Noisy practice a prelude to opener in Regina

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This article was published 25/06/2015 (3755 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Winnipeg Blue Bombers know there will be noise Saturday night in Regina.

So the team spent the majority of their practice Wednesday rehearsing parts of the playbook with some good ol’ simulated crowd noise pumping out of the speaker on the back of a golf cart at Investors Group Field.

In actuality, it’s a perfect scene-setter for the hostile environment of Mosaic Stadium.

“As an athlete, you can’t look for anything better than that,” said Bombers receiver and former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kris Bastien. “It makes everything fun and every play competitive.”

Bastien spent the majority of 2014 on the Roughriders’ practice roster. But he’s seen the atmosphere the game between Winnipeg and Saskatchewan can create.

“It’s something we need to adjust to,” he said.

The noise proved beneficial, if only to highlight the fact that the Bombers need to better adjust to it moving forward.

“We made a few mistakes out there because of it, but we will fix them tomorrow and we will be ready for Regina,” Bastien said.

“Drew (quarterback Willy) and I have to be on the same page as well as the 10 other players,” centre Dominic Picard said.

Picard spent three seasons with the Roughriders before signing in Winnipeg this past offseason.

“But we’ve worked in the past in these kind of situations, Drew and I,” Picard added. “We’ve been practising a few things to be able to handle the noise. We should be fine.”

The Bombers haven’t won in Regina since 2004. But despite the lopsided win-loss column, the rivalry is just as feisty as ever.

“When you get on the field, the rivalry just takes over, but it’s just another game,” Willy said. “I thought we had a good chance last year, going up there near the end and then they came back and obviously put a touchdown score to win. It was a close game. It’s just a fun environment to be in.”

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Rory Kohlert was a spectator at practice Wednesday, out with a lower-body injury.

The Canadian receiver traded in his helmet for a flat-brimmed ball cap and his cleats for a pair of blue and red shoes that resembled the suit Spiderman wears.

“He needed a day. We will give Rory every chance to be with us and compete,” head coach Mike O’Shea said.

When asked if he would need to bring in an extra Canadian receiver to fill the Canadian void if Kohlert can’t go, O’Shea said he was “pretty confident” Kohlert would make the trip to Regina.

O’Shea said Kohlert will be re-evaluated Thursday.

Kohlert had 44 catches for 594 yards and three touchdowns with the Bombers during the 2014 season.

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With the Bombers going into their 25th year without a Grey Cup to their name, O’Shea said while the void in the trophy case doesn’t weigh him down, he’s certainly aware of it.

“I love the responsibility and the challenge,” he said. “I have a great respect for the fans of Manitoba, the fans of Winnipeg, the Bomber fans that keep coming out and supporting us.

“I certainly let the team know how much these fans deserve a champion. We want to be the ones to give it to them.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.