TEAM CANADA
reminiscent of an old NBA commercial where you see Michael Jordan walking into the stadium in his swanky suit being greeted by all the employees on his way. We walk to the entrance, guarded by several security guards, and without more than a simple “Hola”, they step aside and respond with a smile and a comforting nod, letting us pass through their VIP gate. We were then escorted to our personal private dressing rooms. So this is how the pros do it, eh? I could definitely get use to this. After the game, kids rushed to the front row, clamouring for our attention. Autographs and photos were what these kids were seeking. One particular little girl presented to me a small Colombian flag as a gift and thanked me for taking the time to stop and take a photo. It never got old; the people of Colombia could warm Ebenezer Scrooge’s soul.
The games themselves were well attended by the people of Cali, but the game with the largest crowd and the most energy was the Bronze medal match where we were pitted against the host nation. Warming up on the track, I was right next to the raucous crowd. Normally I like to put my music on and zone out during my warm up, but I couldn’t help but stop every moment or so and stare up into the stands seeing a mirage of 10,000 colourful fans. I wanted to embrace the moment and take in everything I could. Red Bull and Energy bars were not needed for this game. The people of Colombia had more than enough energy to share. From the opening pull onwards there wasn’t a moment’s silence, constant cheering and yelling and singing. The only time it changed was when a certain #8 on Team Canada made an unpopular foul call resulting in a chorus of boos 10,000 strong. I’ve been boo’d before, but this was something else. I couldn’t help but smile. I really did feel like an Olympic athlete playing a sport that mattered in a match that really mattered to a whole heaping pile of people. They were supposed to boo me. Despite all the love I had received in the previous matches, in this particular one there was no doubt that I was the enemy. We won that game 13-12 and earned the right to step on the podium and partake in the medal ceremony. Despite knocking off their home nation, the crowd was back to cheering and supporting us as the bronze medals were placed
around our necks. What a loving wonderful nation of people. What an experience.
In that moment and all the ones prior I felt like an Olympic athlete and it was so much more than I ever imagined possible.
Thank you to all my friends with me on this journey who made it so special: Jeff Cruickshank, Andy Collins, Nick Menzies, Jeff Lindquist, Mark Lloyd, Cam Harris, Adrian Yearwood, Anne Mercier, Candice Chan, Mira Donaldson, Catherine Hui, Danielle Fortin, Caroline Cadotte, Aaron Loach, Matthew Berezan, Anatoly Vasilyev, Darcy Drummond, Kira Frew, Ashlee Davison and Stephen Mogatas.
Lastly, thank you to all my friends, family and fellow Canadian ultimate players. While in Colombia, we could all feel your strong love and support as you followed and rooted for us along our journey. It meant so much to us and kept us fighting strong. The honour of representing this country in this sport on the world stage really is something quite special. I hope we did you proud, Canada.
Photos on pages 26-29 provided by Tino Tran
Tino Tran:
http://www.tinotran.com/
Ultimate Canada Magazine -
www.canadianultimate.com
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