ZACH PAIKIN
CFL.ca
Zach is a student at McGill University. Originally from Toronto, he has his own pair of Toronto Argonauts season tickets for four seasons now, spending the majority of that time with the Double Blue Crew in Section 121 of the “Argo Dome”.
He is also the Montreal Coordinator for CFL Fans Fight Cancer (CFLFFC), a grassroots organization that raises money between CFL fans for local cancer charities. CFLFFC hosts a meet-and-greet every year on Grey Cup weekend, and holds events of all kinds over the course of the year.
Check out more of Zach’s blogs at CFL.ca by clicking here.
Fellow Canadians, and fellow fans of our great game,
I’d like to thank you for following my blog here on CFL.ca. For those of you who follow my political blog on Facebook, I know that my writing style in my previous blog on this site may have come as a shock to some of you. I’m not writing about Canadian or Middle-Eastern politics here, I’m writing about my experience as a football fan during Grey Cup week. In other words, let me have some fun for a change! 😀
I would, however, like to take a deeper tone for a brief moment to discuss a little bit how our game brings us together.
I am a member of many communities. The CFL community has played an important role in helping me become the person I am today. Not only has my community taught me great lessons, it has also allowed me to strengthen my view of myself as a Canadian. No matter what, I am first and foremost a proud Canadian.
A football player would tell you how the game of football teaches you about life. I, as a football fan, can tell you how being a fan teaches you about life.
My time as a coordinator for CFL Fans Fight Cancer (CFLFFC) has been one of the most emotional times of my life. Whether it’s a poker night in Toronto, climbing up stairs in Hamilton, walking 60-km on behalf of the CFL community through the streets of Montreal to fight breast cancer, or hosting a meet-and-greet at the Grey Cup to fund local cancer charities, I’ve learned so much. I’ve met people I thought I could never meet, done things I thought I could never do, and felt things I thought I could never feel.
I’d like to thank my friend and mentor Jarrett Harris for founding CFLFFC and for everything he has done for me. I’d also like to shout out to Randy, Brian, Bill and Cam for being part of this great team. (And I’d like to shout out to Sarah Palin as well for using the term “shout out” in front of millions of people during a political debate on live TV.)
My few seasons sitting in Section 121 of the “ArgoDome” with the Double Blue Crew (DBC) have also taught me a lot. They’ve taught me how to have fun, but also how to make great friends. With CFLFFC, you learn to stick your neck out for people that you don’t even know; something that’s very noble. With the DBC, you learn to stick your neck out for your good friends; something that’s just as noble.
I urge my fellow Argo fans and CFL fans to come sit with us in Section 121 sometime next season. You’ll have a blast! You’ll make some great friends, and see the game from an angle you thought you never could. Just keep an eye out for those of us wearing 00s on our jerseys.
When the CFL says, ‘This is our league, they mean it. And it’s not just our league. It’s our game. This is one of the only things that we have left that’s truly, purely Canadian. The CFL is one of the many things that our great country has to offer, and it’s one great thing that can teach you values that will emotionally change your life forever.
By coming to Calgary to partake in this great Canadian gathering, or even just by watching the game on TV, you’ll be honouring our country. Watching a Canadian flag wave is one of the sights that brings tears to my eyes. On Grey Cup Sunday, as we recite the national anthem, think about how lucky you are to be Canadian. Think about those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to be able to lead the lives we live.
This is true patriot love. This is us coming together. This is us helping others. This is us building a stronger Canada.
This is our league.
Truthfully and Canadianly yours,
-Zach Paikin