Never has one minute seemed so long.
The town of Eckville held its collective breath for a 54.44 seconds on Friday night.
That’s how long it took hometown hero Mellisa Hollingsworth to get down the track at the Whistler Sliding Centre. She was in second going into the final heat, but a slow run left her in fifth place.
It was an undeniable letdown for the group of about 50 locals watching the women’s skeleton final at the Eckville Curling Club. But for a bunch of people who politely clapped for their girl’s rivals, there wasn’t a rancorous word to be said — at least to a newspaper reporter.
“It’s frustrating, but you have to put it in perspective . . . it’s just one race. She’s got her whole life ahead of her,” said Sheila Mannix, who lives near Eckville and whose husband plays hockey with Mellisa’s father. “I hope she doesn’t play the shoulda-coulda-woulda game.”
“It was exciting, I was a bundle of nerves,” Mayor Helen Posti said of her feelings watching Mellisa’s final run, which included some bumps into the course walls. “All I could think about was ‘don’t get hurt.’”
Town councillor and Chamber of Commerce president Grant van Boeschoten started a “Go Mellisa Go” chant in the curling club’s cafeteria/bar as her last run showed a promising start, but it faded out as the realization of her chances to stand on the podium dawned.
“We thought she had a good chance of winning,” said van Boeschoten, adding that she still won the World Cup. “This community is still right behind her.”
Sharon Lemke, chairwoman of the Chamber’s Mellisa We Believe Committee (also responsible for the bright red Mellisa T-shirts adorning about half of those attending), said before the event that everyone in town was “nervous” about the race. She added that one of the reasons Mellisa has been so successful was because of her rural roots in the area and strong family backing.
“It’s a tough day for her, and tonight’s going to be tough for her as well, I’m sure,” Lemke said as those who came to watch streamed out of the curling club. “But she’s resilient, and her family is going to be there for her.”
Kayleigh Delbridge, who was watching with her mom, Maureen, pointed out that Mellisa “is not ashamed of where she’s from.”
And it goes both ways — Eckville is certainly not ashamed of Mellisa.
mgauk@www.reddeeradvocate.com