On Friday, Kennedy and I went to Ottawa to watch an exhibition game between the Canadian and American Women's Rugby teams (a final showdown before this year's Rugby World Cup in England), and despite knowing nothing at all about rugby, I'm always down for a roadtrip with my first born. We spent some of the five hour drive researching how the game works, some of the time talking about what a wholesome role model Ilona Maher has shown herself to be (I love that picture I found online from the stands up there; we were cheering for team Canada, but were also looking forward to watching Ilona in action), and most of the time catching up on some of the podcasts Kennedy listens to.
We checked into our hotel and walked towards the stadium, assuming we'd find dinner along the way. What we didn't anticipate were the crowds of people in Canada-red rugby jerseys who had been savvy enough to get dinner reservations beforehand (loved to see it; couldn't fault them), but we eventually found a place to eat and it certainly was fun being part of the sea of red and white that eventually converged on TD Place.
Kennedy had gotten the tickets, and they were fantastic - four rows up from the field, right on the goal line - and even luckier for us, the young man beside me was there with a friend who also didn't know anything about rugby, and Kennedy and I were able to listen in on his helpful commentary on strategy, missed scoring opportunities, types of penalties, and questionable calls. Near the end of the game (which turned into a blowout for Canada), the ref had whistled down a Canadian goal, and as she and her linesmen reviewed the play in slowmo on the big screen, someone behind me yelled "Try!", which by now I knew was what you call a goal in rugby, and when a couple of other people also yelled it out, I added my voice in a firmly knowing "Try!", and as the goal was eventually allowed, that moment was the inspiration for this post's tune (bonus points for Blue Rodeo being by such an iconic Canadian band).
After the game, we walked up to the Parliament Buildings (always so impressive to sit by the eternal flame at night), and the next morning, we decided to go to the Canadian Museum of Nature (there is always time for looking at dinosaurs). Before heading home, we decided to walk back along Bank Street in The Glebe to browse the shops we had been windowshopping the night before, and between the beautiful weather, the satisfying outcome of the game, and just getting my daughter (the real shining star) to myself for a couple of days, it was the perfect way to start off a summer long weekend. As we can now say when watching a rugby game:
