Torch, from start to run of a lifetime

By Sylvia Jacquard

November 20 was Day 22 of the Olympic Torch Relay, and the day Port Williams teen Katie Willoughby had been waiting for for 10 months - ever since she received a call that would be the beginning of “one of the most amazing experiences” of her life.

Last year, when Katie was a Grade 9 student in Pam Dugas’ Social Studies class, an assignment required clipping articles from the newspaper. It introduced Katie to the Sogo Active website. She decided to take their get active challenge and, while on the website logging her progress in early Dec. ‘08, she entered a contest for the opportunity to be an Olympic torch bearer.

A fortuitously-timed storm day at the end of February meant Katie was home to take the call from the Coca Cola representative, informing her she had been chosen as a torch bearer, the first from Nova Scotia.

“It was really exciting. It had to be kept a secret - that was so hard,” said Katie.

The resulting media blitz saw Katie start her busy day in the studio of CBC’s Information Morning, where the official announcement was made, go to an appearance on Breakfast Television, to the YMCA for a chat with a Chronicle-Herald reporter and more radio station interviews. The day ended with an appearance on the six o’clock news with Steve Murphy. She found it got easier to answer questions throughout the day and, by the end, she was “much better at it.”

The announcement also resulted in a visit to the principal’s office, as Horton principal Dave Reid had been a torch bearer in 1988 and wanted to talk with her. He told Katie he had never forgotten the experience; that the torch had weighed 10 lbs. and runners carried it for a kilometre.

Two other Horton students were also chosen for the torch relay: another Port Williams teen Ian Roberts (whose experience you can read about in this column next week) and Grade 9 student Nathan Walsh, who ran in the Yarmouth area.

Once the 12,000 torch bearers who would be participating in the 45,000 km journey across Canada had been chosen, Katie started receiving the necessary information. She found out where and when she would be carrying the torch, received a music video by Coldplay, an official song for the Olympics and all of the other necessary information. In October, Katie received her official outfit: a track suit, a toque and mittens. She also got a T-shirt and “cheer kit” from Coca Cola filled with a banner that could be signed and would then zip into a tote bag, flags for family and friends to wave, a booklet and a light up Coke bottle.

The relay Nov. 22 began at the Halifax Citadel, made its way toward the Valley to Wolfville, the location of one of two celebrations (the other was Lunenburg). The 19 torch bearers in Katie’s group were called to meet in the Acadia Gymnasium at 11:15 a.m. There, they received their number and had the opportunity to meet each other. They were also shown how to hold the torch before boarding the shuttle bus, which transported the torch bearers along the route.

Katie’s 350 m section was from Wolfville’s Balcom Dr. to Chestnut Ave. at 12:35 p.m.

“It felt like 30 seconds,” she said when recounting the run.

The live web cam mounted on the bus directly in front of her meant her maternal grandfather at work, her cousins and her paternal grandparents in Florida were able to see her run; not just her parents, neighbours and friends with her on Main St.

“The bus was so close that when it stopped, you had to stop, too,” she said.

The events of the Wolfville celebration and the number of people lining the streets and cheering made things even more exciting.

Afterwards, on the bus when Katie went to write in the torch bearers’ journal, she found her hand was shaking so badly she could barely write. By the time the 19 torch bearers on the bus had completed their runs, they were at the far end of Kentville. A group photo with torches raised in a circle completed the event, but Katie didn’t have much time for the experience to sink in: she headed to a volleyball tournament in Middleton.

“It has been a great family experience for us,” said Trudy Willoughby, Katie’s mother.

Amazingly, three other members of Katie’s family were also torch bearers: her aunt, Lynn Violette, ran in Trenton; and Violette’s twin sons, Jordan and Brad, carried the flame in Oromocto a few days later. They had all up signed up after hearing of Katie’s good fortune.

Soon after her run, Katie visited her mother’s Grade P-1 class to show the class her torch and talk about the experience. She was also able to visit some other classes at PWES as well.

“I will always remember everything about that day. It is something that I will never forget,” she declared.