Petite pensée pour un vieil ami
Monday, 25 August 2008 | 21:29
Photo: pacificsport.com
I’ve never cared much for the Olympics. Already, I’m not much of a sports fan, and the blanket coverage tends to get on my nerves; add to that the issues of doping, cheating, and the heavily politicized nature of the whole Olympic enterprise, and I tend to run for cover. The Games this year were especially hard to swallow, since they were held in China, not exactly a bastion of free speech and human rights and democracy – all supposedly Olympic ideals.
But I would be remiss not to acknowledge the efforts and dedication of the athletes, the vast majority of whom are honest, hard-working people who love their chosen sport, and have spent their lives dreaming of competing on the world stage. One of these such people is Travis Cross, someone I knew quite well, once upon a time.
Travis is from my hometown; we attended the same junior and senior high schools, and sat side by side in band class throughout junior high. We met when we were 13, and started dating when we were 15. His mum and my mum were (and remain) quite good friends. Travis started wrestling in Grade 7, and always dreamt of qualifying for the Olympics. This year, he did. From our small town of about 19,000, a contingent of 64 people accompanied Travis to Beijing to cheer him on (including his wife, his family, our former high school principal, the town’s mayor… the list goes on!). While he did not bring home a medal (he lost in a tiebreaker), the entire community – and indeed, the entire country, judging by the abundant press he’s received – is proud of him.
