How the green and white changed one woman's sense of self

Colleen Sutton grew up as a shy, serious musician in football-obsessed Regina. Despite the avid fans of Rider Nation around her, she wasn't into sports at all. Her introduction to the Saskatchewan Roughriders came when, as a member of the Regina Lions Band, she was invited to join the Riders' pep band and play at football games. Playing in the pep band meant a five day trip to Calgary for the Grey Cup, and Colleen decided having to sit through nine home games in Regina was worth it.

She was decidedly uninterested in the games going on in front of her while she wasn't performing, but happened to sit next to "the most passionate fan", and soon became frustrated with her self-imposed boredom. 

"Before I knew it, I finally asked her a question, and I said 'I don't understand why everyone is cheering — we didn't score,' so she said "Well, we got a first down," so then that lead to my first question — and that's all it took," said Colleen.

The following year, she was right there with her seat mate, screaming at the refs, the players, and speaking her mind the entire game. This translated to her personal life. She became unafraid to use her voice outside of the arena, and gained confidence and a sense of self. 

"I discovered eight years later when I really thought about it that by unleashing my voice on the football field, it unleashed my own voice in my own life and I suddenly felt like I could say what I thought," she said.

Eventually, she joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a musician, and was making a steady salary with benefits. To the outside world, she had everything together — but she wasn't happy in Ottawa, and only felt alive when she was watching the Riders play. She soon realized she didn't have to be miserable in her job, and was emboldened by her passion for the Roughriders to leave the military and go to theatre school.

A few years after graduating, work slowed down and she decided to write her own play. Naturally, it was an ode to the Green and White.

"I started to think if I was to write anything, it would be about the Riders. How Rider Nation, the team, the game, and Sandra, gave me the passion and ultimately the permission to live my life — to live my life the way I wanted to."