In a room filled with Saskatchewan Roughrider fan gear including signed footballs, flags and pictures with players, Sister Rosetta Reniger’s heart skipped a beat when her iPhone lit up informing her of the team’s recent moves.
On Jan. 14, after the Roughriders released two key ingredients in wide receiver Weston Dressler and defensive lineman John Chick; the news sent shock waves across the province.
Those shock waves extended to the St. Angela Merici residence in Saskatoon, where Sister Rosetta and a handful of nuns huddle around a television in a room known as the Rider Roost to catch every single game. For them, having personally met John Chick, it’s with a heavy heart that the nuns have to say goodbye.
“I was very shocked, I knew they would be making changes but I didn’t think it would be these two people,” said Sister Rosetta. “Both of them will forever be in my heart and in the hearts of lots of Rider fans because they were really good people and I just wish them well in the future.”
With a lot of Chick and Dressler gear in the Roost, the nuns don’t plan on removing any of them in light of the news. The Roost has decades of Rider memorabilia featuring Rider greats George Reed and Ron Lancaster.
“The rider stuff will stay they are still apart of us and these two players will be a part of Rider history,” Sister Rosetta said, adding depending on where Chick and Dressler land in the CFL, it might be tough to cheer against them if they play the Riders.
“We will watch the games for sure, although I might have a little difficulty depending which team they play for when they play against the Riders because I will want (Dressler and Chick) personally to do well, but I don’t want them to beat the Riders.”