Saskatchewan Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace had the honour of burning the brand to officially kick off Canadian Western Agribition in Regina Monday morning.
Mace told reporters afterward it was his first time doing it and wasn’t quite sure what he was getting himself into. “Had to ask a couple of questions because I was a little nervous – what am I branding? Because I’d never done it before, that was awesome. To see all the people speaking in front of me and understanding the totality of what Agribition is and what it brings on a global stage, extremely honoured.
“I realized I had my hand a little too low, so I dragged that thing up there, but it was excellent, just making sure that I branded it the right way – the logo looked good….I’ve never had an opportunity to brand anything. To be able to do it on a stage like this, very honoured.” he said of the experience.
Mace said he was looking forward to learning more about agriculture while at Agribition, noting he had attended University in Wyoming and lived in Calgary for years – areas where cattle has a strong presence – but had not taken the time to learn the nuances of the industry. He also planned on watching the rodeo and experience all that Agribition has to offer with his family this week.
Mace was also looking forward to connecting with Rider fans at the event. “We know that Rider Nation doesn’t just limit itself to the boundaries of the province,” he said. “As people are coming in from the province and certainly now I’m hearing there’s people coming from all over the world so we can convert some of these people to Green and White as well, but just like we do for our games, we want to build that community atmosphere and this is another opportunity for the people of Saskatchewan to get together and celebrate so just happy to be here.”
Other dignitaries at the burning of the brand was Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, new Provincial Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison, Deputy City Manager of Communications, Service Regina & Tourism Jennifer Johnson, CEO of Agribition Shaun Kindopp, and President of Agribition Michael Latimer.