Riders’ P.A. walkthrough met with warm reception

“Hopefully, we’ll do Grey Cup tours throughout Saskatchewan again.”

The Prince Albert faithfuls didn’t just cheer for the players and coaches.

Jeremy O’Day, the Riders assistant general manager, who previously played for the team from 1999-2011, said the equipment staff was getting a lot of love.

“We were joking earlier, when the team bus pulled up, the equipment staff was getting cheers from the crowd—they were pretty excited about that,” said O’Day. “We gotta make sure that they don’t get overly excited about that and get a little bit arrogant with all the attention they’re getting.

“It was pretty neat. When you start cheering for a staff member, that’s pretty cool.”

The practice itself was a light one as the team left their pads in Saskatoon, where they’re holding their training camp at the University of Saskatchewan’s Griffiths Stadium. The practice focused on punt returns, pattern and line drills.

“[Today] was a day to get the guys’ legs back underneath them,” said O’Day. “We actually do a lot of studying into when injuries and how they’re more prone to happen, and this was a day we wanted to give them some time off to hopefully prevent some of those injuries and get back at it tomorrow.”

Madness ensued after the practice. Fans swarmed the field to get autographs, selfies and handshakes from the players, specifically Riders quarterback Darian Durant who was immediately surrounded by Rider faithful.

Although there were admittedly some logistical challenges to overcome by holding part of their training camp on the road, Chamblin said the Riders are glad they got to come up here and reach out to their fans across the province.

“It’s a very beautiful place up here,” said Chamblin on his first visit to Prince Albert. “I didn’t think it was going to be as wonderful as it is—I thought it was going to be one gas station.

“It’s actually a really nice city.”

The Riders will be back to their regular two-a-day sessions on Friday, before a scrimmage Saturday afternoon in Saskatoon.

They’ll have two preseason games, June 13 in Fort McMurray, Alta. against the Edmonton Eskimos, and June 19 at home against the Calgary Stampeders. Their regular season will start at home against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 27.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea

by Jeff D'Andrea

Riders’ P.A. walkthrough met with warm reception

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