VANCOUVER — Before the collisions, there was collaboration.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders and B.C. Lions joined forces, organizationally and sensationally, to treat fans to a pre-game party — the Backyard Bash, featuring the second annual Watermelon Smash — in Terry Fox Plaza on Saturday.
“Look at these events,” CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie marvelled three hours before the Roughriders and Lions met on the field at BC Place.
“You can get your hair cut. You can get tattoos. People are just having fun. This is phenomenal to see.”
And to hear.
Musical entertainment was provided by Josephine and the Guys — the house band at Vancouver’s renowned Roxy nightclub.
Josephine’s cover of Taylor Swift’s “Style” was so exceptional that a visiting musical snob of a jazz lover felt compelled to shoot video and share it with an inveterate Swiftie, whose prompt endorsement spoke volumes as to the high calibre of the pre-game production.
There were also games, games, games, including the (mmmm!) consumption and (no!!!) destruction of watermelons.
The participants were recruited by Roughriders President-CEO Craig Reynolds and his counterpart, the Lions’ Duane Vienneau.
“Half the people have no idea who I am,” Reynolds said with a laugh. “They’re like, ‘Who’s the guy with the clipboard trying to get people to sign up?’
“First off, I describe each of the games. Some of them naturally resonate. The watermelon-eating part of it is a pretty easy sell.
“I actually had a repeat customer. A guy named Sean who was in the watermelon-eating contest last year saw me right away and said, ‘We’re doing this again!’ He was awesome.”
The outcome of the football game — Lions 35, Roughriders 20 — may have left him (sorry in advance for this one) melon-choly.
But anyone who decided to partake in the entire game-day experience, regardless of allegiance, could not be disappointed.
“There’s such great camaraderie between the fans of both teams,” said orange-clad Lions supporter Jen Scott, who travelled to Vancouver from Kelowna with her boyfriend, Regina-born Roughriders rooter Jeff Koltun.
When jokingly asked whether the difference in CFL loyalties creates any strains in the relationship, Scott responded: “Not at all!”
“This makes it fun,” Koltun added. “We support each other’s team when the Riders and Lions aren’t playing each other.”
Koltun and Scott both had the pleasure of meeting injured Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris, who signed autographs and posed for innumerable selfies before the game.
“He’s a CFL legend,” Koltun said. “Just to get to shake his hand was a blessing.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Saskatoon-born Jason Abdeljalil, who made the trip from Langford, B.C. — located on southern Vancouver Island — to Vancouver with his wife, Stacey.
“I got to tell (Harris), ‘Heal quick,’ ” Abdeljalil said. “He’s a terrific guy.
“I asked him how his family was doing and he pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of his kids.
“That was a real treat for me.”
That is also the essence of Canadian professional football.
The stars of the game are remarkably accessible to the fans.
So are team executives such as Reynolds, Vienneau and Lions owner Amar Doman.
If you want to meet the commissioner, there aren’t any impediments. Simply walk up to him and say hello.
“It’s just part of the culture that the league has,” Ambrosie said. “Somebody said to me the other day, ‘Your guys live in my neighbourhood.’ I said, ‘Yeah, but you don’t have any other neighbours who can bench press 500 pounds!’
“These are super-human athletes, but they are so humble, so thoughtful, so accessible. It’s one of the reasons. It’s one of the things that makes us a world-class sports league.”
Where else could someone wearing a green and white No. 7 jersey with HARRIS on the back walk right up to the actual player and chat?
“I think we have, pound for pound, the most giving group of players in the world of sports,” Ambrosie said.
“It’s all of us. It’s not one of us. It’s everyone contributing. Ultimately, that connection to the community is what makes the CFL so special.
“We say that the reason to watch the games is that they’re fun, fast and entertaining, and the reason to care is the connection to the community.”
The connection between the teams is part of the equation.
Reynolds and Vienneau worked in tandem well before the pre-game function kicked off in such fine “Style.”
The two Presidents appeared together on local television Saturday morning to spread the word about the game and the preceding party.
They also teamed up with fans of their respective clubs for an assortment of games at Terry Fox Plaza.
“I let the team down in flip-cup at the end,” Reynolds noted. “My squad built up a nice lead and I was flipping way too hard. A small-town kid from Foam Lake should have delivered, but I’m rusty.
“Training for next year starts now!”
