It was the most surreal experience, right from start to finish.
It started when I picked up my daughter from school, wearing the Olympic torchbearer’s uniform (sans torch, as I did not have it yet) and was immediately surrounded by students. We had a hard time getting out of the school because everyone wanted to touch the uniform. (I promised the principal and vice-principal I’d come back with the uniform and torch and talk about the experience.)
From there it was on to The Bay at St. Albert Centre, the meeting place for us Olympic torchbearers. We picked up our torches and went into The Bay for a briefing about what to expect and do. From what we were told we were going to feel like rock stars along the torch route — seriously.
Once the briefing was over we walked through The Bay towards the shuttle, when a crowd of shoppers and staff — many holding cameras — started clapping as we walked through the store. It was at that point the word “surreal” started popping into my head.
We all loaded onto the shuttle to go to the start of the relay on the north end of St. Albert near the Wal-Mart. We let the first person off, and then continued to the next relay point, where the second torchbearer got off, and so on.
As I was one of the last runners, I got to see most of the route from the shuttle. The streets were lined with people waving and cheering. Some even stopped their cars to wave — and that was while we were still on the shuttle. My arm felt sore from waving!
There was a sea of people as we drove by St. Albert Place. It was so packed I was worried there was not enough space between the shuttle and the cheering kids, and that some might get hurt. Fortunately it all went off without a hitch and I counted down the last three stops before my leg of the run.
I got dropped off at my spot and waited for the preceding torchbearer to catch up (it’s about a five-minute wait). People started cheering my name and taking photos even before I started running.
In mere moments the other runner arrived, torch in hand, which was passed to me. That’s when I started running (or walking, dancing or crawling) along the next 300 metres.
I was surrounded by a triangle of three very nice RCMP officers in black who gave me a personal space of about five metres so people could take pictures. But it’s close enough just in case something happens.
All you can see are people waving. I spotted a few of my friends and family, but I think I was so caught up in the moment I could not possibly see everyone or hear the shouting going on around me. There was a CTV truck about 10 metres in front, with cameramen and photographers taking pictures and filming for a live feed.
Three hundred metres go by faster than you think. All of a sudden I came up on the next torchbearer. We posed together for pictures as I transferred the flame, and then he was off and running and my torch was extinguished. Within a few minutes a second shuttle showed up to pick me up; before you know it I was back at The Bay and it was all over. It truly was an incredible experience.
But my day did not end there. I went over to Fountain Park pool to pick up my daughter. The moment I entered the building with torch in hand the entire atmosphere changed. The front office ladies all wanted to hold the torch and have their pictures taken with it.
Then I went to the pool area to find my daughter. I managed to disrupt the swimming and training classes going on, as all the kids wanted to touch the torch and left the pool to come take a closer look. The same went for the lifeguards and many others who wanted to have their pictures taken with the torch.
After I got home, we went to Boston Pizza for dinner. Same effect. Kids wanted to hold the torch. Parents wanted to take pictures of the kids holding the torch. It was the same no matter where I went.
I brought the torch in to work today and I have lost count of the number of pictures taken or questions asked. Everyone that I have come in contact with in the past 24 hours does the same thing. They ask if they can hold the torch and of course I let them.
The funny thing is they all have the same expression on their faces as they hold it. At first they are surprised by the weight, then there is a look of reverence. Each and every one of them then breaks into a huge grin. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an adult or a child.
The torch and what it represents is so much bigger than I imagined and it seems to reach out and strike a chord with everyone who comes into contact with it. Incidentally, this torch relay is making history as the longest run through one country in the history of the Olympic Games. I can’t wait for the games to begin.
