Jenn Writes

Tag: Argos

  • 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.

     

  • Hair today…

    Hair today…

    I have a love-hate relationship with my hair. It grows quickly, which is both a blessing and a curse (my one experiment with a fringe was extremely frustrating as I had to trim it weekly to keep it out of my eyes). I’m never sure what colour my hair is – it’s either light brown or dark blonde depending on the lighting and the season. In the summer, I get gorgeous natural highlights. I’ve dyed my hair twice – not permanently, and not recently. Again, the quick rate at which my hair grows would mean that I’d be forever touching up roots and that isn’t something I want to spend time and money on. My hair is what my former stylist (he retired from the haircut business to teach others how to work magic on hair at the high school trade level) calls “poker straight”. I will never need a straightener. It is also incredibly soft. So soft that clips and pony tail holders often slide out. I’ve had some success with curling irons but it usually involves mousse in damp hair and half a container of hairspray to get a couple hours of moderate curl. My hair is fine – when it is short (at my ears or even at my chin) it seems even finer. So for the last decade or so I’ve kept it shoulder length or longer. Every couple of years I donate my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. The minimum donation length is 8” but I’ve donated 15” twice (I still had “medium-long” hair afterwards too). I’m at the point where my hair hits the small of my back so I need to do something about it. This is where the trouble starts.

    I’m not a fashionista. I don’t like looking through beauty magazines because doing so often brings up all sorts of body image issues. I don’t know what type of hairstyle would look good on me and though I want a change, I don’t want a drastic one. My best friend has been hounding me for years to get a short haircut. I don’t think that going from below the bra line hair to a short cut would be too drastic for me. I also have a practical need for slightly longer hair – I work with kids who have special needs and being able to pull my hair back so that it can’t be pulled is really useful. I don’t want to have to pull it back all the time and right now it is so long that having it tied back is the only practical option, whether it is in an updo or a braid. I’d love to have hair that didn’t need to be tied back or done up all the time but I’m not sure what that would look like. The other problem is that since my stylist retired, I’ve been bouncing around and haven’t yet found anyone I trust completely. I have had some really bad haircuts in my past when hairdressers didn’t listen to me or when their idea of a trim ended up being 4” shorter than my idea of a trim. I’m not the kind of girl who washes her hair daily (it’s too soft as it is, and washing it daily makes it even softer and completely unmanageable). I own a blow dryer but have used it mostly to make melted crayon art. I don’t want to buy (or use) a ton of hair products, and I really don’t have time in the morning to spend more than 10 minutes on my hair trying to make it look “right”. I need a style that is pretty much wash and wear.

    The final issue is that the last time I donated my hair, it didn’t go as planned. I raised money to support breast cancer research, and donated my hair at a Toronto Argos game. It was my 4th donation so I knew what to expect – two elastics, hair cut in between them. Except the volunteer hair stylist (a friend of a friend) didn’t follow the program and cut 2” above the top elastic. This made my hair seriously uneven and when it was evened up, it was too short to pull back. I cried for days. It grew back, as it always does, but I don’t want to have that happen again. Given that horrible experience, you may ask why I want to donate my hair again. The answer is simple: it’s something I can do to help others. After the last debacle, while I was feeling sorry for myself after the game, someone approached me to thank me. He told me that a close friend had received a wig through the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign and that it had given her a much needed boost in morale at a very difficult time in life. I have never forgotten his words that night or the picture he brought to show me at the next home game of his friend. I feel that donating my hair is something I should do because I can and because it is a small gesture that can help a woman going through hell. So I’m announcing it here – I’m going to donate my hair in the near future.

     

    Now all I need is to figure out what to do with it after my donation. I’m including a pic of what my hair looked like 6 months after my last donation it grew out quickly – it took a lot of fussing with the curling iron to get it to flip and there is a section at the back that flipped the other way so I don’t really want to do this again.  Besides it’s not really a style it’s just shorter hair that still doesn’t do anything. My hair looks like that now except it’s a good foot longer.

    %{include image.html url=“/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jenn-36.jpg” alt=“Jenn smiles at the camera wearing a light blue shirt and sporting hair that is just at her shoulders.” description=“Time to go back to this?”}

  • The Grey Cup with BlackBerry

    The Grey Cup with BlackBerry

    It’s no secret that I love my BlackBerry devices. I also love the Canadian Football League. With the 100th Grey Cup practically in my backyard, I decided that once again this year, I was going to go and report from the big game without taking my old and heavy laptop. This year, however, I did add the BlackBerry Bluetooth keyboard for my PlayBook. This gave me more functionality with very little additional weight.

    I also added a second battery and charging case (which is basically a small case for the extra battery that you plug the regular micro usb adapter into) for my trusty Bold 9900. I knew I would be putting in some very long days and didn’t want to need to find somewhere to plug in my BlackBerry. Between the 2 batteries, I got somewhere in the range of 12-13 hours of heavy use out of my Bold each day. My BlackBerry was in hand from the time I got up (around 6am each day) until I finally got back to my hotel room somewhere between midnight and 1 am.

    I was pulling double duty at the Grey Cup this year – as a member of Argonotes (the official pep band of the Toronto Argonauts) and as a member of the media for Rouge Radio.com. I could not have successfully done both things without my BlackBerry calendar to help me keep track of where I needed to be and when. It was indispensable for getting press releases, schedule updates, and interview requests into my hands immediately so that I could add or adjust my schedule accordingly. Between my Bold and my PlayBook, I had everything I needed: email, calendar, documents to go, a voice recorder, cameras, a phone, access to text messages, Twitter, Facebook, and, of course, BlackBerry Messenger.

    I recorded interviews on my PlayBook while tweeting and taking pictures on my Bold or vice versa. I typed game notes on my PlayBook with the keyboard while watching the game. I freaked out another reporter by using the remote control feature to type on my PlayBook from 2 rows back in the press box. Having words appear on the tablet next to you that you were asked to watch for a couple of minutes can be a freaky experience, especially when the words are addressed specifically to you. (Yes I know, it was wrong to use my PlayBook to freak out other people but it was a prank I’d been planning for awhile and the opportunity presented itself at the Vanier Cup on Friday night.)

    The combination of my Bold 9900 and my PlayBook were all I needed to make the most of my Grey Cup experience – no need to lug around a heavy, awkward laptop, a voice recorder, or a camera – just my trusty BlackBerry Bold 9900 and my PlayBook.

    I will note that being able to update my Facebook, Twitter, and BBM statuses with things like “I just drank out of the Grey Cup” was awesome. I uploaded a ton of Photos, directly from my devices, often while walking between events.

    Have you ever used a tablet instead of a Laptop? Would you consider leaving the laptop at home for a major conference or event?

    Exterior view of the Rogers Centre with 2 banners, a horizontal one reading 100th Grey Cup and a vertical one featuring an image of the Grey cup
    Banners outside the Rogers Centre

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  • 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.

  • Bye Week

    Bye Week

    So it’s the bye week for my team the Toronto Argos – I’m going through withdrawal even though there were 2 very good teams playing football this week.  The Bye week means that we’re halfway through the CFL season – It feels like it just started yesterday.  I’m not ready for the regular season to be over in 8 short weeks!  the CFL season is so short compared to the off-season.  Pretty soon it will be November and November means PLAYOFFS.  I dearly hope that my Argos  turn things around and make it into the playoffs!  There’s nothing better than playoff football.  And while I root for the Argos, that  doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good game no matter who is playing.  This week was a prime example of why I love the CFL – Both games went down to the final two minutes, and both of my picks were right (but boy was I nervous!).

