Kathie Keichinger takes a photo with Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo in her stylish watermelon dress. (Facebook/Kathie Keichinger)

By Jeff D’Andrea

P.A. has that Rider Pride

Riders named most committed CFL fanbase, reactions from two diehard fans from P.A.

Sep 1, 2021 | 3:00 PM

In 2004, Kathie Keichinger and her family thought they were dropping off their son at a Notre Dame hockey camp in Wilcox. Although their trip was only meant to be hockey-related, they returned home having completely fallen in love with another team from another sport—the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“As we’re travelling down the highway, [my son] so innocently asked ‘can we stop and see where the Riders play?’ And then my husband said, ‘oh, aren’t they playing this weekend?’”

After many busy signals and phone calls, the Keichingers were able to score some tickets for their first-ever Saskatchewan Roughriders game. They ended up near the University cheering section and were warned that it would be a little bit louder there than the rest of the stadium. That only added to the excitement and the atmosphere. The Keichingers were instantly hooked.

Kathie and her husband Frank bought season tickets the following year in 2005 and have had them since. They own shares of the team. Their family room is basically a Rider shrine. They may live in Prince Albert, more than four hours away from the Riders’ home in Regina, but they have Rider pride as much as anybody.

And now according to a study from Casino En Ligne, Keichinger and the rest of Rider fans are the most committed fanbase in the Canadian Football League.

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Looking at metrics on prices of season tickets and other items, weather conditions of areas of teams, and social media presence, the Riders scored the highest. They dominate social media, having at least 80,000 more Twitter followers than any other team, and 70,000 more Facebook followers than other teams. When factoring in the prices, the Riders scored the highest when factoring in season tickets, parking, food items and jersey costs. They ranked fifth in average temperature, rainfall, and snowfall metrics during the season.

Regardless of if the merchandise is a little pricier than other teams, that matters little to Keichinger— who has lost track of how many Riders-themed clothing items she owns. She has a watermelon dress, Rider shoes and socks, and jerseys just to give a taste. She used to dye her hair green but now opts for a green wig to wear on gamedays.

Keichinger and the fanbase take great pride in the concept of the 13^th man—after all, that’s the license plate on their truck. Especially on second downs when the opposing team has the ball, Rider fans make as much noise as possible to disrupt the other team in the hopes of getting a false start penalty.

“When we’re yelling ‘D,’ we really feel that we are helping our team get excited enough and fired up enough to stop the O-line of the other team. We feel like we’re an integral part of the win and them making a play. I think it’s us.”

Taras’ time with the Riders

Well before he was elected president of Prince Albert Minor Football or started to volunteer with the Prince Albert River Riders football programs back in 2009, Taras Kachkowski was watching the Riders.

As a child in the late 1970s, Kachkowski went to a Rider game with his family, something that he’ll never forget.

“That’s one of my first treasured memories,” Kachkowski said. “It’s been part of my life for a very long time. And I’m glad to continue that with minor football, absolutely.”

One of Kachkowski’s highlights as being a Rider fan was being able to see the Riders’ 2013 Grey Cup win in person, as the Riders closed out the old Taylor Field.

“That was definitely huge. Everybody knew that it was going to be the last major event at the old Taylor Field, the old Mosaic Field,” Kachkowski said. “From a historic standpoint, that was a big draw for why I wanted to be there. And of course, the Riders being the home team on their home field, the first time that ever happened. So it was a historic event and it was amazing to be there.”

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Jeff.dandrea@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW