How the hell did you get selected? / Some guys have all the luck

Rod Stewart - Some Guys Have All The Luck
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The Rod Stewart clip is for Laplante, so somebody make sure he gets it. I'm more into Rod's Faces days ;)

Since I can remember, like many people I know, I’ve have had a fascination with the Olympics. I’m a sucker for the hype and the magnitude and of course, the sports themselves. Unlike most people I know, I’ve been really lucky to have added to that fascination with some really cool complementary experiences throughout the years. In speaking with numerous people over the past few days about being selected to carry the torch, it got me thinking about my own “series of fortunate events” tied into the Rings, and I apologize in advance for the history lesson but the underlying theme is uncanny.
When I was 10, I played atom hockey for Moore’s Esso. That year, in 1987, the Canadian Men’s Olympic hockey team was to play against Russia’s team at the Sudbury Arena. Esso was sponsoring the series and apparently had sent someone to one of our practices to select a player to drop the puck for the ceremonial face-off at the upcoming game. The story I was given was that I was working hard in practice that day (for those who’ve laced up with me – you know this may be questionable) and so they pointed me out and I got asked to do the honours. More likely is that they found the smallest guy on the ice who would have the biggest crowd appeal, wearing an oversized Esso sweatshirt walking out on the red carpet to center ice at the big game. Or they saw me go backhand shelf. Whatever the reason, I got selected. If memory serves me correctly, it was more exciting that I would get to shake Andy Moog’s hand before the game than to actually be part of this international Olympic warm-up. Back then I was also a big fan of the Russian machine. Always loved the way they moved the puck and the mystique behind that team. Just check out that gold medal roster.

After just having turned 16, my soccer team planned a trip to play some games in Europe. We toured Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Lichtenstein, playing a few games, but mostly seeing Europe. Pretty awesome trip for a bunch of 16 year old guys from Sudbury. During that trip we got to see the incredible Olympic park in Munich built for the ’73 Summer Games with it’s amazing metal tent-like structure, as well the Innsbruck, Austria Olympic park built for the ’76 Winter Games – ironically, the same Games that Vancouver first bid for, though I may be mistaken in my history. We got to climb up the ski-jump for a great view of the area. Austria is still on my list of places I need to return to – and not just for the beer.

In 1996, after originally planning to go to university somewhere on the other side of the country, I changed my mind and applied to Laurentian’s Sports Administration (SPAD) program. I entered at a time where the program had taken some focus off of pro sports and redirected it considerably to the Canadian amateur sport system. I’m pretty sure this started my appreciation of the amateur sport world, from more of an inside perspective. Our sport courses were very Olympic themed, and we’d learn that our 4th year projects would allow us the opportunity to make marketing presentations to the International Olympic Committee, at their headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. If you think a trip to Europe at 16 is awesome, multiply it times 100 when you’re 23! Before my fourth year I got hired to work for the Pan Am Games organizing committee in Winnipeg for the summer, really exposing me to the world of international games. I remember being called on a Wednesday after having interviewed me by phone, thinking I was from Winnipeg, and asked me to start on the Monday. Packed the car and started the 18 hour drive through the States, since ironically, it was the summer of the forest fires in Wawa. Ten years later and I’m running with an open flame through that same area. HA!

The IOC trip and presentations at the end of 4th year in SPAD allowed me some contacts within the Olympic Games, as did having some SPAD colleagues already working in Australia, so after graduating, I was lucky enough once again to land a gig with the organizing committee for the Sydney Olympic Games. The decision was really tough…get paid to work at the Olympics, in Australia, and live there for a few months- just to make the notion really terrible. Days off spent on Bondi Beach watching the women’s beach volleyball teams practice, capped off by scoring tix to the 100m Finals and the Closing Ceremonies. All in all, well played I must say.

So, it brings me to here. Ten years after having visited the IOC headquarters, and nine years after having worked at the Games in Sydney, and the luck continues.
I mentioned in my last post that I’m quite sure I had some little old ladies’ helping hands from above, but I guess there’s a bit more to the story.

I, like many people I know, applied to the Coke and RBC torch relay contests. RBC got you to fill out what you would do to make it a better Canada as it related to being active. I’ve always had the belief that active living and being involved with sport made you a better person. Physically, intellectually, socially and mentally – and if you know some of the guys I’ve suited up with on the ice, definitely mental. So, it was an easy task to mention that I would try to stay active and promote this type of lifestyle to friends and family. Nothing new or out of the ordinary. I did also figure that trying to pad my application with mention that I was involved with the Olympic Games would help. So I did. I found out later that it really carried no weight as the contest was luck of the draw.

I received an email a few months ago saying that I had made the pre-selection group but was not guaranteed to be a torch bearer. Talk about carrot dangling. They sent some paperwork to fill out and return through a marketing agency that RBC had hired to look after the contest and selection. General stuff like contact info, waivers, toque size to fit how big my head might get from doing this. Finally, in early October, I received a call from somebody at the marketing firm confirming my selection and date. It was like finding out I’d been accepted to university or something. How do you spread the news and still sound humbled by it? Still something I guess I’m fighting with but what the hell, let’s get everyone involved.

And that’s pretty much it. Went through the motions like most of the country probably did, left the rest to luck and fate. Now if the location and weather can follow the same trend…