Some football fans disappointed, others make the most of postponed Rider game

Fans line up at Mosaic Stadium to catch the matchup between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Calgary Stampeders. (Damian Smith / CTV News)

With the air quality too poor for the matchup between the Riders and the Stampeders to continue Friday night, some football fans were left disappointed, with others trying to make the most of it.

Earlier in the day, the Riders had anticipated a clear evening and that the game would go as scheduled.

“The guidance we had tonight was that it was going to clear,” Roughriders’ CEO Craig Reynolds said on Friday. “Right around game time or right before game time, the smoke was coming from the west. It cleared in Moose Jaw, which was for us, the signal that it was going to clear in Regina.”

However, as the day went on, the air quality health index reached a 10, which is considered an extreme risk to the public.

The Riders held onto hope to play the game, with hopes of even starting the match at 11:15 p.m.

Unfortunately, the smoke was too much of a risk for the players and the fans, so the game was postponed to Saturday.

“When kickoff was supposed to happen last night, it would have been the equivalent of, over three hours, smoking one to two cigarettes,” said Chris Pascoe, an associate professor at the University of Manitoba. “If you were exposed for the whole day at that level, it would be the equivalent of roughly eight cigarettes.”

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Some fans were able to find a positive spin in an unfortunate evening.

“They’re great rivals and they’re great fans,” said Jason Baillie, a Stampeder fan visiting from Calgary. “We just kind of chopped it up with some of the Riders’ fans, met some people and hung out.”

“Generating those conversations with the opposing team’s fans, that was the positive that we can shed the light on is having those conversations and camaraderie with the fans here,” said Brendan Toft, who made the trip with Baillie.

Some home fans were not so lucky, with an entire family unable to stay another day in Regina.

“My sister had other plans for today, so she’s just left to go back to saskatoon,” said Mathew Clark, a Riders’ fan. “My parents also went back out to the lake.”

Saskatchewan players and coaches praised Rider Nation for their passion and sticking out the long delay Friday.

“[They] went through my mind a lot last night in the locker room,” quarterback Trevor Harris said following the game Saturday afternoon. “Like the fans were out there sitting that long. We have the best fan base in the league. And I was really happy to see our fan base come out today.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get a win for them,” he added.

“That was unbelievable. We appreciate you,” head coach Corey Mace said. “We kind of expect that here but it was just awesome to solidify that.”

Many fans had this game marked on their calendars, with both teams having successful years in the West Division.

The game started at 2 p.m. on Saturday, ending in a 24-10 win for the Stampeders, who now tie the Riders for first in the league, both with records of 4-1.

-With files from Allison Bamford & Donovan Maess