Friday 20 November 2020

Missing CFL a back and forth thing for me

The 2020 Grey Cup Festival T-shirt and baseball cap.
A pre-pandemic birthday gift is my reminder that this should have been Grey Cup week.

On my birthday back on March 4, I was given a T-shirt and a baseball cap to mark that the Grey Cup festival was going to be in Saskatchewan this year. Originally, this week was supposed to be Grey Cup week in Regina, and the championship game for the CFL was supposed to be played this coming Sunday at Mosaic Stadium.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic gripped the world pretty tightly causing most of the sports world to shut down in North America on March 11 and 12.

After trying to figure out a scenario to take the field, the CFL officially cancelled its 2020 campaign on August 17.

Actually back on May 20, the CFL decided to move the Saskatchewan Roughriders hosting rights for the Grey Cup from this year to 2022. Originally on that day, the CFL said the Grey Cup host for 2020 would be the team that had the best record going into the game.

The CFL then experimented with the notion of having Winnipeg host the circuit in a hub city format before ultimately cancelling the campaign.

Evan Johnson, left, in action for the Ottawa Redblacks in 2019.
Across Canada, diehard fans lamented the loss of the CFL season. In Saskatchewan, the pain hit a lot of fans as the Roughriders have a well documented passionate following.

It is likely true that there have been some people in Saskatchewan who have thought about the Roughriders for at least half the time they have been alive through the COVID-19 pandemic.

For myself, I have wavered back and forth over whether I miss the CFL or not. I know when and if I ever get back to Mosaic Stadium for a Roughriders home game the reality of missing the CFL will hit me in a bigger way.

In that situation, I suspect I will see a lot of friends that I haven’t seen in a while that I usually see at Roughriders games. Seeing familiar faces will reinforce I am missing something.

As strange as it sounds, I don’t really miss the CFL on most days. After being involved with the sports industry as a sports reporter for 24 years in some shape or form, I realize that sports are a business.

I also realized that no matter how much I love a team or a league that something can happen that will take that team or league out of my life. That team or league will leave my life due to business.

Brendon LaBatte (#57) in action for the Roughriders in 2017.
I’ve conditioned myself to know that happens, and when it does, I just move on with my life. I always cherish the memories I made, and I’ve made lots of outstanding memories in sports over the last 24 years.

When the time comes that life creates a situation I am no longer a good fit with a team or a league, I realize what happened and just move on. I don’t take things personally.

I chalk things that I can’t control up to being the way they go sometimes. It is on to the next thing.

I actually don’t dwell on what life will be like if the CFL does or does not continue to exist.

That does change on days I see people who are hooked in with the league. If I am at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex and I visit with a number of the CFL athletes that train there, then I really miss the CFL.

That is a point in time I wish the players could be playing and the fans could be in the stands.

Jordan Reaves in action for the Roughriders in 2018.
Some of the CFL athletes that train at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex include Jorgen Hus, Patrick Neufeld and Evan Johnson along with CFL Draft selections Mattland Riley and Colton Klassen.

If I talk to Roughriders left guard Brendon LaBatte on the phone, I miss the CFL.

If I interact with Roughriders players Jordan Reaves or Chad Geter online, I miss the CFL.

If I see social media posts of Rider Nation home game regulars like Michelle and Paige Hansen, Lisa Lukye or Connie Dobson, I miss the CFL.

I do hope the CFL survives the COVID-19 pandemic, and we can all go to CFL games again one day.

If it does or doesn’t come back, life goes on for me and I will focus on adjusting the best I can versus the things I can’t control.

Hockey Harvest Lottery up over $146,000

Tickets have been on sale since this past Monday, but the 50/50 jackpot for the Hockey Harvest Lottery has already ballooned to $146,120 by Friday.

The lottery will be used to raise money for the player scholarship funds of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and the Swift Current Broncos. The five Saskatchewan based WHL teams are running the lottery in partnership with the Great West Brewing Company.

The Great West Brewing Company assured that the 50/50 jackpot began at $75,000 before any tickets were purchased.

The progressive 50/50 will run through to December 20. December 21 will be the lottery’s grand prize draw date, and the draw will be conducted in Saskatoon.

