Unlike Americans, Canadians tend not to wear patriotism on their sleeves. But all that changed Wednesday, Jan. 13, the day the Olympic flame blew through town and kindled a fervour rarely seen in these parts.
The City of St. Albert planned two hours of activities in the downtown core starting at 1 p.m. They succeeded in attracting about 3,500 enthusiastic Olympic fans cheering and waving a multitude of flags.
Everywhere in the sea of faces, “Canada” or “Olympic” logos were plastered on toques, jackets, sweaters, pants, scarves, backpacks and even a stroller.
“It united people and brought people together. For St. Albert, it gave us a sense of pride that we were part of that historical moment,” said Micah Seon-King.
As community recreation co-coordinator, Seon-King was behind the barricades watching five-time Olympian Tim Barrett run down St. Anne Street at around 3:30 p.m. just after Melanie Galbreath of Bellerose High sang the national anthem.
Seon-King spent the last few months organizing a series of pre-torch events that ranged from craft activities, an outdoor concert and horse-drawn wagon rides to winter sports such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and street hockey.
On the big day, yellow buses dropped off 1,700 students. Many crowded around the temporary stage set up at St. Albert Place Plaza listening to various performances. One group of girls started to dance and jump in time with the rock stylings of Lions for Sheep, blissfully unaware the hardy musicians were struggling to play their instruments in the cold air.
St. Albert Place hosted a mix of craft activities such as torch making and inukshuk building. Down in St. Albert Place’s Progress Hall, Darrell Dawe watched his daughter Katie, 8, a Grade 3 Vital Grandin student draw a Manga cartoon. “I don’t usually take her out of school unless it has an educational value. She’ll remember the torch for years to come,” he said.
Sitting across a table from Katie, Grade 5 Wild Rose Elementary student Kathryn Lashuk explained her interest as “supporting the Olympics in Vancouver. They represent us and we want to show them we’re rooting for them. We want to show them Canada has a lot of spirit.”
Out in Millennium Park Meghan Muller, 10, a Grade 5 student from Ecole La Mission had just completed a game of street hockey with her class and was building up a sweat running with snowshoes strapped to her boots. “This makes me appreciate my country and Alberta.”
The city had also built a 10-foot hill of snow in the park where children slid down slopes on a crazy carpet before stopping by an overburdened booth in front of the St. Albert Seniors’ Club offering free hot chocolate.
The quietest activity area was Lions Park as 15 St. Albert Nordic Ski Club trainees practiced sprints and relays, gliding smoothly around an oval with rehearsed precision.
In a second oval, youngsters were encouraged to strap on pairs of borrowed skis and get a taste of this Olympic sport. Most attempted jerky walking movements that usually ended in a tumble.
As Seon-King concludes, “Everybody was happy and the kids were ecstatic. We had great compliments from teachers and a lot of the people were excited about the day.”
