Latest news with #CraigReynolds
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
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.' 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.' 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
The Star
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Football-Wildfire smoke forces postponement of Canadian Football League game
(Reuters) -A Canadian Football League game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders in Regina on Friday was rescheduled after a long delay due to poor air quality caused by heavy smoke from wildfires. The announcement that the game had been rescheduled to Saturday was made more than three-and-a-half hours after the scheduled kick-off time. "(The air) was going to clear right around game time or right before game time," Roughriders CEO Craig Reynolds told reporters. Scores of wildfires have been burning across Canada since the start of May, including dozens in northern Saskatchewan. "The wind just died. It just died," Reynolds said. "And so as a result, that smoke plume just sat there." Smoke from wildfires could cause disruptions when North America hosts the soccer World Cup next year. In January, Los Angeles wildfires forced the relocation or cancellation of numerous sports events, including an NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Rams and Minnesota Viking that was moved from L.A. to Glendale, Arizona. (Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Football-Wildfire smoke forces postponement of Canadian Football League game
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Canadian Football League game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders in Regina on Friday was rescheduled after a long delay due to poor air quality caused by heavy smoke from wildfires. The announcement that the game had been rescheduled to Saturday was made more than three-and-a-half hours after the scheduled kick-off time. "(The air) was going to clear right around game time or right before game time," Roughriders CEO Craig Reynolds told reporters. Scores of wildfires have been burning across Canada since the start of May, including dozens in northern Saskatchewan. "The wind just died. It just died," Reynolds said. "And so as a result, that smoke plume just sat there." Smoke from wildfires could cause disruptions when North America hosts the soccer World Cup next year. In January, Los Angeles wildfires forced the relocation or cancellation of numerous sports events, including an NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Rams and Minnesota Viking that was moved from L.A. to Glendale, Arizona. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Air India crash report shows pilot confusion over engine switch movement Singapore More NSFs may be recruited to tackle scams: Police Singapore $3 cashback for hawker centre meals and shopping at heartland stores with DBS PayLah initiative Singapore 40% more sign-ups to programmes for adult learners at institutes of higher learning in last 5 years Singapore Wegovy, injectable drug used to treat obesity, now available via prescription in Singapore Business NTT DC Reit's Singapore public offer 9.8 times oversubscribed Multimedia Which floor is this? Chongqing's maze-like environment powers its rise as a megacity Singapore Over 20 motorists caught offering illegal ride-hailing services at Changi Airport and Gardens by the Bay
Reuters
5 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Football-Wildfire smoke forces postponement of Canadian Football League game
July 12 (Reuters) - A Canadian Football League game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders in Regina on Friday was rescheduled after a long delay due to poor air quality caused by heavy smoke from wildfires. The announcement that the game had been rescheduled to Saturday was made more than three-and-a-half hours after the scheduled kick-off time. "(The air) was going to clear right around game time or right before game time," Roughriders CEO Craig Reynolds told reporters. Scores of wildfires have been burning across Canada since the start of May, including dozens in northern Saskatchewan. "The wind just died. It just died," Reynolds said. "And so as a result, that smoke plume just sat there." Smoke from wildfires could cause disruptions when North America hosts the soccer World Cup next year. In January, Los Angeles wildfires forced the relocation or cancellation of numerous sports events, including an NFL Wild Card playoff game between the Rams and Minnesota Viking that was moved from L.A. to Glendale, Arizona.
National Post
5 days ago
- Climate
- National Post
Roughriders' president Reynolds speaks after game postponement due to smoke
Due to poor air quality from wildfire smoke in Regina, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were forced to postpone Friday night's CFL game against the Calgary Stampeders to Saturday. Article content Originally scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, the two teams will now meet at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Week 6 of the CFL season. Under the CFL's weather protocol, games cannot be played when the air quality index is higher than eight, which was the case on Friday night. Models are forecasting lower levels on Saturday, which would allow the teams to play. Article content Article content Article content On Friday night, thousands of fans made their way into Mosaic Stadium ahead of the 7 p.m. start only to learn at 5:30 p.m. the game was going to be delayed by 45 minutes. After that deadline passed, another announcement was issued at 7:30 p.m. saying that the delay was being extended with no timeline attached to it. At 10 p.m., the club then said it was going to wait until 10:45 p.m. to make the official call to play at 11:15 p.m. on Friday night or move the game to Saturday at 2 p.m., which was ultimately the decision that was made. Article content Following the announcement, Roughriders president Craig Reynolds met with the media to share his thoughts on how the day played out from the team's perspective, while offering a message to the fans who stuck it out on Friday night and those who can't make it back on Saturday. Article content 'We have a meteorologist that works with us, and we start getting reports on the weather early on in the week, and early on the week, it was looking like a beautiful summer, summer night. Article content Article content 'And it was really kind of (Thursday) where we started getting alert that there was potential for smoke concerns. So when that happens, the protocol kicks in and we start meetings; joint meetings with the CFL, the visiting team, obviously members of my team and the (CFL Players' Association). And we meet regularly, starting really in the early afternoon, when we get a good sense of the models. Article content 'We have an excellent meteorologist team that actually guides us on that and looks at the models of the weather. We dealt with this in the pre-season game (and) their models are really accurate, very accurate. So much so in the pre-season game, we knew exactly when the smoke was going to clear. We set a start time at 8 p.m., we were able to start the game on time at 8 p.m. and it turned to be a beautiful evening.
