Grey Cup Vancouver 2011

Who could have predicted this at the start of the year when they at Empire Stadium and going 0-5????  Every newspaper in the city and fans alike were wondering what was going on with our Lions.  We only hoped that they could turn things around once we were in their old stomping grounds at BC Place.  And boy did they not dissapoint!  Once they found their game, they didn't let up!  

As I limped my way to the East entrance of  BC Place wearing my FIFA runners cause there was no way my feet would walk in heels again after the day before, I could feel the energy of the crowd in the city.  It was amazing seeing all the rainbows of canadian jerseys everywhere.  I got into the stadium and had a coffee, some pizza and a couple of Advils to stop the thumping in my head.  I was supposed to work with Stephanie in hospitality for the Tailgating Party held inside the conference room area for family and friends of the players. However, that required alot of walking and at that point, my feet didn't really feel up to it.  So I passed on her recruitment of me, put on a headset and walked up to Gate E.  About six minutes before Gates were to open, I snuck inside the stadium to see what the field looked like.  The BC Lions were out and just stretching and doing some warm-up stuff.

Then I looked up at the big screen and saw this.

I then headed outside Gate E and got ready for a big day.  There were all sorts of fans out.  Every color of the rainbow.  Normally, in hockey, you would either see one or the other's teams jersey's being represented but not in Grey Cup.  Every fan of the CFL comes out supporting their teams colors and have a big old party the whole weekend to celebrate the game!  These two in particular stood out to me.

Its amazing how many poeple from Saskatchewan actually live in BC.  They come out in droves during regular season and they didn't dissapoint this day either.  "Rider Pride" is what they call it.  But I'm not sure how much "pride" is in this Rider fan. BC Lions fans kept stopping to take pics with them...haha!

I saw a lady sitting by the big blue letter "E" for the longest time. I went over to her and asked if she was waiting for someone.  Turns out her daughter was friends with Brett Johnson's wife.  She had come up from Maine and had no idea it was Grey Cup Weekend.  Her daughter had invited her to the game.  She said she was in her hotel lobby the other day and she saw a group of men come in with face paint on, and thats when she realized it wasn't just any regular game she was going to.  So my CAT partner, Kevin, who was also with me outside the gate, sat down next to her and he got her all straightened out with Canadian CFL rules as she didn't realize it was different from NFL.  We stayed around her to make sure she was alright until her daughter showed up with her 4 week old baby named Roman.  He was so cute all bundled up strapped into those baby slings in the front.

Here are some pics from the game.

Game Regulars and saw them lots during the Festival

6 minutes left in the game

Nickelback was the halftime show.  I didn't watch inside but it was playing on all the television sets around the concourse.  Most of the fans came out for halftime to get something to eat or drink or go to the bathroom.  It was extremely hot in the concourse area so I stood by the BC Place security and hosts against the nice cold door that had a bit of draft coming in....it felt nice.  The smoke from the pyro at halftime was still trapped inside the building as the roof was closed the whole time.  The noise inside the stadium the fans made was deafening.  I had to run up a couple pieces of ID to someone in the stands in the 2nd quarter and it was crazy.  I don't think I could have stayed there the entire time.  At around the beginning of the 3rd quarter, the CAT team headed down for break.  I bought myself the Steveston Fish and Chips for dinner.  It was pretty good.

We watched the game from the inner bowels of BC Place while we eat and drank and then headed back up with 10 mins left in the 4th to make sure everyone left.  That took awhile.  The BC Lions were presented with the GREY CUP and the celebration started.  The brother of one of the players came up to me and asked how he could get down on the field with him.  He didn't have a wristband like the other family members did.  I told him to try a couple of things and if that didn't work, to go down to the lower bowl and try to flag him down to get him onto the field.

Picture by Hosea Chung of 24 Hrs.

I guess the formula works.  Canucks lose the Stanley Cup playoffs and the BC Lions will go on the win the Grey Cup!  They are the 2nd major sports team in Vancouver to win Championships this year!  First the Vancouver Canadians and now the BC Lions.  The Vancouver Canucks could learn a few things from these guys on how its done!  Congrats to the BC Lions for an incredible year.  

The BC Lions Grey Cup Party will be taking place November 30 at BC Place from 6-8pm.  You will be able to get autographs and pics taken with the players and be able to buy more Grey Cup merchandise.  Door will be open at 5pm at Gates A and H.  I'll be there. :)