Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
When two teams meet on a field, you never know what you’re going to get.
Thursday night’s pair of weather delays turned the earliest season-opening game the CFL has ever had into the longest continuous game the league has ever played (the Fog Bowl in the 1962 Grey Cup was spread over two days).
The two weather delays tacked 2:55 onto the game time, keeping the diehards that stuck it out in the stands at Investors Group Field in the building for six hours.
The delays left fans scrambling for dry ground, left the players sequestered in their locker rooms and left broadcasters in the unenviable position of trying to find ways to fill vast amounts of open air time.
So what happened, exactly? It starts with lightning being detected in the area.
Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler throws a pass through the rain on Thursday night (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
“We have sophisticated weather software that tells us when lightning strikes within 17 km of the stadium,” said Ryan Janzen, the CFL’s senior director of football operations.
“If that occurs, we call our league meteorologist, who would advise us the direction of the storm and whether it is heading towards the stadium.”
The game is only stopped for lightning, not rain and it can only be stopped by the head official, the game supervisor or home field security director. The game supervisor could stop the game based on the meteorologist’s recommendation or if he sees a close lightning strike.
When the game is stopped, Janzen explained, league officials convene on a conference call with the meteorologist to determine the estimated length of the delay. Once that’s determined, the league would inform all of the stakeholders (team presidents, communications directors, football operations, TSN/RDS and league personnel) so fans both in-stadium and at home can be updated.
“The estimated return to play timing is updated every 15 minutes from the league to the stakeholders,” Janzen said. “If we receive an “all clear” signal, meaning lightning is no longer in danger of hitting close to the stadium, we are able to take the field for a 10-minute player warm up, with play resuming immediately afterwards.”
While some in the stands and on the field might grow impatient with the delay — last night’s game and the Labour Day rematch last year in Hamilton between the Argos and Ticats come to mind — it takes a lot to cancel a game.
“I think if we had another cell system come in, that might have been it,” Janzen said. “I think at that point we would have had an emergency call with the team presidents.
“It’s really at the commissioner’s discretion, along with the team presidents.”
For now, waiting out inclement weather remains the better option.
So proud of our #CFL players last night. Playing with passion and making incredible plays in a game that had two lightning delays and spanned six hours. True professionals. #safetyfirst #longlivethenight #CFL #Esks #Bombers
— Randy Ambrosie (@RandyAmbrosie) June 15, 2018
