VANCOUVER — The Grey Cup has officially arrived in Vancouver.
The Canadian Football League and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) kicked-off the weeklong festivities ahead of the 111th Grey Cup on Sunday, November 17, at BC Place.
The iconic trophy arrived via sea, land and air, escorted by members of the CAF, including Colonel Christopher Shapka, Commander of 19 Wing Comox and a 10-year CFL official.
CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, alongside Ken Sim, Mayor of the City of Vancouver and Duane Vienneau, president of the BC Lions were present at the ceremony that officially opens the week of festivities ahead of the game between the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
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111th GREY CUP
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(Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)
DOUBLE DUTY
Colonel Shapka, a 10-year CFL official, will be a part of the 111th Grey Cup officiating crew as announced by Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
“It’s very rewarding, certainly, to be included in a Grey Cup,” said the Colonel. “We work all year to be ready for a Grey Cup. I work with a lot of incredible men and women on the football field in the CFL and all of us, we train and work so hard, and so to be named to the Grey Cup is always very rewarding.”
Shapka is used to having to deal with the responsibility of life in the military, but doubles down with one of the hardest job in sports, officiating a football game. Now he’ll get to take on the biggest responsibility there is as a CFL official, being part of the officiating crew at the 111th Grey Cup.
“It’s a passion of mine, but it’s a passion of mine that the Royal Canadian Air Force has helped me succeed in as well. Because I’m a full time member of the Royal Canadian Air Force. They support me with being able to take leave and go and travel around the country to referee CFL games. And so I’m very thankful to them as well, that they give me the time to be able to really pursue both my passions, a life in the Air Force and life in the CFL as well.”
PARALLELS
The RCAF is deeply connected to CFL history. So much so that in 1942, two teams composed of football players who had joined the Royal Canadian Air Force battled for the 30th Grey Cup, when the Toronto RCAF Hurricanes defeated the Winnipeg RCAF Bombers 8-5 to become the first non-civilian team to ever win a Grey Cup.
It was a matchup between two cities that will be reenacted in the 111th Grey Cup when Toronto and Winnipeg face off on Sunday.
Colonel Christopher Shapka (right) will be part of the 111th Grey Cup officiating crew (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)
NOT JUST ABOUT FOOTBALL
Colonel Shapka also shared the story about what is known as the Tea Bowl Game, when members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces faced off in London in 1944.
“In another effort to boost morale, a football game was organized between serving military members of Canada and the United States. The game featured the Canadian Army Mustangs against the American Central Base Section Pirates. This match took place before a crowd of 30,000 service people at White City Stadium in London, England. Not wanting to fall to the United States, Canada assembled a team of bringers, finding its best football players serving overseas and granting them six weeks away from the regular duties to prepare for the match. The first half of the game was played under American rules and ended scoreless. However, in the second half, using Canadian rules, the Canadian team triumphed with a score of 16-6.”
“These historical moments are not just about football. They’re about camaraderie, sacrifice and the spirit of competition that binds us as Canadians. As we mark the 111th Grey Cup and the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. We celebrate the legacy of those who came before us, some of them paying the ultimate sacrifice, and we celebrate those who will come in in the future.
“The Grey Cup is more than a trophy. It is a symbol of our resilience, our pride and our commitment to each other.”