Corey Grant
CFL.ca
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have an important week ahead of them and not for the usual reasons.
Yes, this week’s game is the next game on the schedule, which makes it the most important game. Yes, after losing two games getting a win is important, especially with the tightly contested West Division. Yes, we’re playing the first place team in the East Division on their home field and Molson Stadium is a tough place to play. Yes, there are more injuries to key players on our team and let’s not forget it’s the home stretch or final third of the season. Believe me, those are a few great points as to why this game is important, but they’re not my main focus for this blog.
I’d like to focus on the trip to Montreal and paint you a picture of our trip. We have to be at the airport at 5:25am for a 6:25am flight to Winnipeg on Saturday morning. Then we have an hour and a half layover in Winnipeg before we board our connecting flight to Montreal (the joys of living in Regina, there’s never a direct flight out East). We land in Montreal at 1:32pm and board the bus for the hotel, which is about a half an hour trip.
After arriving at the hotel we have about 30 minutes to change and get something to eat and then we have our position meetings. Now if my calculations are correct the time should be about 4:00pm and, believe me, everyone is tired and paying attention in these meetings is of utmost importance because it’s the final review before game day.
The morning of the game comes quickly with the early wake up call at 7:00am and breakfast at 8:00am. After breakfast there are the morning meetings and chapel before the bus leaves at 10:30am for the game.
Then it’s GAME TIME!!!
Now this might sound like a long trip, or short trip depending on your view of things, but it’s a trip that places us in the host city for the 2008 Grey Cup. On November 18th every team in the CFL would love to be getting up at 5:00am to prepare for the trip to the Grey Cup Game.
I’m a big advocate of visualization and there is no better time to visualize yourself going to the Grey Cup in November then using the regular season trip to Montreal to make that vision a vivid reality. This road trip is an opportunity to develop a mental image of arriving at the Montreal-Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport for the 96th Grey Cup that occurs in 56 days.
Yogi Berra once said that, “Ninety percent of the game is half mental” and this game gives players a chance to mentally prepare for their anticipated late November arrival in Montreal.
Now we don’t want to overlook the task at hand of beating the Montreal Alouettes because that’s the reason for the trip, winning the game and getting two regular season points (and this is a difficult task).
But visualisation and having positive expectations are key components to a player and their team’s success and there is no better way to develop these expectations then at the home of the 96th Grey Cup Game. The tickets are sold, the date and time are set, it’s just for the regular season games and playoffs to decide which teams make the trip.
You have to train your mind like you train your body! – Bruce Jenner.
The mind is a terrible thing to waste and every chance an individual gets to see in their “mind’s eye” the “Ultimate Goal” this can only bring them one step closer to achieving that Goal.
Corey Grant is a 10 year CFL veteran who has played with the Ti-Cats, Alouettes and, for the last 7 seasons, the Roughriders. A Stoney Creek, Ont. native, Corey has won Grey Cups in 1999 and 2007. He was named the East Division Outstanding Rookie in 1999.
