Pictured: Elizabeth Manley (1988) and Barbara Ann Scott (1948)
Probably because I am one of the few Canadians living here in East Texas, lots of people were asking me what I thought about the Olympics held in Vancouver.
I have been waiting to write this probably because I wanted to put it all into perspective and explain how I felt and what it meant to me to see Canada showcased like that.
The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary and I remembered the wonderful opening ceremony and I remembered Elizabeth Manley winning not a Gold, but a Silver medal in Ladies Figure Skating. (So like Canadians . . . make sure your guests are having a good time.) I am sort of kidding about that, but it is true that Canadians just love for you to visit. I hope that many of you who watched this wonderful event will think seriously about taking a trip to somewhere in Canada sometime soon.
To help readers not quite so familiar with the geography of Canada, let me explain that Vancouver is on the West Coast Mainland in British Columbia and Calgary is in Alberta (oil country). I am from Toronto (Ontario) and lived just east of there in a small town called Port Hope before moving to East Texas. I also have relatives in Nova Scotia which is in the eastern part of Canada or The Maritime Provinces.
I am truly blessed to have seen nine of the ten Canadian provinces and there are differences just as you can think of differences between American states. It is also interesting to note that 90% of Canada's population lives within 100 miles of the American border. Looking at a map, one sees the huge expanse of Canada but might forget just how cold it can get toward the Arctic Circle.
Lower British Columbia is one of the more temperate provinces and I recall in 1982 seeing spring burst forth there in May, back home in Ontario in June and in Newfoundland in July.
One thing this event made me think about is that Canadians do not leave Canada because they want to leave Canada. We leave because there is an opportunity for us. In my case, of course, I met and married an American (born in Illinois) who was living in Texas. Many entertainers move to the United States because there are more opportunities for them.
All of us feel very strong about wanting to go back home on a regular basis. I have been truly blessed to be able to go "home" just about every year and a couple of years we went twice and once, by driving across the border from our niece's, we were able to have lunch at Swiss Chalet and say we'd been in Canada three times!
The Closing Ceremony featured Michael J. Fox and William Shatner among others but the Opening Ceremony was the one that had me crying.
Much as I am very proud of him, you can see Wayne Gretzky lots of places, so it was not him. He grew up where my father was born - in Brantford, Ontario - and his father used to freeze the backyard for him to skate when he was a kid. So did my Dad, but I'm no Wayne Gretzky! (Yes, they would hook up the water hose and flood the backyard. I have to tell you, it was not the smoothest skating I did!)
My real thrill was watching the flag being hoisted by lots of people I remembered well, including singer Anne Murray who actually lived around the corner from me near Thornhill Pond, just north of Metro Toronto. She looked a little nervous for her, actually. She used to try to sneak into the supermarket up Yonge Street and she never wore makeup, just pinched her cheeks for color. She was beautiful. You might not have picked her off if you had not heard that speaking voice - that Alto just like when she sings.
Betty Fox was with them. Betty Fox is the mother of Terry Fox who lost a leg to cancer when he was in his late teens. He was from British Columbia and started walking across Canada from Newfoundland. (Yes, you would have to get on a ferry or plane to get to the mainland.) He walked right past my house in Thornhill one summer afternoon - I think it was August - and we contributed to the Cancer Society as did everyone. He had freckles, and curly brown hair. He was tired: you could see it. I wished him Happy Birthday and he told me it would not be until the Monday. (Terry only made it to Thunder Bay where they realized the cancer had spread.) There is a statue in Thunder Bay to honor him now. He flew home and I think he lived for about another year. His mother, Betty, has been at every Cancer Research Fundraiser she could to honor her son. What a special lady! (I think in many places there are still Terry Fox Runs each year.)
Then I saw Rick Hansen. He is known as The Man In Motion. He has a website where you could learn about this fellow. Rick also went across Canada - in his wheelchair. He raises funds and organizes events for people with various disabilities. He is a living legend of a man who cares so much about others!
Now, I am coming to the one who really had me actually crying! Barbara Ann Scott. She was an Olympic Figure Skating Champion in 1948. There she was . . . also hoisting the Canadian flag.
When I was a little girl, I went to school at Havergal (yes, as in Frances Ridley Havergal, the hymn writer whose name is in your hymn books) , Barbara Ann and her mother would stay at an apartment on Avenue Road across from the school when they were in Toronto. We would look and see if we could see her perhaps standing on a balcony. (Her home was in Ottawa.)
My letter to Santa Claus that year went like this:
"Dear Santa, I have been a good girl. Could you please bring me a Barbara Ann Scott doll for Christmas? You can find it at the B & W Store on Eglinton Avenue. Love, Martha"
Oh yes, I did indeed get that doll and to actually see Barbara Ann Scott, after all these years out of the limelight - living in Chicago, I believe - hoisting the Canadian flag . . . well, that really made me cry!
Yes, Canadians love for you to know about their country and all the indigenous peoples dancing and singing in their special dress. We like for you to know about all the entertainers we have sent to United States. We would love to show you Canada - all of it - each province different from the next.
