I have a favourite Hollywood ending. It came in the movie Dances with Wolves. In the final scene, Wind in the Hair is sitting upon his pony atop a rocky crag with his spear held high overhead while he proclaims loudly to a departing Kevin Costner, “Can’t you see that I will always be your friend.”
I kind of feel like that in a way. I, too, didn’t get the chance to say my goodbyes to everyone in the way I would have wanted.
The good news in all of this is the Burnaby NOW and the Recordare getting a super sportswriter in Dan Olson to take over. The former sports editor of the Tri-Cities NOW is an old colleague of mine and was the Record’s sport guy in the early 1990s. He is both passionate of community sports and perhaps more importantly, his stories are people-centred. He will serve you well.
The bad news, I suppose, all falls on my shoulders. No more cold and rainy Friday night football at Mercer Stadium, one less evening watching high school sports alone in the stands, the long drive into Langley to witness basketball and track and field at it’s best over and weekends free from keeping up with lacrosse – all these staples will become things of the past as I settle in to a new routine.
But like the great Lou Gehrig, I too, feel like the luckiest guy on the face of the earth to have served the communities of Burnaby and New Westminster for so long.
It all started with arguably the Burnaby Laker’s finest hour – taking Coquitlam to a seventh game in the Western Lacrosse Association final of 1993. Along the way, the great Russ Heard vanquished the vaunted Salmonbellies with a goal playoff speed record in the semifinals.
Somewhere along the way, I also remember a rag-tag group of Moscrop Panther basketball players making a brave playoff stand – akin to Davy Crockett at the Alamo – against provincial pretty boys – Kitsilano at Burnaby Central. The Burnaby Buffaloes coming of age in a V&D premier rugby final against the UBC Old Boys at Brockton Oval. The Burnaby Express, with Kyle Turris, championship run to the Canadian Jr. A Royal Bank Cup in 2006.
The stories never stopped coming.
I first wrote about queen of soccer Christine Sinclair when she was a pre-teen and kept my promise to her to never publish those first pictures of her as a chubby 12-year-old.
I have followed the sometimes star-crossed racing career of Michael Valiante with great interest since he was officially able to get his driver’s licence; Olympic gymnast Lise Leveille was another star I was lucky to have the opportunity to watch ascend; then-Simon Fraser University studentDaniel Igali also made good on an earlier boast to me that he would one day be an Olympic champion. He did it in 2000 in Sydney, Australia. Two-time World Junior Hockey gold medallist Karl Alzner is yet another.
I have to leave now with the careers of two wonder women still largely unwritten – that of sprinter Raquel Tjernagel at the University of Texas and New Westminster Secondary senior Nina Schultz in multi-sports.
But they are not alone, the individuals, the teams, the clubs and associations have never stopped producing. One of the most memorable, of course, is the 12-time junior A champion Burnaby Lakers, who won five Minto Cups and fashioned three undefeated seasons.
Others include, and this by no means is a definitive list: BWC, Burnaby Selects soccer, the men and women of the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, the newly forged Burnaby Girls Soccer Club, all things St. Thomas More Collegiate, Wildcat wrestling, Alpha boys’ soccer, Burnaby South basketball, Burnaby Karate Academy, Champs International Figure Skating Centre at 8Rinks and SFU – a champion in three separate American and Canadian associations.
There were many great people behind it all as well – the late Lou Moro, Ron Loland and of course, my good friend, Jack Crosby, Mr. Lacrosse.
In my journeys and many late nights, serving and reporting for you, I made many good friends and learned the true meaning of community and what is good in giving of yourself to that end. That will never be forgotten.
But I have also been blessed in other ways. I have been so fortunate to have worked alongside of the best group of individuals in the business – from a caring publisher in Brad Alden to my mentor Pat Tracy, who knew just when and how to put me in my place, and never hesitated to do so. My editorial colleagues throughout the decades all seemed to mesh into one close and cohesive unit that enabled us to consistently put out the award-winning product we did. I love you and will miss you all.
I am left wondering if this is enough? I suppose it will have to do seeing as though there is not a cliff in all of Burnaby and New Westminster high enough from which my lamentations could be heard by all.
