Diehard Fans at Last Saturday's Bomber Game

It was a cool and windy Saturday afternoon, but diehard Blue Bomber fans were in abundance at Canad Inns Stadium to see the Bombers beat the Montreal Alouettes 26-25.

An estimated 30,360 people were there to cheer on The Blue 'n' Gold. A number of them were season ticket-holders, and others were just anxious to see Winnipeg and Montreal battle it out for control of first place in the Eastern Conference. Regardless of how many games each person attends, there are special reasons why loyal fans come back game after game.

"It's tradition, it's part of my blood. I played football ... used to play it myself, so it's part of our history," said late-comer Rick Gibson.

Other died-in-the-wool Bomber supporters, like Patrick Loden, have similar feelings. Loden said he has been a fan of the big blue almost since birth.

"I think I was brainwashed, right, I had no choice in my family. So either be a Bomber fan or get the hell out."

Garry Lang is also harboring the tradition of Football enthusiasm in his family. Lang was accompanied by his toddler grandson Ashlyn, whose face was adorned with "Bombers go!" The grandfather first purchased season tickets back in 1980. He gave them up when the club put Astroturf on the field and his kids came along, but now that he's got used to the new turf and his grandson is old enough, he's excited to be back in the stands.

Others, who aren't spending quality time with their families, keep coming back for good old-fashioned fun.

"We're in Section S, so the cheering is always so loud and everyone gets right into it. It's great," said Melissa Morison as she enjoyed a beer with her partner Ryan Bruce before the game. "We're usually a little bit horse when we leave."

The fans in Section S will have another opportunity to cheer loudly, since the Bombers now have a home playoff date. Both Winnipeg and Montreal are tied for first place in the CFL's Eastern Division with 10-6 records, but the Bombers will achieve first place if the teams are tied at the end of the regular season.