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By
Josette deBrouwer of The Blenheim
News Tribune
Few
will argue that having the Olympic
Torch come through Blenheim was the
thrill of a lifetime, least of all
those who carried it. It took less
than 20 minutes for the six
torchbearers to make their way from
Talbot St. East, through the
downtown core and back onto Chatham
St. North to Allison Line. But in
that time, hundreds of people who
lined the streets were touched with
the Olympic Spirit. “I don’t think
I’ll ever forget any part of it,”
Diane Easton said more than a week
after having carried the torch along
Talbot Street. “It was a lifetime
thrill.” People began preparing for
the flame’s arrival late in the
afternoon on Dec. 22, and many who
lined the streets carried banners
and flags. A last-minute change to
the route had the chairman of the
Blenheim Olympic Torch Run committee
scrambling,
 but Daryl Dawson said
residents took it all in stride. “I
don’t think anybody felt left out,”
Dawson said. “There were a lot of
banners - people made a night of it.
And the highlight, for me, was the
number of people who came out. They
were five, six people deep along
Talbot, right across Chatham
Street.” For Shayna Moor, that
community support made her 300m run
with the torch memorable. “It was
really cool. I was so proud of our
town. There were so many people, and
it was so awesome.” Fellow
torchbearer Lindsay Boyd said the
enthusiasm of the crowd left no
doubt in his mind that Canadians are
excited about the Olympics. “It was
an absolutely huge privilege and
honour to be able to run with the
torch,” he said. “You just got
carried along by the adrenaline and
the energy from the crowd.” Sue
Birtch was the first to carry the
torch in the Blenheim relay. She
said the community support for the
OTR was overwhelming. “I was
completely in shock when I saw how
busy the streets were,” she said.
“It was spectacular to see the good
response from town. It tells me
everybody is feeling good about
where we live.” The response of the
crowd along the route echoed what
has been happening in over 1,000
communities that are part of the
longest torch relay in Olympic
history. The flame started its
106-day cross-country journey in
Vancouver on Oct. 30, 2009. By the
time it returns to open the Winter
Olympics on Feb. 12, it will have
covered 45,000 km and been within an
hour’s drive of 90 per cent of the
population. Boyd said that in itself
is inspirational. “It’s amazing to
me to see how such a small flame can
invigorate and light up a whole
country,” he said.
“Being part of the process was a
life-changing event.” Easton agreed
that the torch relay has connected
people to one another. “It sure has
brought Canada together,” Easton
said. “And I’m humbled when I
listened to the other torch bearers
tell their stories.” Some of the
torchbearers were chosen through
contests organized by the OTR
sponsors, RBC and Coca Cola. Others
like Boyd,
were chosen by RBC because of their
community involvement. “I was
fortunate to have been chosen
because of my work in
Windsor/Essex,” he said. “As part of
my job with the Chamber of Commerce
here I’ve been doing community
leadership activities.” Moor said
she’s pleased she was able to show
her community that volunteerism pays
off. She was selected by RBC after
having written an essay outlining
her volunteer commitments. The
Blenheim District High School
graduate has helped with the
CanSkate program for eight years,
and also coached the Ridgetown
Bantam girls hockey team. She now
studies at the University of
Toronto, but continues to pursue her
love of hockey as a goalie with the
women’s Varsity Blues hockey team.
“I want to show kids that you can do
school and sports - it’s possible.
“Academics and athletics work
together,” ments. The Blenheim
District High School graduate has
helped with the CanSkate program for
eight years, and also coached the
Ridgetown Bantam girls hockey team.
She now studies at the University of
Toronto, but continues to pursue her
love of hockey as a goalie with the
women’s Varsity Blues hockey team.
“I want to show kids that you can do
school and sports - it’s possible.
“Academics and athletics work
together,” |
