From now until Tuesday, Aug. 31, all Roughrider fans wherever they may live will be allowed to vote for one of five communities, to receive the honour to be called "Riderville", the home of the greatest Rider fans in the province.Weyburn is, of course, among those five communities, the others being Yorkton, Unity, Avonlea and Nipawin. The Riders selection committee has visited all five communities, and now it's up to the fans to provide their votes for which community best embodies Rider Pride.Some people may dismiss this as a gimmick for the football team, as they try to garner support from outside the major centres of Regina and Saskatoon, and may say it's not worth the time or the effort to cast such a vote.The reality is, however, quite the opposite. First of all, the Riders are holding this contest to help them celebrate 100 years, which is an amazing feat for any professional sports team no matter where it is or what they play. Secondly, the Riders have fans entrenched all across this country - they truly do not need to garner support, they have it already.And thirdly, it is the local community and their youth who will benefit the most from earning the distinction of being named "Riderville", as the top prize is $25,000, which is to go towards minor sports. In Weyburn's case, we have a huge minor sports community, and they would make full use of such funds if Weyburn were able to earn this prize.One of the projects that could benefit greatly is a need by Minor Football for a new field; these funds would provide a tremendous boost to bringing that dream to reality, and it would benefit many young people of a wide range of ages.There is no lack of Rider Pride in Weyburn, as anyone can see in the community with even just a cursory look around. Remember that votes can be made once a day, and if possible, vote from both home and work, and encourage Weyburn ex-pats as well as friends and family to also support our community.
