I haven't donned a uniform in decades. I haven't played a team sport and I left behind the green vest and green plaid skirt when I left private school after Grade 10.
This weekend I put on another shade of green and white and joined what seemed to be almost an entire city. I've shared moments with fans at events double-booked for game day and I've met them at gas stations on the highway leading to the stadiums in Saskatchewan and Alberta but it was the first time my husband and children attended a professional football game.
We won great tickets and were excited to spend the weekend in Regina. The night before the game a man in a B.C. Lions shirt started trash talking my son who was wearing his Rider cap. When he asked where we were from and we told him the nearest city he asked "Paynton?" It was a bizarre example of how small our world was as he named a cousin who lives in our community.
Later that evening as I sat in the hot tub I pointed out two men in matching orange training shorts with dark numbers doing exercises and stretching and I guessed they were part of the opposition. My husband wondered why they would be staying at the same hotel, but I used my research skills and found their numbers and faces on the roster when we returned to our room.
The next morning we layered U of R green, John Deere green, green face paint and other shades with official Rider gear and stepped out into the street and a river of green. Approaching the stadium we joined the crowd scanning the faces for anyone we recognized.
About half an hour before game time we found our gate and overpriced hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks and balanced our snack as we climbed into the stands. The sea of green filled in and just before kick off a group of six young men in black t-shirts and orange shorts slid into the seats directly in front of us.
They were loud and obnoxious, but funny, and I suppose they had to be to make up for about 30,000 noisy Rider fans. I was surprised when the crowd chanted insults at the B.C. team, the sheer volume of the noise was enough to show team spirit without using negativity.
The event was busy and there was always something to keep one's attention. I watched ads, toy football giveaways, the mascot and the cheer team. There were athletes on the field but on the sideline the cheer team showed incredible strength, balance and stamina as they moved from one formation to the next, dancing, building towers, doing acrobatics and more.
They didn't stop when the flag was thrown and their smiles didn't falter as their muscles rippled.
I watched videographers and photographers running along the sidelines following the action as they carried heavy equipment and I imagined they burned far more calories than the players during the game.
It was a Saskatchewan experience we'd never had before. It was funand we are ready forthe next one to come along.