     

    I was rooting for Winnipeg primarily because of the flak Tina LaPolice got for daring to express an opinion.  I don’t believe that anything is different because she is the wife of the Head Coach of the Bombers.  I think she has a right to cheer for the team and not take crap from certain loudmouthed players and fans on twitter.  It even says in her twitter bio that her opinions are her own.  I LOVE her twitter bio Football wife, mother of 2 gorgeous babes! Opinions are my own, not that of my husband! It’s not the 50’s..I say what I want! Still!!   I think the whole situation got seriously blown out of proportion.   When Dave Stala commented about wanting to take the swag out of swaggerville, she replied “We’ll see hacky sack boy!” – the Hacky sack boy comment refers to a touchdown celebration in which Stala plays hacky sack with the football (how this doesn’t run afoul of the non celebration rule still boggles my mind).  That’s it.  That was the comment that got everyone riled up.  Seriously?  Don’t you people have better things to do with your time?  Tina is a strong woman who has strong beliefs – she was a Bomber’s cheerleader too so it’s natural for her to stick up for her team.  I know I’m in the minority here, but I salute her and hope that she continues to show confidence in her team.  They are one of the best stories of the 2011 CFL season to date – Yes Calvillo breaking the passing records is a great story but it was expected.  I’m not sure that anyone expected the Bombers to be 7-1 at the midway point.  Instead of making a twitter tempest in a teapot, let’s celebrate the great season the Bombers are having – and this despite the untimely death of their Assistant Head Coach Richard Harris earlier this season.

    I will also add to the twitter follower who told me after I tweeted in support of @tinalapo … “Of course you’d defend her your (sic)  a mouthy broad too”.  Thanks.  I will take that as a complement.

  • Venturing into Enemy Territory

    Venturing into Enemy Territory

    Every fan of a CFL team needs to go on a road trip with their team at least once in their lifetime.  It may not be feasible to go and see your team in every CFL city but hopefully you can go to the one closest to you.  It truly is an unforgettable experience.

    For starters, just getting to Hamilton is an adventure in one way streets, streets that suddenly end, and road closures.  So much fun.  It’s almost like they don’t want opposing fans to find the stadium.

    There is no real, designated parking lot near the stadium, instead you get to drive up and down all the streets around Ivor Wynne and (in my case) settle on a street in a not too bad in daylight but sketchy as all get out neighbourhood and walk for 15 minutes to the stadium.  At least it was free.

    The game day experience is truly awesome though.  Granted I didn’t wear my Argo blues until I was safely in the stadium and sitting with other Argo fans.  As a female walking on my own, it just wasn’t worth the hassle.

    95% of Hamilton fans are great people out for fun at a game.  The other 5% are drunken jerks who are not really football fans so much as they are drinking fans.  These are the ones who have already put back 4 or 5 beers before they get to the stadium, consume another 4  during the game (what happened to not being served if you were intoxicated?) and then resume drinking when they are either ejected from the stadium or after the game.  I like to actually watch a football game and remember that I was there, so I don’t get the whole “how much can I drink before, during and after the game” philosophy.

    About 5 minutes into the game, the heavens opened up a bit.  It rained fairly steadily for about 15 minutes.  That’s the beauty of outdoor football people!  I brought a rain poncho for myself and at the last-minute had stuck in a package of the disposable ponchos – which came in handy.  The amusing thing was that all the Ti-cat fans around us ran for the exits to get out of the rain while the Toronto fans stuck it out.  Shouldn’t it have been the other way around since the Argo fans are used to the comfort of the Rogers Centre Skydome?  I love football outside – although I would think twice about bringing my piccolo out to play in the band when it would get rained on.

    Halftime included an awesome tribute to  Bernie Custis, a true football pioneer. Custis was the first African-American quarterback to play in the CFL.  After an outstanding collegiate career with the Syracuse Orangemen, Custis was told that he could not play the position he had excelled at.  The Cleveland Browns, one of the more progressive teams in the NFL, told Custis that if he wanted to play, he would have to convert to be a running back.  Custis declined, and instead headed north to Canada.  As he said last night, in Canada he had the freedom that he had lacked in the US.  Freedom to play the position he excelled at regardless of the colour of his skin.  Custis earned the starting position in his first year in the CFL and went on to play 8 more seasons with the Tiger Cats.  As the first African-American quarterback in professional football, Custis blazed a path that many have followed.  Without Custis there would be no Damon Allen, no Henry Burris, no Warren Moon.  If Bernie Custis had simply accepted the position change to running back, who knows when the next opportunity for an African-American quarterback would have arrived.    A truly remarkable man with a great story.  There is a documentary film coming out in the new year and I can’t wait to watch the story of this hall-of-fame quarterback!

    The PA announcer at Ivor Wynne does a great job of getting the fans into the game.  Toronto could learn a lot from the Ti-cats in this regard.  Even the amusing scoreboard animation when there was a video review got the fans geared up and making noise.  I was glad I brought earplugs, and not just because I was sitting between two Argo fans with very loud noisemakers.  There weren’t a lot of Argo fans in the stands at Ivor Wynne – but the ones who made the trip down the QEW made sure the team knew they were there!

    The atmosphere in Ivor Wynne Stadium is a lot more electric than at the Rogers Centre.  The fans may be chanting “Argos Suck”  or some other equally inventive cheer but they’re loud and they’re proud.  Toronto fans could take a lesson from their Hamilton counterparts – on Thursday, be loud and brash (but please skip being drunk and obnoxious) and come cheer on your Argonaut football team.   I know it’s being called the “bottom bowl” and that both teams are 1-6.  Even more reason to come out and support the Double Blue – it’s easy to be a fan when the team is winning.  It’s much harder to stick by them when they’re frustrating to watch and losing games you think they should win.

    All in all it was a great experience.  Yes there were a few drunken idiots who hassled me as i tried to get to my car.  Better alcohol control in the stadium would improve things immensely in that regard.  That said, I will still go back to Hamilton the next time the Argos play there and cheer loudly and proudly for the Double Blue.

  • Why I love the CFL

    Why I love the CFL

    I am a football fan.  I like pretty much any football – Canadian, American, college, junior, heck even midget and pee-wee.  I love the strategy and tactics of the game.  Football is a giant chess match played with rather large pieces and at a full contact pace.  To anyone who says that football players aren’t intelligent, I dare you to read and understand a playbook.  Even once you know the playbook you have to constantly adapt and make split-second decisions.  Football is truly an intellectual sport.  I love the challenge of sitting in the stands or standing on the sidelines and predicting (with decent accuracy too) what play is going to come next or what the defensive response is going to be.

    But there’s another reason I love the CFL.  The players.  You’d be hard pressed to find another group of professional athletes as devoted to their communities as the CFL players are.  Players on any given team make hundreds (yes hundreds) of community appearances each year.  Most of these are done quietly and with very little fanfare.  For example, Taylor Robertson of the Toronto Argonauts set up his own foundation last year – the Life on the Line foundation – dedicated to raising money for Breast Cancer research.  Taylor makes dozens of appearances for his charity over and above what he already does as a member of the Argonauts.  These are on his down time.  After a long day of practicing or on a rare day off, he chooses to go out and make a difference.  It’s not an Argo thing either – I can cite examples on every single CFL team of a player who goes above and beyond.

    Like Marwan Hage of the Hamilton Tiger Cats.   (Why does it seem like the biggest guys on the team are the softest touches?)  Not satisfied with simply bringing a minor football team to every game to watch from the “Hage’s Heroes” seats (which in itself is pretty awesome), Hage also gets involved in the Hamilton food bank and with kids at McMaster Children’s Hospital.  Let’s not forget the Ticats QB Kevin Glenn who, in partnership with local Tim Hortons owners in Hamilton is bringing 250 kids from the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation to the game on Saturday.  Wow.

    I’m not going to list every single CFL player who has a charitable organization – the list would be too long.  But even if a player hasn’t founded or partnered with an organization, it doesn’t mean that they’re still not active in the community.   I have been going to CFL games for 30 years now (yep since I was an infant!).  I have yet to see a player refuse a fan an autograph.  I have more often than not seen players who were hot and tired after a hard-fought game wanting nothing more than to jump in a hot tub or a cool shower stay and sign autographs for waiting fans.  That, more than any other reason is why I love the CFL.  This Is our league.

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