Murray Wood: Riders are first in the west, but do fans feel the same?
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are 6-1, following a win on Friday against the Edmonton Elks, but according to Murray Wood,...
It’s not the most likely place to spot a Saskatchewan Roughriders flag.
Proudly displayed outside Tabitha and Maurice Boire’s home in Norfolk, Virginia, is the iconic green and white banner — along with the American flag.
“We’re Rider fans through and through. We bleed green down here,” Boire told 650 CKOM over the phone Sunday.
The couple, from Saskatoon, moved two years ago after Maurice was posted there for a NATO mission with the Canadian Armed Forces.
Boire explained how — after much “fanagling” — they managed to get ESPN Plus, which covers most of the CFL.
“We were able to get the game, finally, after signing up for a 30-day free pass, and was able to watch the game,” she said.
“We missed the first quarter, but the second, third and fourth were phenomenal.”
The game saw Riders quarterback Zach Collaros handle a comeback win 31-23 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium.
The win was extra sweet for the 47-year-old, who said there’s a “nice little rivalry” brewing in her neighbourhood.
“We’ve got a couple of families from Saskatchewan, and we have a couple of families that have been stationed in Manitoba and have been posted down here,” Boire said.
“One gentleman in our neighbourhood said he’d be smashing watermelon all afternoon. Well, I think he had to eat his words a little bit.”
Boire said her and Maurice have yet to see a game at the new stadium. Their last home game was at Taylor Field for the Labour Day Classic in 2014.
“We won … that was an awesome game, great memories,” she said.
Boire added the fun rivalry in the neighbourhood has at least one more week of fuel, as the Riders get ready to face off against the Bombers in Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl on Saturday.
