Hello Goodbye

The end of May signals two events for me in my life. It's the SAM music festival which for many of my students is the culmination...Grey Cup if you will...of their piano music year. My reward for successfully navigating the four day event is that Roughrider Training Camp starts at the end of it. Finally, the off season is over, the new regime has rebuilt our team and Rider fans can finally move on from 2015. Just as I tell my piano students, if you can make your audience feel something, whether good or bad, during your performance you will be more memorable. They may not recall the notes but they will recall the emotions you evoked. The same can be said for Roughrider fans. We've ridden the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. We've run the gamut of emotion and that etches deep memories in the fabric of Rider Nation.

I was asked yesterday about my memories at Mosaic Stadium. 2016 is the final year at Taylor Field at Mosaic Stadium before the Saskatchewan Roughriders move into their new digs at “new” Mosaic Stadium. Being as big of a fan as I am, it haunts me that I wasn't at the 2013 Grey Cup. Why? WHY? Wasn't I there? I try to tell myself that it was too cold the week before and we didn't know what the weather was going to do. Then there was the question of accommodations and oh yeah, Hubby and I didn't have tickets.

* Sigh *

What I know for sure is that on that single night in November 2013 The House on Piffles shined and glittered like no other stadium in the league. The aerial shots on TSN were breathtaking. Winning the 101^st Grey Cup on our own turf was magical. From the Bring 'em Out ditching of the player introductions to the final snap, Darian Durant led our team to glory under the lights before those colourful seats and 44,710 weeping fans.

If 2013 was the year all our dreams came true then 2009 was the ultimate nightmare. It's true to some extent that the 2013 Grey Cup win was redemption for losing in the unspeakable fashion that my Riders did in 2009 however, nothing can erase the bitter taste and sickened stomach as I recall kneeling on the living room floor praying for that kick to go wide...again. The next day was cloudy and insanely quiet. I stopped at a nearby Tim Hortons on the way to the music academy where I rolled my eyes at a poor fellow sporting an Allouettes jersey who obviously had lost a wager. I silently swore I'd never teach that song again. When I arrived to my classroom my Roughriders poster had been pulled off my door and tossed on the floor. Emotions were the lowest of lows but in true Rider Pride fashion it didn't stop fans from welcoming the team home to Mosaic Stadium. Darian Durant returning home cupless, broken hearted and devastated yet swearing to be Grey Cup contenders again was inspiring misery.

When you go to a football game at Taylor Field/Mosaic Stadium it is a total experience. Tailgating is a real thing where there are barbeques in the backs of pick up trucks, fans wandering in 'get ups' from watermelon helmets to green Spiderman outfits. It's a meeting place for fans who have connected on social media. It's a type of congregation. The house on Piffles of Roughrider worship under the retired numbers of the players who we continue to honour. If you haven't been to a game you absolutely must. No questions. It's heart pounding, messy, and exhilarating fireworks as Gainer rides around the field after a touchdown to the ear splitting chants of On Roughriders.

Seriously, go before you can't.

I am too young to know what Taylor Field was like when Ronnie and George made their mark. I was a stupid Grade 12 student and didn't appreciate Kent Austin enough in 1989. I wasn't there when Bon Jovi, Rolling Stones or AC/DC played Mosaic. I made absolutely sure that I was there to see Sir Paul McCartney. Imagine! One of the Beatles coming to Saskie to play a concert! Mind blowing! I've never attended a concert that made my jaw drop open in disbelief and left me feeling so incredibly loved and positive. I'll never forget Mosaic Stadium lit with thousands of tiny lights for Hey Jude or the eye popping fireworks of Live and Let Die.

I remember a time in the province of Saskatchewan when concert events didn't come here. People fled green pastures for Alberta oil fields. Lot's of musicians, if they came to Canada on tour only went to Toronto or Vancouver. It seems like another world now because we are attractive to CFL players who not only want to play here but live here. The province attracts business and promotes a sense of community. The Roughriders and Saskatchewan go hand in hand. Football is something that binds together neighbours and citizens right down to Premier Brad Wall. “How are the Riders doing?” It's something we can all discuss while waiting in line at Timmies or around the water cooler. It's also why we are picked out in crowds world wide. We are green, proud, this is where we come from and this is what Rider Nation represents and that's why it's so fitting that SASKATCHEWAN is embroidered in the very fabric of every new Adidas jersey.

It's What We're Made Of.

So how did I answer that question about memories at Mosaic Stadium? The season opener of 2015 was against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Darian Durant was back after his shoulder injury on labour day the previous year. Excitement was at an all time high. Everyone was hopeful. This was supposed to be a great group of players. We wanted them to get on track and get to that Grey Cup again. It was awesome to feel the elevation and leadership when Doubles took the field. It sounded right to hear the “black any choice” of his voice over the hush of the crowd. Then the unthinkable happened and Darian Durant went down with what we now know as an Achilles injury. “Something's wrong.” I said to Hubby. “Oh no oh no oh no. He's hurt.” And with that the stadium fell to pin dropping quiet.

I wish I had remembered anything else. This isn't exactly a happy memory. I could have recalled the preseason game against the newly expanded Ottawa REDBLACKS when it was their home game so the Riders were on the visitors bench. I could have remembered Labour Day 2015 and the massive card trick that changed from BRING 'EM OUT to the Canadian Flag. No, I mentioned our doomed seasons with Darian Durant's injury instead. It's because of the roller coaster emotion and that's what I remembered most.

