A 45-second video submitted on a whim is sending a Langford family across the country to act as Toronto Blue Jays owners for a day.
Jenny Erskine won the Rogers Game Day Owner contest, a glamorous prize package that flies her family from Victoria to Toronto to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend.
The Blue Jays are set to host the Los Angeles Angels at Rogers Centre in a three-game series. The Erskine family will take in the action on May 8 and 9.
Erskine submitted her short video detailing her family’s lifelong connection to the team, despite rarely entering promotions.
“I literally never enter contests,” Erskine said. “I thought if there was one I’m going to enter, this would be it. I put a 45-second little video together and submitted it, and I thought, if anything, somebody’s going to find this fun.”
About a month later, she missed a phone call and spotted a voicemail transcript mentioning the team.
“I saw it was Rogers and I didn’t even let the message finish,” she said. “I called back right away and said, ‘Hi, this is Jenny.’ When they told me, I couldn’t even find the words. I was just shocked.”
The prize includes round-trip flights, accommodations at the Marriott City Centre hotel inside the stadium, and premium seats for both games. Erskine, her husband Dave, and their two children, Ava and Ben, will also take part in batting practice viewing, clubhouse tours, and player meet and greets.
“Anyone in Canada knows how hard it is to get tickets,” Erskine said. “To have four tickets, premium seats, I mean, that alone is just huge. I don’t think people understand the magnitude of what this is.”
Baseball has long been part of the family’s story.
Jenny and Dave met playing beer league slow pitch, and after tying the knot in 2016, spent their first trip as a married couple on a road trip to Seattle to watch the Blue Jays sweep the Mariners.
“We had some wigs on, and my husband had a cape on, pretending to be Superman (Kevin Pillar), and we just really had fun with it,” she said. “We thought, maybe we’ll get on TV because we’re here for all three games. And sure enough, we did.”
That connection continues at home, with Jenny coaching Ben’s 7U team with the Triangle Baseball Association.
No matter how busy life gets on Vancouver Island, she stays connected to the action on the diamond.
“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to live stream the games over my radio while I’m toting my kids around for sports, or watch on my phone while we’re out fishing on the ocean,” she said.
According to Terrie Tweddle, Rogers chief brand and communications officer, that deep-rooted dedication made Erskine the perfect fit for the contest.
“Jenny’s passion for the Blue Jays and the special place baseball holds in her family make her the ideal Rogers Game Day Owner,” Tweddle said. “As proud owner of Canada’s team with fans from the west to the east, we’re excited to host Jenny and her family at Rogers Centre for a memorable Mother’s Day celebration,”
The whole family has its favourites on the current roster. Ava cheers for Addison Barger, while Ben follows George Springer. Jenny said meeting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would top her list, but she appreciates the entire squad.
“Especially after last year, it was such a team effort where every player just showed up,” she said. “They hustled, and they left it all on the field, and I just love them all.”
The weekend will also mark a major travel milestone for the family, who had just been discussing a possible trip to Ontario next year.
“We’ve never been to Toronto,” she said. “This is a dream trip to watch the Blue Jays on home turf.”
“We’re just small town people, and it’s kind of overwhelming,” she added. “Just how lucky of an opportunity this is, and how grateful we are to share this experience as a family, is once in a lifetime.”
Toronto currently sits third in the American League East with a 16-19 record.
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