visitors, and Sunday, when the Riders were visitors.
There was a lot of green to be seen, and we tried to create some noise to equal that made by the blue guys. Some of us were in costumes, but we were all in green, in pockets all around the stadium. We couldn’t be as loud as the home crowd, but we did our best. Post-game, they let fans onto the field and created some atmosphere on the concourse – in part to relieve the traffic congestion, which would likely be good for Regina to think about.
And our blue counterparts, at least for me, were great to be around too. There were a lot of positive comments, with some good-natured barbs thrown in. There were pictures snapped with blue-clad and green-clad fans all together, all in the spirit of supporting our teams in a positive way. I was even able to share some Riderville green beads with some little Bombers fans at halftime. The kids were all in blue, but excited to have the beads, even though they were green and handed out by a crazy looking green fan!
After all, isn’t that really what the CFL is all about? It’s part of what makes us Canadian. We are polite even when we wear different jerseys. We congratulate the opposition’s fans when their team does well. We attend Grey Cups no matter what teams are playing. This is a family event, a tradition handed down, an experience parents enjoy with their children, spouses enjoy together, and friends gather at – regularly or occasionally.
I was able to connect with a transplanted Saskatchewan family friend who is now in Winnipeg, proudly wearing her green, and a high school friend proudly wearing his Bomber blue. We got to hang out post-game with a few Saskatchewan boys who are now Bombers players, and their parents, who accepted me in all my green-ness. And of course in Riderville we got to see Saskatchewan people we knew and meet some new ones.
It’s not about focusing on our opponents as much as it is loving our own teams, and it was clear Winnipeg has their share of loyal and crazy fans.
But it’s still easiest being green.
