Grey Cup, reporter set off on journey into polar bear country

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This article was published 19/10/2015 (4001 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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So it begins, an eight-day journey through northern Manitoba with the CFL’s most cherished chalice.

For the next week, I’ll be chronicling the journey of the Grey Cup as it makes its way up to Churchill and back, a route that will cover more than 1,700 kilometres and 11 different towns and communities — 24 events in total, including stops in The Pas, Flin Flon, Snow Lake and Thompson.

“The hope is we spread the cup and the celebration of the Grey Cup Festival as far and wide as we can,” is how Jason Smith, president of the 103rd Grey Cup Festival, described it at the Via Rail station in downtown Winnipeg Sunday.

“Basically, we said let’s stop in as many places as we can and visit with as many people in Manitoba as possible (to give them the chance to) get up close and see the Grey Cup. If you’ve never seen it and you’re a fan of football, I think it’s a great opportunity.”

When I found out I’d be participating in what’s being dubbed “the trip of a lifetime” I immediately fixated on the final destination; more specifically, the chance to see polar bears up close and personal.

Our group — which includes Winnipeg Blue Bombers alumni Doug Brown and Brett MacNeil, as well as Dennis Dowell, the man in charge of the Cup — will set off on a Tundra Buggy tour in Churchill later in the week.

As exciting as that experience will surely be, the trip offers much more than a chance to see some of Canada’s most intriguing wildlife.

It’s also an opportunity to meet and talk with people I would otherwise never get the chance to, from places — in some cases — I never knew existed; people whose stories and experiences with the great Canadian game of football are very much different than my own.

There’s certainly something to say about the power of sport and its ability to unite people. It’s easy to see the kind of spirit present in Winnipeg with the Grey Cup being held Nov. 29 at Investors Group Field — with or without the Bombers.

That was once again evident Sunday as herds of people made their way to the station to capture a moment with the Cup; being sure to take full advantage of the rare opportunity to take a picture with the league’s holy grail.

But what will that spirit look like in places such as Gillam? Or Pikwitonei? Or Ilford? I look forward to finding out.

Then there’s the journey itself. Much of the trip will be spent riding trains and buses as we make our way from event to event and town to town; creating the opportunity to capture some of the beauty our province has to offer. Equipped with my laptop, camera and recorder, I hope to share my experience with you.

Goodbye Winnipeg.

Next stop: The Pas.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca twitter: @jeffkhamilton