The Heritage Flame

As former Olympian and Edmontonian native Doreen Ryan finishes raising her arms in spiritual triumph, Native Edmontonian singing group Asani raise their voices in triumphant spirit. 

In school, we had to learn both the English and French versions of O Canada, no different than two sides of a cereal box.  The bi-lingually legislated part of our heritage is omni present.  But, Canada is not a bi-lingual country, and we share a far deeper heritage beyond that of our colonial ancestry.  Edmonton especially has a rich history involving our Native heritage.  So like the crisp night air stealing breath, Asani’s rendition of O Canada was both refreshing and overwhelming. 

Asani are described as a “contemporary Women’s trio from Edmonton, who [carry] with them the traditional influences of First Nations and Metis music accompanied by drums and rattles.  Their songs resonate with their own blend of traditional vocals infused with the sounds of jazz, folk and blues.”  They, thankfully, were on stage during the pinnacle moment of tonight’s torch relay.

As the crowd grew close, and all generations of Edmontonains cheered on the torch’s arrival, the crowd became one and the singing of the National Anthem was announced.  Just like we’ve all been taught, everyone straightened and prepared to belt out a familiar rendition.  But then something unexpected happened.  Debbie Houle began a low vocal rhythm, lightly rattled her drum, and everyone gave pause.  Before anyone knew what to expect, Sarah Pocklington charged ahead with a vibrant melody and Sherryl Sewepagham carried everyone’s ears with a swooping and bold harmony.  The words of the anthem were gone, replaced instead by a comforting feeling, like finding something you never knew was lost.  It perfectly articulated the symbolic nature of the torch, the enduring human spirit of the games, and the deep connection Albertan’s and Canadian’s share with one another.    

Wearing Your Heart On the Sleeves You Have On

            Extra underwear, three pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, two shirts, two sweaters, one wind breaker, one jacket, extra mitts, touque, heavy boots, a hockey jersey and one great big smile.  “I feel like I’m in Hawaii,” says Pam Cholak.  She and her two children – Zack and Alyssa – stand affront a crowd of flag waivers on a clear Edmonton night, the very front.  However, spirits are only getting higher as the mercury drops lower, and the Olympic torch draws nearer. 

            Edmontonians are a hearty people.  They cheer for their hockey team during a ten game losing streak.  They read “second coldest place on Earth” and feel regret they were only ‘second’ coldest.  They miss shoveling the walks during tropical vacations.  When most people would be isolated by the winters, Edmontonians rally behind it. 

A trait that is immediately apparent as suddenly, the crowd begins to stir and jeer.  The most iconic winter symbol of all enters the grounds: an Edmontonian protected by layers of warm clothes, carrying an undying flame to the centre of the stage.  Kids and parents alike line the centre isle.  Jubilation erupts when the torchlight reflects in their eyes.

“It’s great seeing all these people around,” says Truman Giant.  Visiting from Slave Lake to see the Olympic torch come to the provincial capital, Truman feels at home.  “I just like the winter so much. It’s refreshing.”  Turning back to Pam I ask if all her layers are keeping her warm.

            “I only need three things to keep me warm,” she says as the flame is transferred to the dais.  “Alberta blood, Olympic spirit, and the smiles on my kids faces. 

Coke to step it up in Vancouver

By Rick MacDonnell

Question: How many hours of television can a person watch on the

amount of energy saved by recycling just one aluminum can?

This was just one of several dozens of questions included in Coke's "Green Jeopardy" game outside of its trailer in Vegreville, Alberta today, the second stop in the Olympic Torch run through the province. Kids competed for bragging rights, rather than prizes, and that was more than fine with them. Answers were shouted with a gusto usually reserved for race tracks.

"The concept of the games is to teach kids about green practices in a way that's fun and enjoyable," said Kristy Payne, Coke's public affairs manager, who will be carrying the torch in Edmonton tonight. "Kids need to know that living green isn't just about grand gestures; it's also about living an active lifestyle and doing small things to help the environment every day."

