Rep Your City

Whether it’s Athens and Sparta, Liverpool and Manchester or Springfield and Shelbyville — city rivalries have long been a part of our culture.

No doubt about it, the Battle of Alberta continues to wage. This Saturday, it’s the Edmonton Eskimos vs. Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium in the battle for first place in the West Division.

For born-and-raised Edmontonians Grant Shaw and Ryan King, the rivalry is something they’ve lived with their entire lives.

“It’s like a culture that you grow up with,” says Shaw. “If you grew up in Edmonton, you’re going to bleed (the colours).”

“I’m a pure-bred Edmontonian. It stems back from when I was a little kid and it just goes to everything I do.” King says.

 “I do, however, have a lot of respect for the rivalry between the cities and the clubs.”

The kicker and long snapper duo have been part of the rivalry for nearly their entire football careers. Both went to Calgary for tournaments as kids, both played junior football in Edmonton and both have their fair share of memories of the Battle of Alberta.

The local players appreciate the rivalry as a way for fans to rally around their team and their home.

“It’s bigger than just us, its city wide,” Shaw says. “Everyone has pride for their city and they obviously want to beat their provincial rival.”

“Anytime you go to Calgary, you put your game shoes on, you tie them up extra tight, and you go real hard,” King says.

Eskimos wide receiver Nate Coehoorn experienced the rivalry differently.

The 29-year-old was born in Medicine Hat to a family full of Calgary Stampeders fans and played for the University of Calgary Dinos.

Though he’s not officially from Calgary, he experienced the rivalry early and often.

“It was tradition to go to at least one CFL game a year and we would drive up to the Labour Day Classic,” Coehoorn says.

“Also, when I was playing for U of C we always looked forward to playing the U of A, or even Flames/Oilers games. There’s always been a huge rivalry between the two cities in any league and any time.”

For King, the most exciting part of the inter-provincial rivalry has been watching it build as his career has developed.

“The rivalry has stayed strong and has probably gotten even stronger since the start,” he says.

“It’s super cool to be involved in that kind of rivalry at a professional level, because when we were growing up it was strong, but now at the professional level it’s as big as it can get.”

Kickoff for the latest edition of the Battle of Alberta is 5 p.m. MT. Watch it with the Eskimos Cheer Team at Average Joes in Sherwood Park at the Coors Light Watch Party.