JASTER’S JABBERINGS: Riders’ stadium quickly feels like their new home

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2017 (2992 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was one question going through the minds of Brandon University Bobcats and Winnipeg football fans a few years ago.

It’s now a question Saskatchewan football fans are dealing with: When does a new stadium feel like home?

Bobcats fans encountered this with the opening of the Healthy Living Centre, Winnipeg football fans with Investors Group Field and now Saskatchewan football fans with new Mosaic Stadium.

I was hesitant about the new stadium in Regina, since the old one meant so much. I went to Roughrider games as a child with my dad and grandfathers — the three had season tickets together for years. It was irreplaceable bonding time with them and that’s also where my passion for the sport developed.

There were so many games that stand out in my mind, the Blackout Bowl, numerous Labour Day Classics and four straight playoff games from 2007 to 2010, three of which I went to as a fan, the other as a reporter.

I went to my first Grey Cup in that stadium, watching the Baltimore Stallions hoist the Canadian Football League’s championship trophy in 1995. I also saw Edmonton and Saskatchewan do the same there in 2003 and 2013, respectively, to complete the trifecta of title games played in that stadium.

My professional life is also intertwined with that old stadium. I interviewed fans there for a story the day Ron Lancaster passed away and did another fan story at their next game on the reaction to the tributes.

I staffed Rider home games as a freelancer for The Canadian Press, experiencing both the deadline stress of tight games and interviewing some legendary players in both locker-rooms.

I was there for the final game last year and teared up during the post-game ceremony while surrounded by my parents, my sister, brother-in-law, two nephews (who experienced their first football game then) and other family members.

So as excited as I was to see the new Mosaic Stadium with a large group of friends on Saturday, when the Riders defeated Crocus Plains graduate Landon Rice and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37-20, there was a bit of hesitancy as well.

As it turned out, there was no need to be worried. The new stadium is phenomenal. It both honours the past and looks very modern.

Just outside the stadium is a statue right by the fan wall, three plaques which people paid money to have their names posted on to show their dedication to the organization. Metal benches nearby resemble those in the west-end stands of the old Mosaic Stadium as well.

Inside, there are posters honouring all four championship teams, one area of the concourse has columns with colourful wood on the outside that resembles the wooden benches on the east-side stands at the old stadium.

The sightlines are fantastic as well. I moved around and it doesn’t appear that any of the 33,000 seats are bad.

With a full green colour scheme around the stadium — including seats and signage — anyone not wearing that colour sticks out like a sore thumb.

But the best part that carried over is the fans. Old Mosaic was known for being loud and educated fans who made noise when the opposing team is on offence and were quiet when the Riders have the ball. That didn’t go anywhere.

In fact, the energy in the stadium started before the Riders even came out of the tunnel and it’s pretty loud in the new place with a fantastic atmosphere.

As I was walking back from the game, I passed the old stadium, and felt that energy that I felt every time I approached those stands for a game as both a reporter and a fan.

The old one will be missed, but there are a lot of aspects that won’t be, like dripping pipes, squishing into your spot on a bench and trough urinals.

That stadium will always hold a special place in my heart and a lot of precious memories, but it doesn’t take long to adjust to the new facility. In fact, I’d say it already feels like home.

A few other notes for this week

• The North American Indigenous Games begins in Toronto next week and will feature Westman athletes competing in softball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, swimming and archery. I would like to wish good luck to everyone heading out there at the event, which runs from July 17 to 22.

• If you’re looking for something different and fun to do this week, head to Kinsmen Arena on Friday. The Wheat City Roller Derby League is hosting a roller disco public skate night, which begins at

7 p.m. People who have their own skates can use them or there will be some there to be used if you don’t have any. The cost to attend is $5 and there will be prizes for best costume.

• The local derby girls will also be playing on Saturday at Kinsmen Arena. Scarlet Fever takes on the Gravediggers at

6 p.m., followed by Team Manitoba playing the Sugar Skulls.

• The midget AA baseball provincials also run at Andrews and Sumner Fields from Friday to Sunday. Head down there to check out some great ball.

• The provincial mixed pairs lawn bowling championship is being held at the Wheat City club this weekend. Game times are 1 and 7 p.m. on Friday,

8:30 a.m., 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturday and, if necessary,

8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Six teams, including three from Brandon, are going for the title, and it’s free to watch.