Coke, an Olympic sponsor for since 1928, is making great strides to decrease its environmental footprint, especially with the 2010 games in Vancouver.

"At Coke, we now have something called a 'plant bottle,' which is a bottle of Coke made from 30% natural plant materials," Payne said. "Every single coke bottle at the games will be a plant bottle."

Most staggering is Coke's plan to leave the Olympic games having created no waste whatsoever. "We're shooting for zero waste in Vancouver. By working closely with both WWF Canada and the David Suzuki Foundation, we've formulated a plan that should allow Coke to achieve 100% collection of all waste products, and we will recycle 99.9% of that."

At each of the Torch relay stops, as well as throughout the entire Olympic games, Coke employees will wear clothing completely manufactured through recycled Coke products. "Each employee you see is wearing approximately 234 recycled Coke products. Our jackets are 25, our ski pants are 20, our gloves are 3, and so on. The numbers are printed right on each piece of clothing, so it's a great way to generate awareness," Payne said.

They look great, too.

Oh, and the answer was three.

A lost art

By Rick MacDonnell

 

Often lost in the fanfare of the Olympic athletes are the hundreds of artists who make the Torch relay and Olympic games so beautiful. One such artist is Edmontonian Stephen Chung, who's been an ice sculptor for over 20 years. For the folks of Vegreville, Alberta -- the second stop in the Torch's current trek through the province -- Chung crafted two marvelous representations of the Canadian Olympic spirit: a figure skater and a hockey player.

"Each figure took about five hours to sculpt," Chung said. "Because they're so heavy, and we had to transport them here from another site, each sculpture was made in several block pieces. This morning we had to assemble them back together, which took about four hours total."

The combined 14 man-hours was well worth the effort, as Chung's sculptures generated loads of interest throughout the morning's proceedings. "We've received such great support from everybody here. It's interesting to see how into it people are. It's really exciting to see that my sculptures are making people happy."

Chung had to laugh at one of his own creations, though. "The figure skater couldn't be made too slim because there would be a danger of it breaking. That's why it looks so chunky. Like a skater in a snowsuit," Chung laughed.

If you're going to be in the Edmonton (Whyte Ave., evening -- Jan. 13) or Devon (morning -- Jan. 15) areas for the Torch relay, be sure to check out Chung's sculptures. He still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

"We're making an Inukshuk, a 2010 and the Olympic rings," Chung said. "We're thinking of a yeti for one of the events, too, but we're still not sure."

Dreams Realized

By Rick MacDonnell

When Tim Squire moved from England to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the age of 14, his mother told him that they did it so he could realize his dreams. More than 30 years later, as the Olympic Torch made its way through Lloydminster, Alberta, Squire's dreams became a reality.

A little more than a year ago, Squire wrote his application essay to become a torch bearer for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Citing his more than 20 years as a youth soccer coach and community mentor, Squire hoped his contributions would be enough to garner him a spot. However, he wasn't holding his breath.

"It wasn't until June or July that I received the word. They contacted me in an e-mail, so I didn't really believe it," laughed Squire. "There are so many hoaxes out there, you know, and I thought that I was such a longshot. But in the next month or two, I kept receiving these emails and then in August, I received one that specifically mentioned my coaching background, and I then knew. This was real."

When asked what it was like to be chosen as a torch bearer in Canada, rather than his native England, Squire beamed with Canadian pride. "Most Canadians don't understand just how beautiful their country is. It's the most beautiful country in the world. I couldn't be more proud to carry the torch as a Canadian."

And Canada couldn't be more proud of Squire. At the evening's celebration in Lloydminster's Bud Miller Park, Squire couldn't walk five feet without being asked for a photo, or hounded for an autograph.

"It's surreal. I feel like a celebrity. Everyone's just so nice, asking to take my picture or shake my hand ... it's an unbelievable impact that this torch has. It's incredible how it brings out the best in everyone it touches."

