Rider Pride is infectious and compelling.
The residents of Saskatchewan and elsewhere in Canada and around the globe can have fun with it. It's not political or religious although it can border on the latter on occasion. After all, the holy trinity as we know it in Saskatchewan might well be Lancaster, Reed and Campbell who held court in the Taylor Field temple named after that well known saint named Piffles.
So yes, we worship our team with near religious fervor, but for a reason. They bring us together. We gel as a province when it comes to the Roughriders. We are brought together by a lovable gopher and a feeling of togetherness that can't be entirely explained, but simply enjoyed.
For the past few weeks, the residents of the Energy City have gone to great lengths to prove to the rest of the province and Canada that we are, indeed, the true Riderville.
The $25,000 prize we could win, is secondary when the spirit of togetherness pervades the ranks.
How can you explain why otherwise mature men and women will forgo mowing the lawn in favour of taking an hour out to sculpt a unique helmet made from a large watermelon? We won't paint the garage, but we'll paint our bodies green just before, during and after a Roughrider home game.
We go to extremes to coalesce around a group of lunch-bucket football players who don't earn outlandish salaries and don't even consider themselves prized athletes. They just like playing the game for a few bucks and they apparently like doing it in front of as many of us they can cram into that stadium now called Mosaic.
The traditions surrounding the Roughriders are revered and even though the team has captured just two Grey Cups in its storied 100 years of operation, the love affair continues, unabated. You don't attempt to explain it, you simply enjoy the ride with the Riders if you're fortunate enough to call Saskatchewan home.
This week the main training and selection camp opened for the 2010 version of this Roughrider team. We wait for the smoke to rise from a tall chimney atop the head coach's office, signalling that he has, indeed, selected the next back-up quarterback. That's how intense we are about this group of athletes. We wait anxiously to get word on just who will play a secondary role on the offence. How crazy is that?
So we'll head to Mosaic, the home that Piffles and friends built, or settle in front of the television to watch the games or listen on the radio. We'll cheer and then we'll boo and we'll be angry and heartbroken when they lose and joyful beyond measure when they win but we'll always care because there is something really good about being a Rider fan.
Too bad we can't explain it totally, it's just about being a part of this province, we guess. So let's enjoy the Rider pride ride and remember that silly spring and summer when we, as a city, got involved in a crazy contest with all the other communities in the province, to once again prove that we all do get along after all as we rally around a cause as crazy and as likeable as the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
We all win forget about that $25,000, that was just a ploy to get us started.
