SASKATOON – Regina's football community and conspiracy theorists are uniting around the question of why Saturday's Canada West playoff semifinal game was pushed back five hours.
Instead of the originally scheduled 2 p.m. kickoff under the sun, the Regina Rams and Saskatchewan Huskies will battle at 7 p.m. under the much cooler and darker but less windy conditions at Saskatoon's Griffiths Stadium.
Nearly three weeks after the Regina Thunder were denied a chance to celebrate with the trophy from their Prairie Football Conference championship triumph over the Saskatoon Hilltops, because the Hilltops forgot to bring it, another Regina-Saskatoon football feud is brewing.
Football is often played in inclement weather conditions on the prairies, especially in the wind. Those elements would likely put the hometown Huskies at a disadvantage, given their heavy reliance on the high-octane attack led by Canada West leading passer Anton Amundrud.
The Rams are built on a defence that surrendered the fewest points in Western Canada this year and conference-leading run game on offence. There's little doubt that that wind would help them and hurt the Huskies.
So, it begs the question: Who ultimately made the decision to take such a drastic and unusual measure to push the start time five hours later because of wind?
When reached late Friday night, Rams coach Mark McConkey made it clear he had no input in the final call.
"Our athletic director and compliance officer came in my office (Friday)," McConkey said. "Just saying that they're looking at pushing the game to either later Saturday or Sunday and that they're checking wind conditions due to being unsafe is all I was told."
Is McConkey confident the Huskies had no role in initiating or influencing the decision?
"I'm not going to comment on that," he said.
Canada West made the announcement in a media release put out late Friday afternoon.
"Due to forecasted high winds, the kickoff time for Saturday's Canada West football semifinal between Regina and Saskatchewan at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon, Sask., has been adjusted. Originally scheduled for 2 p.m., the game will now kick off at 7 p.m. CST. The schedule adjustment was made in consideration of player and fan safety amid the forecasted weather conditions."
Weather forecasts vary on the severity of the wind expected but at least one has suggested gusts could reach up to 100 km/h.
Jamin Heller, who handles communications for Canada West, responded to a request for follow-up comment late Friday night.
"I unfortunately don't have much I can add to the release we put out earlier this afternoon, just that the change was made in consideration of safety for both fans and players due to the forecasted weather conditions," he said in an email.
When reached by phone Saturday morning, University of Regina Athletic Director Lisa Robertson clarified the school's position.
"I would have preferred that we wait until closer to game time to make the call," Robertson said. "But I fully understand why they had to make the call in advance. It becomes quite inconvenient for them if we show up at 1 o'clock and we have to make the call to postpone the game an hour and then possibly an hour again and possibly an hour again.
"So, I fully understand and respect the decision."
Robertson confirmed the U of S advocated for the kickoff change, citing an Environment Canada forecast suggesting winds could gust as high as 111 km/h and sustained gusts of up to 90 km/h.
She also confirmed that she is a Canada West board member but had to recuse herself from the vote that ultimately approved the change in gametime. The University of Saskatchewan also had no vote in the matter.
Adding to the concern may be the construction happening in one of the end zones of the football stadium.
As far as Regina fan frustration and online conspiracies go, Robertson is careful to keep the emotion out of her discussions.
"I can't argue there is a yellow wind warning up in Saskatoon today and that Environment Canada had some clear indications of what kind of damage that wind does at those levels," she said. "I try not to think about or partake in those conversations because it just takes away from the focus of getting ready for the game. People can talk and make their assumptions, but let's just have the football game happen and see who comes out on top."
The Rams travelled to Saskatoon on Friday night, expecting an early start. They now have to contend with the unnecessary expense of a night of hotel rooms for an entire roster in addition to an extra five hours to kill between checkout time Saturday morning and arriving at the park to fight for their playoff lives.
All this came after the Rams found out a day earlier they won't be able to play any home games at Mosaic Stadium in 2027. They also had one of their team buses to Saskatoon break down, stranding their defence for two hours Friday night.
"Just a little more adversity for the team to roll through and I think we thrive in it," McConkey said.
"We live in it and we're comfortable in it, so we're making this into a positive and it's just a little more fuel for the fire for the guys."
Saturday's game will be carried live on www.620ckrm.com with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m. and kickoff at 7.
