Frigid conditions could be great equalizer in Sunday’s West Final

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This article was published 11/11/2022 (1278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AS the temperature in Winnipeg continues to dip, just in time for CFL playoff football, members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have upped their game in an attempt to combat Mother Nature.

To many, perhaps everyone outside the Bombers locker room, that would entail adding extra layers to deal with the blowing snow and cold wind. Not for some on the Blue and Gold, however, a few of which have been treating it almost as if it were a day at the beach.

Look no further than middle linebacker Adam Bighill, who looked no worse for wear this week at practice despite donning short sleeves and arguably shorter shorts. All while the weather has dropped below freezing, for an average temperature of -6C, with the windchill making it feel even colder.

It was much of the same story for defensive end Willie Jefferson, who while being mostly dressed for practice, opted to do his post-workout interview Friday shirtless, in a covered but still fairly chilly hallway in the bowels of IG Field.

“Six years,” said Jefferson, a Texas native, when asked how long it took him to adjust to Canadian winters. “I’ve been in the league now for eight, nine years and so my first years in the CFL were brutal, trying to figure out each year when it came to the end of the season, stuff like gloves, shoes, socks, shirts and all that. Now that I’ve been here for so long, these weather conditions, especially being in Winnipeg, these are pretty normal.”

Cold weather, the kind that is being projected for Sunday’s West Final against the B.C. Lions — which has a current low of -12 C — is often considered to be the great equalizer between teams. After all, both clubs have to deal with the same disadvantages that come with frigid conditions.

But while that’s certainly true, it’s hard to imagine this time around it won’t be a significant advantage for the Bombers. Not only will they have the benefit of playing in their own stadium and in front of their own fans – two factors that certainly help deal with the cold, even if they’re not directly related — the Bombers also have had more time to adjust, including practising in cold weather all week.

That might sound a bit hyperbolic if the Bombers opponent was from Saskatchewan or one of the two teams in Alberta. Even Ontario and Quebec can face some cold spells that compare to the chill on the Canadian prairies.

But that’s not the case in B.C., where the Lions practise in balmy weather and play in a covered stadium. Still, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea isn’t ready to suggest that gives his team an edge come Sunday.

“I just don’t see it that way,” said O’Shea. “Sure, you’d like it to be, but I think I can recall one game in 20-something years that I saw someone playing (in bad weather) and it looked like they were really affected. I’ve been on teams that have come from Ontario out west, played in minus-15, minus-20 and won. You can’t rely on that, you have to rely on your own preparation.”

Bombers defensive back Deatrick Nichols was born in Miami and played his college football at the University of South Florida, so he’s not going to try and convince you that he’s used to cold weather. But that doesn’t mean he hates it, either.

“I love it,” he said following Friday’s practice. “It’s a part of Winnipeg and this is what you sign up for. Ask anyone here and among the top-three questions they ask you, one of them is are you ready for the weather in Winnipeg? So, it’s something that you have to be mentally ready for.”

Nic Demski doesn’t need to be asked if he’s ready for the weather. The Bombers receiver is likely the one asking his teammates the question; having grown up in Winnipeg, he’s felt firsthand how cold it can be by season’s end.

And while he didn’t want to outright say he and his Bombers teammates have a clear advantage, he also wasn’t shy about comparing the weather here to that of B.C.

“When you come out here, that wind is definitely a little bit different than the wind in the west coast,” said Demski. “I’m not going to say too much about whether they’re going to be prepared or not – because I don’t know, frankly, how they’re preparing – but I do know we’re going to be OK here with the type of weather we’re going to be playing in.”

When asked how he and others prepare for the cold, Demski was again reluctant to frame it as an advantage. But he did hint at a couple, to be sure, saying it’s a process that starts at the opening of the work week, beginning with being able to practice in the cold conditions at IG Field, where the game is being played.

“It’s kind of been a joke around the locker room to wear no sleeves so you can get used to this weather,” said Demski. “I think it’s more just a mentality. It really is a mind game. But at the same time, you just got to keep that blood going and your body moving and hopefully you’ll stay warm for the three and a half hours.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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