Jaime Stein
CFL.ca
We have lost so many great CFL pioneers during the 2008 season. Many of these legends have made headlines across the country – Ackles, Lancaster, Sazio et al. On Sunday, the Canadian Football League lost one of its greatest fans, Garry Terpstra.
For those of you who know Garry Terpstra, you will most likely recognize him by his handle “GreyCupGarry”. This is the name he used when posting on CFL discussion boards and at CFL tailgates, where he was frequently found with a beverage in his left hand and his famous pulled pork in his right hand.
I don’t recall the first time I met GreyCupGarry – it was likely during the 2004 or 2005 season at an Argos tailgate party – but from the moment you met GreyCupGarry you felt like he was your best friend. He was a true CFL fan and his dedication to the Argonauts and the CFL represents why our game is what it is.
I can recall visiting an Argos pre-game tailgate before heading up to the broadcast booth to call a game during the 2005 season. I stopped in to say hello to the regular gang and GreyCupGarry made a beeline for me and forced a beverage into my hand. I tried to resist, but there was no resisting GreyCupGarry.
So there I stood on that crisp fall day in the parking lot outside Rogers Centre, less than an hour before kickoff in my rookie season as a play-by-play announcer, enjoying a cold one with GreyCupGarry while he served up his pulled pork to anyone within shouting distance.
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| Garry at Grey Cup 2007. |
Looking back, it is moments like this one with GreyCupGarry that make being a part of the CFL so much fun. It is people like GreyCupGarry who make the CFL our league, Canada’s league.
GreyCupGarry was a fixture during Grey Cup week, in addition to his efforts with CFL Fans Fight Cancer. He had the ability to bridge the gap between fans of all teams and was subsequently loved by everyone with whom he came into contact at CFL events.
I recall the 2007 Grey Cup week in Toronto. I was invited to host the 13thman Jeopardy-style quiz at Rogers Centre. There was GreyCupGarry, standing next to me at the podium, shouting out answers and offering up general conversation because we hadn’t seen each other in months. He was sporting his trademark grin. He was always smiling.
It is hard to describe the quintessential CFL fan, but upon reading a description of GreyCupGarry, you can come pretty close.
Rest in Peace Garry.
Jaime Stein is the Canadian Football League’s Manager of Digital Media and the former play-by-play voice of the Toronto Argonauts.