Anyone over the age of 19 that is physically in the province of Saskatchewan at the time of purchase regardless of their home residence can purchase a ticket.

The grand prize winning ticket will receive a cash prize of 50 per cent of the final jackpot. The remaining funds will be split evenly between the five Saskatchewan WHL teams and be placed into their respective player scholarship funds.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHL teams haven’t been able to raise money for their player scholarship funds like they have anywhere near in the past. The WHL is targeting to start its regular season on January 8, 2021.

Tickets purchased prior to 11:59 CST on November 27 will also be entered into a draw to win a Saskatchewan WHL team jersey prize package featuring a jersey from all five Saskatchewan WHL teams. The early bird draw will be made on November 28 in Saskatoon.

Ticket prices are one for $20, five for $50, 20 for $100, 150 for $500 or 500 for $1,000. They can be purchased through the websites of any of the Saskatchewan based teams or by clicking right here.

WHL launches T’s For Toys Campaign, other notes

On Tuesday, the WHL launched a cute Christmas fundraiser involving the mascots of the circuit’s 22 teams.

The mascots are taking part in the WHL’s T’s For Toys Campaign. Fans will be able to purchase limited-edition WHL club T-shirts feature that features a team mascot.

That means, there are 22 different T-shirts WHL supporters will be able to collect.

T-shirts can be purchased online for $20 in Canadian funds and are available in adult and youth sizes. For each T-shirt that is sold, $7 in Canadian funds will go directly to a local charity in the home community of the mascot depicted on the T-shirt purchased.

The proceeds will be used by these charities to purchase toys for local children in need.

For the five Saskatchewan based teams, the Moose Jaw Warriors funds will go to the Salvation Army in Moose Jaw, the Prince Albert Raiders funds will go to the Prince Albert Optimist Club, the Regina Pats funds will go to the Eagle Heart Centre, the Saskatoon Blades funds will go to EGADZ and the Swift Current Broncos funds will go to the Southwest Newcomer Welcome Centre.

The mascot T-shirts can be purchased by clicking right here.

  • The University of Regina Rams football team is running a traditional 50/50 lottery online. The funds will be used to run the Rams program. Tickets can only be sold to those in Regina and surrounding communities of a 30-kilometre radius. The draw date is this coming Monday. Anyone in those areas that want to purchase tickets can do so by clicking right here.
  • On Monday, track and field star Savannah Sutherland from Borden, Sask., committed to joining the University of Michigan Wolverines women’s track and field team in the NCAA Division I ranks for the 2021-22 campaign. Sutherland specializes in hurdles events.
  • On Wednesday, The junior A Manitoba Junior Hockey League and Hockey Manitoba levied a $5,000 fine against 50 Below Sports and Entertainment, who own the Winnipeg Blues and Winnipeg Freeze on that junior A circuit. The fine was given due to the fact the Blues and Freeze held a practice in Warren, Man., on Nov. 9 going against COVID-19 restrictions at the time that prevented Winnipeg based hockey teams from taking part in any sort of hockey activities. The Blue and Freeze also forfeited their respective first round selections in the 2021 MJHL Draft. Each team will be required to complete a community initiative as approved by the MJHL and Hockey Manitoba. The money from the fine will go towards buying COVID-19 personal protective equipment for frontline workers across Manitoba. Manitoba is now currently in a lockdown that prevents any sports from being played.
  • On Friday, the Saskatoon Secondary Schools Athletic Directorate announced it will not be offering the winter sports of basketball, curling, dance and cheer and wrestling in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SSSAD said in a release the decision was made after Saskatoon Public Schools and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools jointly made a decision to extend the pause on extracurricular activities in schools. The SSSAD hasn’t run any sports so far in the 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • On Friday, Patrick Maze, who is the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation president, asked for hockey and other recreational activities to cease operations to help keep COVID-19 cases out of schools across the province. Keenan Sorokan of 650 CKOM put together a story on Maze’s request, and it can be found right here.
  • Gregg Drinnan put together another round up in his Taking Note blog on how the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc on the sports world on Thursday. That piece can be found right here.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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