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Kayla Weir, Maria Rigetti and Miera McEwen are three members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders cheerleading team. The trio joined the squad together four years ago and are thrilled to be experiencing their first Grey Cup with the Riders competing in the big game.
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“It is super fun, it’s super energetic,” McEwen said. “Everyone we’ve talked to is super excited to see us here and we’re so excited to be here.”
Rigetti is also loving the experience of being in Winnipeg for the game.
“Everywhere we go, everyone just keeps saying, ‘Go Riders!’ It’s just super fun to be here and be recognized.”
Each cheerleader is well outfitted in a two-piece cheer uniform — micro shorts and a long-sleeve crop top branded with “Riders” across the front — in the classic Rider Green and White with a smattering of sequins.
The CFL Cheerleader Alumni got the room pepped and cheering with its version of the viral Thunderstruck routine📣 @CKOMNews @CJMENews pic.twitter.com/1fgV1jfAtH
— Libby Gray (@libby_gray9) November 14, 2025
The cheerleaders said they each had hoped this might be the year they’d see the Grey Cup field.
“We all had high hopes, especially after last season,” Weir shared. “We were so close.”
Weir, referring to last year’s Western Final loss for the Roughriders in Winnipeg to the Blue Bombers, says the friendly rivalry between those two teams makes it a fun environment to be playing in Winnipeg once again for this game.
The cheerleaders have been performing and meeting fans throughout the Grey Cup festival celebrations, and remarked about how many Saskatchewan fans have travelled in to take in the experience and attend the game.
“The thing about Riderville is that no matter where the Grey Cup is, Rider fans will always, always, always show up,” McEwen said.
This year is no exception, and the cheer team is prepared to take to the field to wow spectators and enhance the game day experience.
“We have a few tricks up our sleeves,” Weir said coyly.
The cheerleaders teased a few extra tunnel dances different to what fans would have seen during the regular season, some new tosses and some changes to the team’s sideline routines.
“There’s lots of different things going on for us, especially being in the [Grey Cup] game, there’s a few extra things to do,” Rigetti explained.
The Rider cheerleaders strike their final pose after their first performance in Riderville at the RBC Convention Centre. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)
Football is not the only sport on the field
In the past two years, Weir, Rigetti and McEwen agree that there seems to be more momentum geared specifically towards them as cheerleaders than before.
That could be because of the popular Netflix documentary America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, which details the journey of that cheer team through two seasons of try outs and football seasons.
“I would say overall, people are recognizing us a lot more and the work that we do and the value that we add to the organization because that came out and revealed the behind-the-scenes,” Weir shared.
The principle and core of what Weir, Rigetti, McEwen and the rest of the team do as Riders cheerleaders holds true with what the documentary shows, the trio explained, despite being across a national border and Dallas a larger franchise.
It’s hard to say whether the perceived increase in popularity for the sport of cheerleading helped contribute to the Grey Cup momentum of the Riders, but it has led to the cheerleaders feeling more valued, recognized and better connecting with their Saskatchewan Rider community.
“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable going up to people and feeling recognized and feeling valued,” Weir shared, emphasizing how important building community is in their roles as cheerleaders for the team.
“It almost feels more fun to do that because of the exposure that show gave cheerleaders,” Weir said.
When asked whether they have any words of encouragement for the players as they prepare to take the field today, Weir, Rigetti and McEwen jumped into what they’re in Winnipeg to do:
“Head in the game, here we go,” the girls laughed and cheered, enthusiastically. “Let’s get it done, boys!”
The Riders Cheer Team performs in Riderville at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)
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