CELEBRATE....CANADA.....CELEBRATE

The World Championships in Alpine Skiing are being held in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany. The Premier Event: The Downhill... a race, difficult to imagine, if you've never seen one. Skiers develop speeds of in excess of 130km/h. The course seems, at times, almost vertical.
You watch and hope that nobody wipes out and gets hurt. sometimes your hopes are not fulfilled and Helicopters take the insured to the nearest hospital. The downhillers are the modern gladiators, as someone said.
Today, there were over 40 racers who had qualified for this single attempt to hurl yourself down an icey surface, hopefully faster than anybody else.
There were, of course, the favourites, much talked about in the media, slated to win this spectacle: The Suisse racer, Didier Cuche, who two years ago came in second to a Canadian outsider, Cousineau. Didier surely would come in first. First, that is, if can beat the speed-kings: Christof Innerhofer (Italy), Axel Svindal (Swe) Michael Walchhofer and Romed Baumann (Aut) and don't forget: Bode Miller (USA)...
There were six or seven favourites. Drawn by lot for start numbers 15 to 22.

The race started under ideal weather conditions at 11AM.
Startnumbers 1 to 8 established respectable times. then cam one of the favourites, Christof Innerhofer of Italy. Just the other day he had won the Giant Slalom. so you had to give him strong consideration for a medal.... He tore down this course in 1 minute, and 59.17 seconds.
Right after him, Erik Guay, a young Canadian, who was considered an outsider. But, lo and behold, he beat Innerhofer's time by 0.76 seconds. Measure this: 76/100th of a second.
At a speed of about 130 km per hour, 76/100th of a second isn't even the blink of an eye or the length of a ski.
So Erik replaced Christof on the top pedestal... temporarily, that is, until one of the earlier mentioned aces would replace him. There were, after all, still Didier, Axel, Bode, Michael, Romed
at the start gate and surely several of those would come down this hill faster than Erik.
The next four skiers did not come worrysomely close to Guay's time.
The Austrian Walchhofer did not have one of his better days, placing, I think no better than 16th. Then came the always dangerous Swede, Axel Svindal. ..1.42 seconds behind Erik Guay.
Right after Svindal, the Swiss ace, Didier Cuche hurled himself down the hard, icey slope. Surely, he would beat the Canadian's time. Our hearts beat in our throats, my fingers hurt from squeezing them for Erik's Good Luck. Didier gave everything he had... it just wasn't good enough.
32/100 of a second short of Erik's time. Bode Miller, the somewhat eccentric American, with start number 22 could not even come close....
So there it was. After the very last racer came through the finish line it was a fact:

THE CANADIAN, ERIK GUAY,

IS THE NEW WORLD CHAMPION DOWNHILLER.

Talk about being a proud Canadian. ....
I am always one of those....
But today I was doubly proud.

With a lump in my throat:

Bert