Old Gainer ‘disappointed’ in new Gainer’s look

A former Gainer is expressing disappointment in the changes that have been made to Saskatchewan’s beloved gopher.

Sandor Jerkovits was Gainer the Gopher during the 1980s and said he’s disappointed with the look of the new Gainer that debuted at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ CFL game Monday against the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium.

“You don’t change something like that after 40 years,” said Jerkovits, who initially became Gainer in 1979. “It’s a beloved character. Kids grew up with Gainer, and they associate Roughrider football and Saskatchewan with Gainer the Gopher.”

Jerkovits wasn’t alone in his concerns: An online petition to bring back the old Gainer was generating plenty of interest Tuesday.

The new-look Gainer features a slimmed-down body, a bigger mouth and wider smile, green eyes and running shoes. It all caught Jerkovits off guard.

“There was a range of emotions that went through my mind — feelings that I had about doing Gainer, the things that we used to do with Gainer, the fun we had with Gainer …,” he said. “When I look at the new Gainer, it’s not the same thing.

“You know there’s a person there moreso than an animated character come to life. It’s disappointing to see this and it’s sad in a way.”

Although the mascot had some modifications over the years, the general figure and look of Gainer never changed. Now, Jerkovits said something is different with the new mascot.

“I think what they’ve done here is a disservice to those living and growing up with the mascot of the Riders,” he said.

Jerkovits said he first got into the gopher persona after visiting with some friends one evening, when one of his friends had the Gainer costume.

“(He) flew out of the room and jumped on me with his Gainer outfit on,” Jerkovits said with a laugh. “Well, we never stopped laughing for I don’t know how long, and finally I said, ‘Well, what’s the gimmick behind this suit?’ ”

Jerkovits said the idea behind Gainer came about after Saskatchewan lost the 1976 Grey Cup to the Ottawa Rough Riders. During that playoff run, the team borrowed another mascot from Calgary to help cheer on the team.

The Roughriders then decided in 1977 that they needed a mascot of their own, and thus created Gainer the Gopher.

“To be in the costume is hilarious,” said a laughing Jerkovits, who added that being in the costume was like wearing a carpet. “When it’s a hundred degrees outside, you would literally lose five to 10 pounds soaking wet while you’re inside the suit.”

Despite how hot it could be in the Gainer suit, Jerkovits said he had a lot of fun managing the heat with the crowd.

“Of course I got really thirsty inside,” the former mascot said. “The hilarious part is that I’d walk around and people would have drinks in their hands, so I’d plunk my straw in their drink and drink it right in front of them.”

Jerkovits added that a lot of the mascot’s routine back then was up to whoever was in the costume.

“You had to get the crowd going, that was a big thing,” said Jerkovits, who added that when he was Gainer, the Roughriders had a bad team so a lot of the crowd paid attention to whatever the beloved gopher was up to.

Gainer’s influence also extended beyond the sidelines. Although it was early on in the mascot’s life, Jerkovits did a lot of functions around Regina in the gopher suit which helped extend the love for Gainer across the community.

In offering advice to new Gainers, Jerkovits said to be as free as possible and to be more animated on the field.

“Gainer had a lot of autonomy to do things. It’d be nice if you could be as free as possible again, within being respectful,” he said. “But being way more animated on the field, more involved, some of the old routines never are done anymore.”