Sharon Higgins
CFL.ca
Every team I’ve been with had a post season wrap-up party. The end of the season comes too quickly for most teams, with some being bumped out of playoff contention entirely and some riding the rollercoaster for one, two, or if you’re lucky, three more weeks.
You know your party will take place a couple of days after your last game; you just don’t know when your last game will be. Everybody avoids talking about the party for fear of putting a jinx on having it too soon. You keep your fingers crossed that it will be later, rather than sooner!
Although wrap-ups are not mandatory, it’s a nice way to bring closure to the odyssey of the past six months. Hardnosed football players and coaches wouldn’t want to admit how close they have grown to each other during the course of the season. You become attached at the hip when you live and breathe football together. The team needs this gathering to disconnect with each other.
The players’ final pay cheque is usually handed out at the team gathering, a motivational tool to get them to attend!
The first order of business is always to find a great location to feed and entertain 100 or so people. It’s always a bit tricky finding a place that will book a party for three or four consecutive weeks, knowing only one date out of four will end up being needed. You see, if you don’t snag a playoff game, your party is the first week after the close of the regular season. Lose the next week in the semi-final playoff game and you advance to week two party booking. Take it a week further, lose in the final playoff round and you get week three party. Lastly, play in the Grey Cup and you opt for the week four party.
In Edmonton, our wrap-up parties were held at Ray’s Restaurant. The owner Jim was a true sports enthusiast and a diehard Eskimo fan who saw to it that our players were royally entertained and fed a continual buffet feast while on his premises. The gatherings were pretty casual with a constant stream of folks visiting the bar, some playing a pickup game of pool and lots of chatter filled with goodbyes.
After 11 seasons in Edmonton our last party happened appropriately during a blizzard. Tom had been called into the management office the day prior to be told the team would be moving forward into the next season without him. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was asked to keep it quiet until after our wrap-up party, when an official announcement would be made. Tom asked me before going to the party to give the best acting performance of my life, as no one was to know our destiny until the announcement.
Most females understand it is hard to keep just about anything a secret under the best of circumstances, let alone when you are an emotional mess over it. Tom was determined not to spoil the evening with our own self pity. We were both able to make it through the evening, keeping our composure and our secret.
The next three seasons in Calgary found us at our new party home, Villa Firenze, with hosts Joe and Pina. Not only were they extremely sympathetic and understanding to our needs, they also put on a spread for kings! They served up at least a dozen courses of the most amazing Italian food, complete with exceptional hospitality. (When in Calgary, drop by and make sure you ask for their signature appetizer, portabella mushrooms)
Knowing that wrap-up parties are a bit gloomy in nature because of the team splitting up, Tom and I thought it would be fun to try and lighten things up. It was then that the idea of our annual “Locker Room Awards” was born.
People on the inside would do some detective work for us over the course of the season, sighting crazy, stupid, irritating, annoying or irrational actions by anyone involved with the team. No one was safe. Awards were then given to those on the team with the highest degree and most deserving of such categories as:
“The SWASS award” (sweaty a**)
Given to the player who sweats oodles around his mid section creating the effect of going to the bathroom in his tight fitting football pants, allowing quite the visual for the onlooker!
“The smelliest locker award”
Given to the player who has an aroma around his locker not caused just by stinky clothing!
“The Johnny free s**t award”
Every team has at least one player who is always after free things provided by the team or sponsors. It doesn’t matter what the size, colour or style, the important thing is that it’s free!
Examples of other awards given pretty much speak for themselves and although straightforward, were given with much lavishness, pomp and ceremony.
“The high maintenance award”
“The diva award”
“The new papa award”
“The weirdest pre-game ritual award”
“Best end zone dance award”
The cool thing about the awards being handed out each year was that the team would start to guess the worthy recipients as clues were read out. A lot of whooping and hollering went on during this part of the evening.
Technology was eventually added to our parties providing some extra memories of the season past. Highlight DVDs produced by the teams’ film editor scored lots of cheers and laughs from the crowd as they relived the best and worst of just about every play or hit of football that occurred during the season.
The President’s Ring award was also announced at the Calgary wrap-up parties. This is a coveted award given to a player, voted on by the players, to one who demonstrates exemplary leadership qualities both on and off the field. Although a seriously accepted award, we would often find a fun way to present it, just to throw the players off from thinking it was time for the presentation.
A small amount of business also has to be taken care of during the course of the evening. There’s an ongoing train of requests for autographed paraphernalia. Taking care of this during the season is never a problem, but a stock pile must be created for the off-season. As well, team members like to take autographed footballs, pennants and jerseys home with them for their own personal use, or for personal requests they receive. There is usually a table full of these articles set up with pens where players file past and add their John Henry to everything.
By the end of the evening, players and their families leave well fed and well watered, having laughed, cried, handshaked, hugged and said their farewells to their team-mates and the season.
A wrap-up party makes for a perfect closure to the football season and a great way to jump off the rollercoaster.
