INNISFAIL — Gary Patrick tries to shake off the tears welling in his eyes after watching the Olympic flame pass from hand to hand in Innisfail early Saturday morning.
It doesn’t work.
“It’s an emotional thing,” said Patrick, dressed from head to heels in the outfit he wore 22 years ago as a volunteer driver for the Calgary Olympics.
The white and turquoise jacket is a little snug at the midsection, but its colours are as brilliant now as they were then, when it was the official uniform for XV Olympic Winter Games.
“I even got to drive the president of the Albertville Olympics,” said Patrick, 70, showing off the collection of pins including Calgary mascots Heidi and Howdy, event pins, pins from other countries and more.
Watching the torch relay was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that knocked twice for senior citizen Marilyn Maldaner, whose husband, Vern was a Innisfail town councillor when the Olympic torch rolled through in 1988.
Seated in her car in the early-morning quiet, Maldaner recalled how, in 1988, the buzz grew to a roar of excitement as the torch drew near.
Like a handful of others, she and members of her family had arrived at 6 a.m. so they could get a good parking spot and keep warm until 7:25, when the torch started its route through town.
By the time the calvacade leading the torch had arrived, there were at least 1,200 people lining Main Street, said local celebrations organizer Shelley Gagnon.
Her husband, Terry was part of Canada’s volleyball team for Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
He will be among the torch runners when the flame passes through Windemere, B.C. on Friday.
The Town of Innisfail served breakfast to 1,000 people as the torch moved on to Bowden, the next leg on a day’s journey that would take it east to Drumheller and south to Medicine Hat.
Runners who carried the torch through Innisfail rode with the cavalcade to Bowden before coming back to Innisfail to go their separate ways.
Meeting at the same spot where they had started, Lori Kirchner of Ponoka, Stephen Lo of Ft. Saskatchewan and Drew Morris of St. Paul were slowly coming down from their emotional high.
A drama teacher with Klaglahatchie Fine Arts, Kirschner was the last runner in the Innisfail leg, catching the flame from Lo, a chartered accountant.
She said she had no problem getting up before dawn so she could take part.
“I would have gone to Medicine Hat,” she said.
“I still feel my heart just beating. It was such an honour.”
Kayaker Jessica Groeneveld used her moment in the limelight, as a special guest in Innisfail’s celebration, to pump people up for the 2012 Olympics coming up in London. A member of Innisfail’s highly competitive kayaking club, 21-year-old Groeneveld plans to compete in London.
The torch relay reaches Calgary today, and then does a loop east to Strathmore, north to Crossfield and back to Calgary. It heads to Canmore and Banff on Wednesday and then winds its way around BC before arriving in Vancouver on Feb. 12 for ceremonies opening the XXI Olympic Winter Games.
Its progress can be watched online at www.vancouver2010.com
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com