We might not remember how Park de Young and Park Hughes came together to form Taylor Field. The memories of Ken Miller in red curling pants fades over time as will the pain of the 13^th man. As we know the opening refrains and dynamic endings of anthems past, the middle parts become blurry, but those middle parts are where the life of Rider Nation happens...where bridges and next verses are composed. We find ourselves in a sweet evolution chorus of saying goodbye to Old Mosaic while waving hello to the New...

...And I can't wait for more memories to be made.

Turd an Tree

It's the end of April. The purgatory of the off season. It's not quite over yet it's still a month until the 2016 session of Training Camp opens. At this point we are all yearning for Rod Blackisms and the franglish melody of Andre Proulx's voice. Or maybe you've already turned your attentions to hockey, basketball, lacrosse or even the go-fast-turn-left allure of Nascar. Yup. The CFL season can't get here soon enough.

Here are a few things which piqued my interest since my arrival home from the big apple.

While I was walking the High Line with Kelsey Grammar.... (Okay, not really, but I did see the Frasier actor himself walking down the street near the High Line, he just wasn't with me....) Rod Pederson was making CFL predictions. He apparently got all of social media abuzz and angered Eskimo fans. Who really knows how the CFL will shape up this season? They're all just pie in the sky pull 'em out of your butt predictions but you cannot deny one thing and that's the marketing genius of the voice of Canada's Team himself. This lesson was not lost on Luc Mullinder who posted a podcast with Coach Etchevarry saying some interesting comments about Darian Durant. He said something to the effect of “Darian Durant is an unproven commodity.” Like, wha? All he's done is be a Rider on 2 Grey Cup winning teams, led the Riders to back to back Grey Cup appearances in 09/10, put the whole entire team on his back in 2013. What does Darian Durant have to do to earn some respect around here? I don't see any other quarterback merely questioned about his abilities in this way in the Canadian Football League.

Here's a shocker. Ben Heenan retired from football. Wow. No one knows exactly why but in this day and age there is a lot of discussion over concussions and mental health and you have to believe it's a valid concern of his. Quality over quantity right? I wish him well in his future endeavours. In contrast, Maurice Price announced his retirement last week. Ugh. The Riders had traded some draft picks and given a signing bonus to win the guy over from Ottawa. Some say he was supposed to be the replacement for Weston Dressler. I had to keep reminding myself the whole time to a) not make fun of his fumbles anymore and b) that he was in fact a Rider in the first place. I can't help but be miffed at the guy. In his retirement address he didn't mention a team at all but thanked God for his abilities. Everyone was surprised including the Roughriders organization who basically said 'well, this opens up an opportunity for someone else.' I guess the Price wasn't right after all.

My life always seems to revolve in crazy circles involving music and football. To paraphrase a new favourite sitcom Crowded - “As long as I can watch football and eat chocolate, hook me up to every machine they've got!” Aging is not fun but I've recently started using a skin care line called Nerium. A piano students mom started me with it and I really love it. Since I started my skin tone has evened out and some light eczema I had has disappeared. What I didn't know was that football players CFL and NFL alike are using this line too. It's not really for the night cream but more for a new product called EHT which is a supplement that is supposed to help brain health and cognitive function. Jeremaine Copeland and Nik Lewis mentioned it on Twitter. I wonder how they feel about chocolate.

Last November the CFL launched a new logo which puzzled some who didn't find anything wrong with the old one. Personally, I like the new version. It's simple and clean and probably much easier to stitch on jerseys. The new Adidas jerseys will

be unveiled May 12^th. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have already announced they will be returning to their royal blue. My Saskatchewan Roughriders cleaned up their own logo and trimmed off the silver. Justin Capicciotti said they look great and he can't wait to put it on and go to battle. All of this means that before the end of May we will all be Rushing to the stores throwing financial caution to the wind and buying up all the new gear for Training Camp. Do I need another jersey? Of course!

Just don't tell my accountant.

So while the NFL is still pondering their deflated balls those of us in the CFL turned our attention to the stripes. Should CFL balls have stripes? Should they be white or black? Should we really care? Apparently the stripes have something to do with grip and some players use them as a guide on the field too. We've prided ourselves on being different in the CFL. We have the rouge. We have different sized fields and more players. For the love of Taylor Field leave our balls alone. Now if you mean, The Guys in Stripes aka the Officials, yes they do need some improvement. In fact, it was announced last week that the NFL and CFL have joined together to improve the officiating in a development program. So if you don't like the PI calls this 2016 season...blame the NFL because they're the ones making the major calls. Fair catch? Rouge? Offside? False start? This could get really confusing.

Did you know that in 1971 New York City pursued a CFL expansion team? I wonder how that would have worked out and what they would have been named. I can't help but wonder because I have such a fondness for the city. It would have given me a whole other reason to visit year after year. Andre Proulx might have had a Bronx accent (Andre from the Bloc) instead ... still leaving us to wonder what turd an tree truly means. Thankfully, their $25,000 down payment wasn't enough to make it happen and the CFL went on to create a league of fans who care about what Chris Jones is wearing.

Black.

He's wearing black.

Two newsworthy crumbs before I post:

Holy Sheets! Rod Pederson broke news that the Montreal Alouettes have confirmed Kory Sheets will be at their mini camp in Florida. I'm a huge Sheets fan and know he'll crack the roster somewhere.

Shawn #Lemondrops Lemon and Justin Capicciotti will be at the Northgate Mall in Regina Saturday April 30 1-3pm and in Saskatoon at the Lawson Heights Mall Sunday May 1^st 1-3pm. Go see them. Take them Smarties and M&M's. Tell them I said "hi".  Then get 15% off at the Rider Store. Some purchases qualify for a draw for tickets and sideline passes to the final game at Mosaic Stadium.

As always, thanks for reading.  You can find me on Twitter @smilingsandra 

All comments are appreciated!