Jenn Writes

Tag: Argonotes

  • Saying Goodbye to SkyDome

    Saying Goodbye to SkyDome

    Tonight is the end of an era, albeit one that many Toronto sports fans (particularly CFL fans) have struggled with over the last 27 years.  Tonight the Toronto Argonauts play their last game at the Rogers Centre (formerly – and forever to me –  known as SkyDome). I was at the first game at SkyDome on July 12, 1989, and I will be there tonight at the last game.  In between those dates I’ve seen around 70% of the Canadian football games played there (including Vanier Cups and Metro Bowl finals but not including the Bills in Toronto series or the NCAA games). I’ve been feeling nostalgic today and reading some of the articles about the best memories at SkyDome including this one by the very talented Andrew Bucholtz, Mike Hogan’s trip down memory lane, and this one from the Toronto Star that focuses on Michael “Pinball” Clemons’ memories of the stadium where he played his entire CFL career and still calls home as Vice Chairman of the Argos.

    I’d like to start by addressing the elephant in the room, the notion that Sky Dome / Rogers Centre is not a good place for football. While it’s not one of my favourite places to have watched a game, it’s not at the bottom of the list either. Multi-purpose stadiums (especially ones that convert between baseball and football) are never going to have the same great sight-lines as somewhere like Ford Field that was built for football and football alone. I agree that in the first few seasons, before the team got their act together, there were some truly awful seats available for football. I would know, my family’s seasons’ tickets were moved from being really amazing at Exhibition Stadium to being horrible at SkyDome. The first 10 rows in the 100 level don’t have enough of a slope and left fans staring at the back of players on the sidelines instead of the action on the field. The team eventually realized this and covered up those seats with banners. Apart from that, the SkyDome is not a horrible place to watch football. Sure there have been times when it is agonizingly empty, but that has less to do with the stadium itself and more to do with the people running the organization / marketing and a bad on field product.  Toronto football fans are fickle and when the team is crap, they make their opinions known.

    That said, some of the most passionate CFL fans I know are Toronto Argonauts fans. People who, like myself, have been there through thick and thin, and have felt the highs of winning a Grey Cup at home in 2012, and the lows of 3-15 seasons (1993 and 2009 are the two I remember as being horrible – though nobody really cared too much about 1993 since the Jays won the World Series that year). Don’t believe anyone who tells you that Torontonians don’t like football. They do, but in recent years scheduling woes have made figuring out when the team plays a challenge. The team had a playoff game re-scheduled for a Wiggles Concert in 2004, were forced to have games on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the past 5 seasons (hardly a typical night for a football game), and this season were forced to play home games away from home by both the PanAm Games and the Blue Jays’ playoff run. With Rogers Communications buying the Blue Jays in 2000 and the SkyDome in 2004 (renaming it the Rogers Centre in 2005), the Argos have been given the short end of the stick many times. In 2009, the Argos had to play a game without the availability of Alcohol (and that was the season where fans really needed a drink) because of Rogers Centre infractions. What made it worse was that there were 2 Blue Jay games affected by the suspended liquor license but baseball fans were allowed to trade their tickets in for another game while Argo fans were not.

    Even with the frustrations of the past decade, the SkyDome has been a good home to the team for the past 27 seasons. The 2012 Grey Cup, won by the hometown Toronto Argonauts had an electric atmosphere and the fans who packed the stadium were loud and proud.

    For the past 18 years, I have been attending Argos home games as a member of Argonotes, the official band of the Toronto Argonauts. For someone like me, who adores football and music, the band has been an amazing part of my life. It allows me to combine two of my passions and the people in the band are some of the most fantastic people I know.  Skydome has been Argonotes’ home since the band came into being in 1995. Over the years, we’ve played in different locations from section 124, to the stage in the end zone (my favourite location ever), to our current “not real seats but amazing view of the game” seats. Not that the pleasure of listening to us is restricted to those with seats within earshot. Nope, we’re an equal opportunity band and wander the stadium (usually during the 3rd quarter of the game) and entertain the fans [except the 200 level where we haven’t played in a couple of years because some people complained that we were annoying them]. The band has been a big part of the game day experience in some years, and almost forgotten in other years but the fans always get a show at gate 2 after the game. Win (Argos Rule!) or lose (Heartbreak Hotel), the band plays a post-game concert after every home game. I’m going to miss our gate 2 concerts almost as much as our beloved pregame ritual of playing in bars and restaurants along Front Street on our way to the SkyDome from our meeting point at Front and Simcoe Streets. Most of the bars love us, some forget to tell their weekend managers that this happens (which is always fun – the look of shock on the hostess’ face at Lonestar one Sunday afternoon was priceless), and some demand we not play on the stairs close to their restaurant located at the base of the CN tower.

