ROAD TRIP: Winnipeg pair’s Guinness record attempt almost thwarted by WestJet woes

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Neil Reavely and Tavona Molinski’s effort to break the Guinness World Record by attending CFL games in nine different cities in only 14 days is rolling following their first stop in Edmonton Sunday. But it almost didn’t get off the ground.

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Literally.

The die-hard CFL fans had planned to have Molinski rent a car and drive to the Alberta capital to meet up with Reavely at the airport following his WestJet flight from Winnipeg. And I’m guessing you know what’s coming next.

Reavely said he got a message on Friday night informing him that his Sunday morning flight had been cancelled, one of dozens of WestJet flights similarly affected by damage caused by a severe hailstorm that slammed Calgary last Monday night.

Two hours later, he managed to book a similar flight to Edmonton actually arriving a few minutes earlier than his original flight, only to have that one cancelled Saturday afternoon with the only other available flight flying out on Monday, putting their Guinness World Record attempt in pigskin peril.

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“(I) Find a (Air Canada) flight that gets me to Edmonton finally but is close to $1,500,” said Reavely in an email Monday, adding that when he arrived at the airport for his 5:10 a.m., flight, he found that while his 8:30 a.m. flight to Edmonton was still cancelled a 6:30 a.m. flight to Calgary/Edmonton was still a go.

But Reavely did manage to arrive in Edmonton in time for the B.C. Lions-Edmonton Elks game even if it did confuse a few Elks supporters to see two Bombers fans in their midst.

“(We got to) Tail gate with some amazing people who we now call friends and then get to game and watch entire game from our seats in section Q row 4,” said Reavely. “We are asked a few times from Elks fans if we are lost and explain what we are doing and have all their support. Rest of the game is great, great atmosphere, great fans, great experience.”

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Next up is a drive to Calgary for Thursday’s Stampeders game against the Ottawa Redblacks followed by a drive to Regina for Friday’s Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders game. The tour continues with Edmonton at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Aug. 17), Winnipeg Blue Bombers at B.C. in Vancouver (Aug. 18), Saskatchewan at Toronto Argos (Aug. 22), Hamilton at Winnipeg (Aug. 23), B.C. at Ottawa (Aug. 24), and Edmonton at Montreal (Aug. 25).

And just to make things even more interesting, the pair are revisiting the John Candy/Steve Martin classic Planes, Trains and Automobiles through their various modes of transport which will also include a water taxi to the Bombers-Lions game.

glen.dawkins@kleinmedia.ca

X: @SunGlenDawkins

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