University of Waterloo celebrates homecoming with football, reunions and alumni events

The University of Waterloo marked Homecoming with a full slate of events. CTV's Hannah Schmidt reports.

The University of Waterloo marked homecoming on Saturday with a full slate of events, highlighted by the Warriors’ football matchup against the Queen’s Gaels.

“Really, our mentality this year has just been to focus on us...we know it’s a war of attrition,” said Nick Orr, quarterback for the Waterloo Warriors. “[The Gaels] have a pretty deep team as well...we’re not really worried about anything that they necessarily present, we’re trying to reach on that. We’re just going to play our best game and then let the game come to us.”

Alumni and students gathered on campus for reunions, tours and community activities, alongside the tailgates and football game that drew upwards of 4,000 fans to the stands.

“It’s always just the affinity for your alma mater right?” said Roly Webster, director of athletics and recreation at the University of Waterloo. “People come home where you had a great experience, hopefully a great student experience and for our student athletes, their affinity is defined by their student athlete experience. So, I think it’s really an exciting day...a packed crowd here, the grandstand sold out.”

Webster said the weekend is designed to connect past and present students while showcasing school pride.

“It’s a great facility that provides a great environment on all sides of the field, we put on a good show,” he said, laughing.

Students and attendees said the chance to experience the celebrations with graduates adds to the atmosphere.

“There’s a unique kind of tight knit community that comes with Waterloo that just felt different from the start and it’s certainly been reaffirmed in my time here for sure. Days like this are no exception,” said Orr.

“We came from Milton to watch our grandson play, he’s on the Warriors,” said one couple. “We love this, we love to meet and support our family where they are.”

The Warriors hosted Queen’s in their marquee game of the weekend. Despite a home game advantage, the Warriors lost to their rivals, going 18-58.

This didn’t stop the fans from having fun. Other activities included faculty reunions, guided tours and family-friendly programming across campus.

“All the people are like friends, family, we really enjoy it,” said one attendee who’s been coming to Warrior games for three years. “There’s good food here...and just the atmosphere. I think everyone likes each other and you can have a chat and meet different people.”

The university said homecoming remains one of the most important weekends of the year for fostering community spirit and maintaining connections with alumni.

“The brand of homecoming is something that we’ve really tried to promote, and it should be on of our biggest events where our alumni are coming home,” Webster said.