Roughriders basking in extreme heat during practice

With extreme heat warnings across much of southern and central Saskatchewan this week and temperatures hitting 35 C on Thursday afternoon, some Saskatchewan Roughriders hit the field for practice in their hoodies.

“Usually when it gets a little hotter, I always try to layer up, lose a little bit of extra weight (and) lose the sweat. But I feel good,” linebacker Darnell Sankey told reporters earlier this week.

But Sankey also admitted he probably won’t be doing it again after this week.

“I wasn’t expecting this. Lesson learned,” he said.

The mercury reached 35 C in Regina on Thursday, tying the temperature record in the city for Sept. 1.

Linebacker Derrick Moncrief wears a hoodie during practice. He said Thursday that he grew up in that kind of heat.

“This is easy weather. What is it, 70 (Fahrenheit, or 21 C), 80 (Fahrenheit, or 27 C) out here? I can handle that any day of the week,” the product of Prattville, Ala., said.

He said the more layers he wears, the better he feels on game day.

“(You) feel like you’re just sweating, you feel heavy during the week, you’re practising, you’re stressing your body and stuff, so when you get to the game, you’re good,” said Moncrief, whose team plays host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in the Labour Day Classic.

Quarterback Cody Fajardo wears long sleeves when he plays, but said it’s not to lose weight but rather to protect himself from the sun.

“I don’t want to be red by Labour Day and a bunch of sunburns, so it protects me. I know my wife will be happy that I’ve got a long sleeve on – she’s always worried about me putting on sunscreen,” said Fajardo.

Meanwhile, left tackle Terran Vaughn isn’t about to say anything bad about the heat.

“It’s a little hot, but one thing I learned out here (in Saskatchewan): I will not complain about the heat because I know in a couple weeks I’ll be wishing it was this hot again. I’m soaking this up. I hope it’s this hot on Sunday,” said Vaughn.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Britton Gray