While veni, vidi, vici — the slogan on this year’s Kill McGill 2000 shirts — might not have been the best way to describe what happened on the field at Saturday’s football game against the McGill Redmen, Queen’s students still came out in force to their team and take part in a longstanding university tradition.
Early Saturday morning, over 400 students piled onto ten buses and headed to Montreal for the annual showdown between the Gaels and their longtime rivals, the Redmen. Saturday marked the first time in four years that the game has been played in Montreal. As such, it was the first time that most Queen’s students got to make the trip to the infamous event.
A later-than-expected departure time, along with a one-hour pit stop just outside of Cornwall and some difficulty locating the stadium once the buses reached Montreal, caused most of the buses to arrive well after the game’s 1:30 p.m. start time at McGill’s Molson Stadium. Fans entered just in time to catch Queen’s Bands performing at half time.
Sarah Hammond, ArtSci ’03, didn’t seem to mind the delay.
“I only came to check out the football players anyway. I don’t really care what happens in the game.”
Queen’s fans were immediately cheered by the news that the Gaels were ahead by a score of 14-7. Although it became clear in the second half that the Gaels would not return home victorious, the mood in the stands remained high throughout the game. Despite the cold and rain, most fans, dressed in coveralls and sporting various Tricolour paraphernalia, stayed to watch the entire game, trading insults with the McGill ers throughout the last two quarters.
When asked about the rivalry between fans of the two teams, Geoffrey Lamoureux, ArtSci ’03, didn’t take any of the contention too seriously: “Any incoming class [at Queen’s] will willingly hate any other university we’re told to. None of us hated McGill before we got here.”
Most spectators at the game were unaware that they may have been witnessing the last Kill McGill. Head football coach at McGill, Charlie Baillie, explained that both Queen’s and York have applied to be accepted into the OUA (Ontario University Athletics). Currently, Queen’s plays in the Ontario Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference (OQIFC). Baillie expressed regret that the McGill-Queen’s rivalry may be coming to an end.
“It would be a real shame. McGill and Queen’s have been playing each other since 1884. There’s a 117-year rivalry there.” Former AMS president Greg Frankson, ConEd ’97, who attended the game, shared similar thoughts.
“That would be a disappointment. It’s a real tradition. The rivalry is so deep in history, it would be a shame to see it go.” After the game, Queen’s students headed out for a night in Montreal before departing for Kingston around 1 a.m.
Despite the loss, most agreed the trip was definitely worth it. Stephanie Kearns, ArtSci ’04 was one of them.
“It was awesome…I’m so glad I came.”
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