Just a Gal from Glidden: Green is the colour. Football is the game.
I don't have much of a social life. I generally am in bed by 10:00 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday night. The coronavirus pandemic hasn't affected me as far as going to bars, concerts, big social gatherings.
I think the thing that I have missed the most is not watching my beloved Saskatchewan Roughriders. I have been a faithful Rider supporter my entire life - at least since 1976. The first CFL game that I can honestly remember watching was the 1976 Grey Cup. It was a battle of the Riders: Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders. If I'm truthful (which I am), I only remember the cursing and slamming of bedroom doors after Tony Gabriel caught "The Catch" with only seconds remaining to defeat Saskatchewan 23-20.
The next several years weren't terrific if you were a fan of the Green and White. Year after year of missing the playoffs had the province wondering if they'd be able to keep their CFL team. I still remember listening to the games on CKCK Radio at the farm. It wasn't the outcome that we had hoped for most of the time, but Saskatchewan heroes like Gull Lake's Roger Aldag kept fans tuning in.
Twenty-three years after that devastating loss in 1976, the Roughriders would make another appearance in the big game, this time against the Hamilton Tigercats. I remember it so well. I was in my second year of college at Medicine Hat and had several assignments that were due. There was nothing that was going to stop me from watching the game. The game was an absolute classic - another nailbiter right to the finish. This time it was Saskatchewan's turn to shine, with placekicker Dave Ridgway nailing a 35-yard field goal in the dying moments to lift the Roughriders to a 43-40 victory!
The Roughriders have, of course, won two more Grey Cups since then in 2007 and 2013, to go along with a couple of back-to-back Grey Cup losses against the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 2010.
The Roughriders have been quite entertaining and competitive over the past several years. Last years' record was an impressive 13-5, despite losing their starting quarterback Zach Collaros in the first game of the season. Collaros was replaced by Cody Fajardo, who was set to return this year under second-year head coach Craig Dickenson.
Mosaic Stadium would have been the 108th Grey Cup host on Sunday, November 22 this year. I have had season tickets in the past, and Robert and I contemplated getting them this year.
One of my favourite memories is going to the 2009 Grey Cup in Calgary with Robert. McMahon Stadium turned into a home game for the Riders, with the capacity crowd mostly wearing green and white. I severely overpaid for the tickets, which I bought off a disgruntled Calgary Stampeder fan, but it was so worth it!
The game is remembered for the too many men on the field penalty that cost the Riders the Grey Cup. I'll admit, I didn't see the flag. I was busy jumping up and down when Robert told me that there was a flag on the field. I went from elation to deflation in a matter of seconds. You could have heard a pin drop when we left the stadium. As I made my way through the crowd and toward our bus, tears rolled down my face as I tried to comprehend what I had just witnessed. To come THAT close and to lose on such a mental mistake. What should have been a night of celebration and partying turned into a quiet supper and an early night.
The Grey Cup is truly a national event. A celebration with fans of all teams coming together, right across Canada. We met people from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, who all had a love of the game.
I have not been to another Grey Cup, and I haven't donned the doors of Mosaic Stadium, but I am looking forward to when I can at least watch my favourite CFL team on TSN once again.
PHOTOS:
Robert and I before the start of the 2009 Grey Cup in Calgary.
The Winquist gang at Taylor Field in 2012.
Running into some friends at Grey Cup! Robert Winquist, Trina Koska and Danora Semilet.