Tony Schlotter enjoys cheering for the home team with the home team.
This is the first year in which his wife (Nicole) and flag-football-playing sons (Cameron and Parker) have also been Saskatchewan Roughriders season-ticket members.
“To have Nicole and the kids there, it’s a neat experience, because the games aren’t unique to me and Mom anymore,” Tony says.
Since the Grey Cup championship year of 2007, Tony and his mother, Karen, have held season tickets and attended games together.
Over time, the family’s support of the Green and White evolved to the point where Nicole, Cameron and Parker began attending games on a periodic basis — typically when the days and times were most compatible with the schedules of young children.
But now, with Cameron being 13 and Parker being 11, the time is ideal for everyone in the Schlotter household to attend … along with Karen, of course.
“The kids qualified for youth pricing at this age, so that’s why we decided to get the tickets this year,” Nicole says. “It was just the luck of the timing.
“The kids are quite enjoying themselves.”
Youth prices are reduced by 50 per cent from the adult rates in the white to silver tiers at Mosaic Stadium, where Cameron and Parker have been a good-luck charm of sorts.
Their faithful attendance coincides with the Roughriders’ return to the playoffs after a two-season absence.
The family will be at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday when the Roughriders oppose the B.C. Lions in the CFL’s Western Semi-Final. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. Ticket Packs — including the Family Pack (2 adult + 2 youth for $99) can be purchased HERE.
“From the start, this year just felt different,” Tony says. “It had a 2013 feel.
“The culture seemed to be a lot different and the strong nucleus has made me really interested in how this year is going to progress.”
Cameron shares that interest.
“I enjoy it a lot,” he says, “and it’s easier to enjoy it when the team is winning.
“It’s fun that we get to go to all the games.”
Dad is equally appreciative of the full family’s fervent fandom.
“It’s really cool to see Nicole and the kids being part of it and experiencing the highs … and even the lows,” Tony says.
“Cameron was actually at the playoff game with me in 2019 when Cody (Fajardo) hit the crossbar (with the final pass of the Western Final against Winnipeg).
“Even at such a young age, Cameron ran over to me and gave me a big hug, because he realized what had happened.
“It was kind of the same thing last year, when Samuel Emilus made that amazing jump-ball catch and landed in the end zone. It was a cool experience to have the boys there with me.”
Now the boys and their mother have made a jump of a different nature — to the ranks of full-time attendees.
“It’s really exciting for us,” Nicole says, “and we’re very much looking forward to the game this weekend.”
