CFL Week steps into Canadian sports spotlight

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This article was published 21/03/2017 (3158 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — It’s 3 p.m. Tuesday and Olivier Poulin is already feeling the weight of a busy week on his shoulders.

Poulin, the director of communications and public affairs for the Canadian Football League, is just one of many pairs of hands that have gone into making sure the kickoff to CFL Week at the Queensbury Convention Centre in Regina is a success.

His role includes that of a personal assistant to more than 50 of the league’s top players, ushering each from room to room, spread across two levels, most of which are filled with reporters and cameras.

Now, just hours into Day 2, Poulin jumps at his chance to steal a moment to sit, plopping down on a chair amid the chaos.

“Every 15 minutes something is happening,” he says. “On so many levels, this just makes sense.”

In a lot of ways, what the CFL is doing this week makes so much sense it does actually hurt — likely even more than the soles of Poulin’s feet. What might be even more painful, though, is despite it being so obviously good for all involved, it’s something that’s never been done before in the CFL’s more than 100 years of existence.

Like most good ideas, it took time to develop.

“We realized that clearly there’s an opportunity here,” said Poulin. “At the end of the day, it’s all about timing.”

What started Monday — Poulin and the rest of the crew arrived Sunday to set up — and rolls through to the end of the week is the first run of a week-long event that celebrates the past, present and future of the CFL, while bringing together players, media and fans under one roof.

It’s a user-friendly experience equipped with a full itinerary each day, with events running from early in the morning to late into the evening.

For fans, they’re kept busy by a five-day fest where they can participate in a number of different skills competitions, watch live interviews with players, coaches and general managers, and get autographs afterwards. Early Tuesday, 350 children were gathered into one room, with players preaching respect and inclusion.

For Don and Anne Johnson, who have had season tickets to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the past 40 years, it was the chance to pose with the Grey Cup that completed the day.

“To have this in our own backyard is great,” said Anne, who admitted she was unsure of what to expect when the event was first announced in November. “We know our grandson would just love it.”

While players are busy signing autographs, most of their day is spent shooting promotional pictures and videos that will later be used for game-day broadcasts. When they’re not posing in their gear, they’re relaxing in the players’ lounge equipped with video games and even a barber’s chair in case anyone needs a trim.

“These guys need to look good,” said Poulin.

Guys like Edmonton Eskimos receiver Adarius Bowman, who led the CFL in receiving yards last season with 1,761.

Though he appeared to take pleasure making the media rounds (that’s the plus for reporters this week: the chance to gain access to all levels of the league, including interviews with commissioner Jeffrey Orridge) Bowman said the best part of the week is bringing the fans into the mix.

“They’re the No. 1 important thing — that’s who’s watching,” said Bowman. “If ain’t nobody watching you play football, we wouldn’t be doing this. I wish we had more of these things.”

Bowman admits he likes receiving the kind of all-star attention off the field that he gets from opponents on it. It takes him back to when he was a teen, fresh out of high school.

“This is definitely a privilege,” Bowman said, now 10 years into his CFL career. “I remember going to the Army all-American game when I was coming out of high school, where you get the best of the best together, without the pads, and you can just relax a little bit and get to know the guys.”

Other events this week include the announcement Wednesday of the 2017 CFL Hall of Fame class and Thursday’s panel featuring CFL greats Warren Moon and Anthony Calvillo. (Eskimos QB Mike Reilly will also participate.)

CFL head of officials Glen Johnson is also in town, and will announce the new rules adopted for the upcoming season.

And then there’s the finale, when the CFL’s most promising homegrown talent take part in the National Combine, which starts Friday and runs through the weekend.

“I just hope it continues to grow,” said Bowman. “I’m probably in the best of my years right now, but I definitely think I’ll be able to walk away and say I’ve seen change.”

Though many people have their fingerprints all over this week, none more than Christina Litz, who grew up in Winnipeg before becoming the league’s vice-president of marketing and content. CFL Week has been her baby since the idea was brought forth at the beginning of the 2016 season, shortly after the league rolled out new uniforms with Adidas.

“With that we saw an opportunity to something even bigger,” she said. “So, from there, it was a crazy idea: ‘what if we put everything we’ve being doing into one week and layered in a fan festival on top of that? Is that something that could be a good thing?’”

So far, it has been. But it’s still early, of course.

“I totally feel pressure. Let’s be clear about that,” added Litz, noting most of it came from trying to impress the fans. “This is a new tradition for the CFL.

“You can fully expect that we’ll be doing this again next year. Where? That’s still to be determined.”

Maybe Winnipeg?

“I’d love that,” she said.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca          

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton