THE BATTLE OF THE ROUGHRIDERS

At Vancouvers Empire Stadium, the venue for the game,
the teams that lined up head to head both sported the same name.
The Rough Riders and Roughriders were vying for the Cup
One team had won it all before, one hoped to change their luck.
The year was nineteen sixty-six, a crisp November day--
a coin was tossed, the kick-off kicked, the football was in play.

The Roughriders were underdogs, the Rough Riders, preferred,
but quarterback, Ron Lancaster refused to be deterred.
He passed the ball to Campbell and his passes were complete.
When he handed off to George Reed, George was agile on his feet.
The Rough Riders from Ottawa made plays that turned out fine,
but not as fine as Lancaster and his offensive line.

Reginas team of Roughriders put numbers on the board
and when the final whistle blew, the Cup was their reward.
Their touchdowns and their field goals and their great defensive plays
gave them the win theyd waited for since footballs early days.
Gluey Hughey Campbell and the Little General, Ron,
would always be remembered for the show that they put on.

Although they were the victors, the players were confused
when they had to cross the field to give their TV interviews
for the CBC, so certain the Regina squad was doomed,
had set up all their cameras in the Ottawa dressing room!
But the victory was oh so sweet, nothing could mar the day
Regina entered Empire Stadium and took the old Grey Cup away.



Poet's Note: This poem is based on a real event. One name was changed to facilitate the rhythm. Though based in Regina, the team is officially called the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
What distinguishes procrastination today is the sheer variety of distractions and diversions at hand - Hara Estroff Marano - Psychology Today