B.C. CFL fan makes stop in Regina during Guinness World Record attempt

A 37-year-old man from Delta, B.C. is trying to do something no other Canadian Football League fan has done before.

Bobby Dubeau is hoping to watch a game at all nine CFL stadiums within a 15-day period.

He started his journey in Calgary when the Stampeders faced the Saskatchewan Roughriders back on June 26. Since then, his journey has included stops in Montreal and Ottawa.

Regina marks the halfway point for him on his trip. This week, he said he’ll go to games in Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Hamilton before returning to Vancouver where he is a season ticket holder.

Dubeau said he got the idea last year while waiting out a hurricane on the east coast.

“I was trying to get out to Nova Scotia and I was stuck in Montreal because of a hurricane in Cape Breton. I went to an Alouettes game while I was there, and then the next day I had to stay a little longer than I thought and I had family in Ottawa and headed over there and went to a Redblacks game,” he explained.

“I was sitting there thinking it would be sure cool to see all nine (teams) one day, and the schedule makers made it so I could see all nine teams within 15 days this year.”

Dubeau said he went ahead with the trip after the people at Guinness World Records said he would be allowed to pursue his goal as an official world record attempt. He said he had to pitch the idea to the company and explain why it would be a historic moment worthy of the record books.

Dubeau said he loves the CFL, but it wasn’t always that way when he was growing up.

When he was younger, Dubeau said he loved the B.C. Lions and going to Lions games, but said he fell out of love with the league as he grew older. Over the last five years, however, he said he’s picked it up again and is now a season ticket holder with the Lions.

“I was a big fan as a kid and kind of fell off of the league – but the last five or six years I’ve been watching every game, basically. It’s an easy league to do that,” he said.

He said he was able to make the trip possible because his job allows him to work remotely and he has family members helping him out across the country to help keep the budget under control.

“I have family across the country, so I’ve been able to crash on their couches,” he said. “I’ve kind of been squeezing it in that way.”

Dubeau said he’s doing the entire trip solo, and said that’s probably the best way to have done it. He didn’t think other people would enjoy battling some of the elements that he had to endure.

“Last weekend in Montreal I was at the stadium for six hours in the pouring rain. I don’t think anybody really would (do this trip with me),” he laughed.

“I asked my girlfriend, and she’d rather stay at home with the dog.”

When asked if he had a prediction for what will happen in Thursday’s game between the Elks and Roughriders, Dubeau said he didn’t want to pick one side or the other.

But, he said, what he’s seen from the last-place Edmonton Elks hasn’t looked promising.

“I hope both teams have fun, but I assume the Riders are going to win. This will be my fourth Elks game in a row, so I don’t have very high expectations for these guys,” he joked.