Canada's torch run is the longest in the history of the games. By the time it reaches Vancouver, British Columbia, the relay will have covered over 45,000 kilometres.

"That's longer than the circumference of the Earth. Hearing something like that makes a person feel so small, but looking at the torch makes a person feel like they can do anything," said Squire.

Getting’ the show on the road

By Doc Pow

For me today was very special. It was the first time that I got to see the Olympic torch up close and personal. As we were driving out from Edmonton to Lloydminster to bring you this coverage, it was like I was heading to a concert that I have been awaiting for a long while.

It was 14 years ago, while living in Vancouver, that I got a look at what was to be the country’s collective future. At the time, a group that included Arthur Griffiths, one-time owner of the Vancouver Canucks, was working to secure for Canada and British Columbia the world’s largest winter sporting event. I was working for the Greater Vancouver Open, a PGA stop and this Olympic bid office shared with ours. Everyday I’d pop my head in there to investigate thinking all along how incredible it would be to welcome the world.

After years of effort, that dream came true and now the Olympic Torch is making its way across the country, and along the way, igniting the hearts and minds of millions. The numbers of this three and a half month tour are staggering. The relay touches 1,038 communities in 106 days including 187 community celebrations with 12,000 torch bearers covering over 45,000 kilometers.

When the torch was here in Alberta at the end of November, it made its way by plane but this is certainly not the only mode of transport now. The torch will be conveyed by horse drawn carriages, sled dogs and even Alberta’s own Charlie Locke, owner of Lake Louise, is offering up a unique mode of transport – snowmobile on Jan. 21.

Here in Alberta, the torch will be carried by 1,000 torch bearers and will cover over 3,400 kms throughout the province before it is handed off to the British Columbia residents for the final push to Whistler.

Over the next 10 days, the torch will stop in dozens of communities throughout the province, including our capital city, Edmonton. It will head down to Drumheller to hang with the dinosaurs, into the UNESCO World Heritage site of Head-Smashed in Buffalo Jump and back to Alberta’s Olympic roots at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. Smaller centres such as Airdrie, Vegreville and High River will also see the flame carried through the hometown streets, and of course, it will head into the Canadian Rockies of Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise.


Watch for more updates as we bring them to you daily from the road.

Brothers in arms

By Rick MacDonnell

If there’s one thing that can be said about the Olympics, it’s that it brings all kinds of people together. Lloydminster’s Bud Miller Park was brimming with people from all walks of life, including twins Harold and Harvey Hawer, lifetime residents of Lloydminster, who have been waiting 77 years to see the Olympic Torch with their own eyes."

“It’s great to see all these kids out having so much fun with [the festivities], but when you’ve been waiting to see the torch as long as we have, it’s an entirely different experience,” said Harvey. “When you get to be a little older and a little wiser, you realize that this moment means so much more than the symbol of some games.”

“It’s about community, and spirit, and ... and coming together,” added Harold.

Content to stand far to the side of Bud Miller Park, the Hawer brothers were all business when it came to waiting for the torch to arrive. Arms clasped behind their backs – mirror images of one another – both Harold and Harvey kept their eyes fixed on the point where Merv Mann, a local hockey player and coach, would later enter the park, torch ablaze.

Such controlled intensity would be envied by the Olympians themselves, to be sure.

No strangers to sport, Harold and Harvey still take part in a curling league twice a week, and together they’ve participated in the Canadian Senior Games three times in lawn bowling.

“There’s a 55 to 70 group, and there’s a 70+ group. If you’re over 70, you can still play in the 55 to 70 group, if you want. Each time we’ve gone, we’ve competed in separate divisions,” said Harvey. “We don’t ever want to compete against one another.”

“He just doesn’t want me to beat him,” laughed Harold.

Later in the evening, as the torch finally entered Bud Miller Park and parted the sea of passionate supporters, I glanced across the crowd and saw Harold and Harvey, still in that same spot, still with their arms clasped behind their backs.

No shouts, no screams, no claps. Just a turn, a look, and a nod.

Then a smile.