    A group of people wearing matching jerseys and holding instruments stands outside Skydome watching a conductor in jersey 94 with the word dictator on the back.
    Argonotes outside gate 2 – our traditional post game concert location

    Starting next season, the Argos will have new ownership and a new home at BMO Field. I’m excited for an open-air stadium experience, thrilled to be getting away from the scheduling nightmare that has been part of the Argos’ season of late, but also sad that all of my familiar landmarks (and favourite stadium food) won’t be part of my game day experience anymore. The memories, and there are so very many of them, will continue to live on though. Whether it was Pinball’s Last Run in September of 2000, Rickey Foggie’s amazing game in 1990 (7 touchdowns and 100 yards – and he was the BACKUP quarterback), the hometown heroics of the 2012 Grey Cup, Rocket Ismail’s 87 yard kickoff return int he 1991 East Final, or watching Doug Flutie and Pinball Clemons join forces in the 1997 Eastern Final to lead the Argos to the Grey Cup, the SkyDome will always have a place in my heart.  Next season, marks a new era for the Toronto Argonauts, one that will hopefully return the excitement the city used to feel about the oldest professional sports team in North America still playing under its original name (and the oldest professional football team in North America). BMO field will be the Argos’ 5th home in the team’s 143 year history and I’m hopeful that the team will re-capture some of the magic I remember from Exhibition Stadium.

    Tonight, however, I’m heading into Toronto, making the familiar turns towards the SkyDome, meeting up with the band at Front and Simcoe, doing a little bar crashing on the way into SkyDome, playing during breaks in the game (and watching the game when it’s on), and heading outside for one last Gate 2 post game concert, trying to pack a few more SkyDome memories into my heart. ARRRRRGOOOOOOSSSSSS!

    A marching band wearing matching grey t-shirts holds up instruments in a parking lot. The conductor is looking at the camera, the musicians are focussed on the conductor
    Photo (I think) by Wayne Dawe – from Argonotes.com. Our pre-game warmup spot in warmer weather circa 2002. That parking lot is now a condo building.

     

  • Thoughts on She’s Connected 2012

    Thoughts on She’s Connected 2012

    In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been blogging over at my other blog Adventures with my BlackBerry for the last few months.  I’m going to have another wrap up there but from the technological side of things – how my BlackBerry helped me make connections and made my conference experience more enjoyable.  This is more about the experience I had at She’s Connected (or SCCTO which was the twitter hashtag for the event), what I learned, and the great people I met.

    Overall, I had a great time at She’s Connected. The getting up at the crack of dawn wasn’t something I was looking forward to but I had great carpool with Courtney and Jacki and not only did we get to the hotel an hour before the conference breakfast was supposed to start, the fabulous people at the Renaissance Hotel were able to check us into our room super early (at 7am) so that we didn’t have to come back later and check in or try to do it after the conference when we were tired etc.  I have to say that the Renaissance is a fabulous hotel, and I wish I’d spent more than just one night there!   I’d go back for Grey Cup in the blink of an eye but it’s definitely out of my price range!

    I learned a lot about myself at the conference.  I learned I can be funny and witty in real life even with strangers and when I’m scared to death that I’ll say something stupid and they will write me off as a moron.  I learned that mink eyelashes are pretty cool and very dramatic but take a long time to get used to.  I learned that having a professional do a blow out on my hair leads to the same result as me doing one – flat hair in less than an hour!  Not that the stylist from Blo wasn’t really good, but my hair is stupid that way.  It looked fabulous for the hour, but then it was just messy and full of product.   I learned that I really get a kick out of people complementing me on my business cards (which were super fabulous thanks to Lindsay from Grace Announcements).

    The sessions were amazing.  It’s impossible to pick just one to single out as the best.  One of the best part of the sessions was that the panelists and speakers were more than willing to meet and speak with the attendees after the panels.  There were 2 time slots in which I couldn’t find a session that I really wanted to attend, one on Friday and one on Saturday.  This worked out pretty well because it gave me a chance to hang out in the McCafe lounge and get my nails painted and enjoy a chair massage.  On Friday I got to hang out in the Molson 67 lounge and learn about pairing Beer and Cheese.  This was really awesome and I’m never going back to wine and cheese again.

    A hightop bar table with 1 small glass of beer, an empty glass, and a plate of cheese between the two glasses.
    Beer and cheese = nature’s perfect pairing.

    I learned a lot about trying to find a niche in the overcrowded world of online writing, editing and social media.  I got some awesome advice from awesome people.  I got to meet people with whom I’ve been tweeting and BBMing for over a year. I learned that if I love blogging (and I do) I should keep doing it.  That getting a chance at a community manager position isn’t as impossible a dream as I thought it would be and that some brands and agencies are okay with paying bloggers.

    I missed the Friday ’80s Party because I wanted to go watch the Argos Lose Argo game and play with Argonotes.  I love playing with the best band in the CFL.  Even when the team loses, we get to go out and entertain thousands of people.  I did, however, stick around for the Shades of Grey party on Saturday night.  There’s not a lot to say about that Party other than wow.  I got gel nail polish put on – it’s supposed to last 2 weeks and so far it’s lasted through me digging in sand and typing so I’m impressed.  The food was delicious!  It’s A Cake Thing made some of the best cookies and cupcakes that I’ve ever had!  They looked as good as they tasted.

    a tray with 12 vanilla cupcakes with white frosting in 3 rows of 4. The front and back rows have decorations in greyscale on them
    The Shades of Grey Cupcakes

    All in all it was a great 2 days.  I’m glad it was only 2 days because I was exhausted at the end of the party.  I know I’ve missed some wonderful people and things in this wrap up but the point is, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go again next year.

  • The Good, the Bad, and the Argos

    The Good, the Bad, and the Argos

    I’m not going to play armchair GM at 2 am the morning after a loss.  Especially after a home game where I didn’t see all of the game because I was playing in the band.  Yes the Argos played badly, no I don’t have a magic fix to make the season all better.  It wasn’t just one thing or one player that made the team lose, it was a number of factors working together.  It’s really easy to lay the blame at the feet of a single player but football is a team sport.  Part of the Argos’ trouble seems to be an inability to deal with unexpected changes such as a key player going down to injury.  If left to their own game plan, the Argos seem to be a decent (Not spectacular) team; but when a monkey wrench is thrown into the works, such as Rob Murphy’s injury this week or Kevin Eiben’s injury a few weeks ago, the team collapses in on itself.  I think it goes back to confidence and the Argos seem to be lacking in it.  When everything is carefully scripted, they’re fine but going off script is disastrous because the players are worried that in doing so they’ll make a mistake.  The most dangerous thing to be in football is cautious – it’s also the most boring!   There’s nothing worse than a team playing to not lose.  I can root for a losing team, but not a boring team.  Other than some spectacular special teams plays by Chad Owens. the Argos were boring tonight  There was a lot of potential to not be boring  – there was a great string of 1st downs in the first quarter but then the drive ended with a rather anti-climatic field goal.  Turnovers were not capitalized on, turning an exciting event into nothing.  Again I’m not sure how to fix it but I’m hoping one of the coaches on the Argos does.

    Even with the loss, the Argo game was fun tonight.  That’s the best thing about being in Argonotes – even when the team on the field is less than entertaining, the band is always awesome.  At halftime tonight, we did our usual show – 4 or 5 songs to a small but loyal crowd by gate 5.  As we were playing our first song, I noticed 2 little girls dancing along to the band.  I went over to our director Dictator’s big bag o’ musical toys and dug out a tambourine and gave it to the girls.  The look on their face was of pure delight.  They shook it together and were generally adorable.   Their dad took some pictures and the girls were having a great time.  For the next song, I asked the girls if they wanted to play WITH the band.  Our fantastic bass drummer Tyler came in front of the band and let the younger girl “help” play the bass drum and the older girl got to play the tambourine in front of the band, wearing the Dictators furry blue hat.  The looks of joy on their faces made my whole night.  To make things even better, when I was walking around the Dome after our half-time show, I saw the family.  The girls came up to me and thanked me and then the older one went to call her mum and was eagerly telling her about being IN the band.  The grandmother told me that we had made their night extra special and that they’d remember it for a long time.Thinking about that makes me put the loss in perspective.  The Argos may not have won, but this Argonote sure did.

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