Watermelon helmets not in style at Lions game
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By Peter Mills
REGINA—Even before the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost 24-11 to the B.C. Lions on Friday in Vancouver, Ryan Lacey was in a bad mood.
Lacey, a former Regina resident, couldn’t wait to carve out a watermelon helmet and watch the Riders play their only regular-season game on the West Coast this season.
When he hopped on a bus with a watermelon on his head and smile on his face, people took notice.
Lacey said one woman on the bus, dressed in Rider gear, told her friend about the excitement that occurs when the Green and White comes to Vancouver.
“See! This guy is wearing a watermelon helmet,” the woman said. “How much fun is that?”
Unfortunately, his watermelon helmet was not welcome at Vancouver’s Empire Field.
“When we got to the security gates … I noticed that they were making people take [watermelon helmets] off,” Lacey said. “People were smashing them and putting them in the garbage.”
Confused by what was happening, Lacey asked a stadium employee what was going on.
“He said, ‘The security team that deals with Empire Field was given a specific directive to not allow any watermelons to come into the field.’ “
Security warned Rider fans they could not bring in watermelons because they may be used as a projectile, Lacey said.
As a result, the stadium entrance looked like a Rider Pride graveyard.
Lacey and four of his friends were forced to dispose of their helmets before entering the stadium.
“For the rest of the game, me and my buddies were just bummed,” he said. “It sucked and I think it brought down the energy of the game.”
On June 22, Lacey went to the pre-season game between the Riders and Lions at Empire Field and “didn’t have any problems.”
Empire Field’s code of conduct doesn’t mention any ban on hats made of fruit, but Laura Ballance, spokesperson for the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), said watermelon helmets have caused cleanup and safety issues at previous games.
“Going into this last game, the decision was made by the venue to not allow the watermelon helmets because of the past experiences where, at the end of the game, they were thrown onto the field or throughout the venue,” Ballance said.
The PNE offered to “coat check” watermelon helmets, but Ballance said she understands why it “probably wouldn’t satisfy a sports fan” like Lacey.
Lacey said he knows there is a mess associated with watermelons, but he doesn’t think it’s a justifiable reason to ban them.
“Even if we left them in the stands, it’s just like garbage,” he said. “It’s not that there are acres of these things being left behind.
“The fact that they let in heavier objects that were more questionable … it just seemed like they were trying to stifle the Rider fans,” Lacey added, referring to army helmets and hard hats.
Ballance said the PNE did not intend to upset any fans.
“I know that there was some disappointed Rider fans and for that we’re sorry,” she said. “It wasn’t meant as an insult to Saskatchewan and it wasn’t meant to diminish the experience for the fans.”
Regina Leader-Post
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