Despite the poor air quality in Hamilton on Wednesday due to smoke from wildfires in northern Ontario and Quebec, the Tiger-Cats put in a full practice at Tim Hortons Field as they prepare for their opening game of the regular season.
Head coach Orlondo Steinauer says they were prepared for any scenario during their final practice before flying to Winnipeg for Friday night’s opener at IG Field.
“I think we were locked in, we were super efficient,” said Steinauer, following the team’s roughly 90-minute-long practice.
“We knew that there was a chance we may not practice, there was a chance we’d practice. It wasn’t a distraction for us,” added Steinauer.
According to Air Quality Ontario, the air quality health index in downtown Hamilton at the start of the Canadian Football League team’s practice Wednesday registered a four at 11 a.m., or a moderate risk level.
By the end of the practice session, the air quality measurement had doubled to eight, or high risk.
“Was (smoky air) noticeable?” Steinauer asked rhetorically. “Yeah, I’m not going to sit here and say nobody made comments about it. But there was nobody that said ‘I don’t feel well.'”
CHML’s coverage of Friday night’s Tiger-Cats–Blue Bombers game will begin with the Pregame Show at 7:30 p.m. and kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. ET.
After the game, catch The 5th Quarter postgame show on 900 CHML, our Facebook page and on the Radioplayer Canada app.