EPIC OUTCOME

Photo - Rugby Canada

I have had to take time for this result to sink in!  Just what does one write?  How does one come up with sufficient superlatives to describe the NSWT 7’s Herculean effort to win a silver medal in Paris?  The whole deal seems almost surreal.  This writer will not pontificate on the matches which the 70,000 people at Stade and the world watched, but rather a few other thoughts the rugby generated.  There was the adversity the women faced, from losing team member, Sophie de Goede before the event and dynamo player, Krissy Scurfield during the campaign.  This group of ladies represented our country and the game so well.  They came from across our vast country, from small towns such as Waldheim, Saskatchewan and Vulcan, Alberta whose population is listed as a teeny 1,900 good folk.  It is a challenge to eloquently express the pride all Canadian rugby fans feel and will feel, for a very long time.  Their class is epitomized by the way they, to a lady, recognized EVERYONE who has been part of the process.  Their sacrifice has been monumental.  There are no individuals amongst this TEAM.  Every player’s light shone at some important stage of the matches.

 

The Olympic Quadrennial is an amazing experience.  The joy of winning and the agony of defeat is exposed in such a raw state, tears of joy and tears of disappointment from athletes who have given their all.  Is it solely about winning or is it the desire to go higher, be faster or be stronger?  I loved the recognition from the recent British Open winner, Xander Schauffle, when he was quoted as saying that he has been made to realize that for so many athletes, it may be a one-shot chance or at best, another four years of hard training, sacrifice and commitment for another chance, whereas for the PGA golfer, they get another chance next weekend (Ed - to make millions).  This was a very poignant recognition.

 

Success at the Olympics, sadly, is very much a factor of finances, directly related to winning or losing.  In my opinion, this is in a way, sad.  Canadian women’s rugby will be rewarded handsomely, (plus $15,000 per individual).  On the other hand, the sincere tears of the women’s lightweight rowing pairs and the expression of the fourth place, 10,000m runner, telling us he had done his best and left it all out there, tugged equally at the heart strings.  It seems somewhat of a paradox that funding is contingent on results.  SPORT!  There are so many good stories but as we suffer with our women’s soccer team, there are also bad stories.  Today’s treatise is open-ended for us all to reflect on……amateurs, professionals, participants or simply patriotic fans.

I conclude my thoughts with a link to a recent story I read on a golf web site. The story comes from the USA and has the message that sport can transcend climes, boundaries and races. I would encourage the reader to visit this link. https://powerfades.com/

We cannot all be gold medal winners, but we can be the best we can be.


Go, Canada, go!

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