Commonwealth Games duo puts Watson Lake on map ( Comment )
The Commonwealth Games are a lot of things to a lot of people, pro and con, but to this typist they are The Home of the Human Interest Story.
Editor鈥檚 note: Yukon wrestler Brittanee Laverdure won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games today in the 55-kilogram freestyle event.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - The Commonwealth Games are a lot of things to a lot of people, pro and con, but to this typist they are The Home of the Human Interest Story.
Stuff happens at the Friendly Games that doesn鈥檛 seem to happen at other Games. Like Queen Elizabeth photobombing a selfie picture the other day.
Tuesday was hump day at the 20th edition of the Games 鈥� Day 6 of 11 鈥� and the Sun Media human interest story idea file was already overflowing.
First of all is the discovery that cyclist Zach Bell of North Vancouver, B.C., a two-time Olympian and 2010 bronze medal winner at the Commonwealth Games, and wrestler Brittanee Laverdure of Calgary, Alta., are former high school classmates from Watson Lake, Yukon.
鈥淥ur graduating class was 12,鈥� Laverdure informed me here Tuesday. 鈥淚t was one of the bigger ones.鈥�
Home of the famed sign post forest featuring over 72,000 mostly pilfered signs from outside cities and towns around the world, Watson Lake, located at mile 635 on the Alaska Highway has a population of about 900, including her mom, dad, two brothers and a sister.
She said Bell never pulled her pigtails in school.
鈥淗e was actually a really nice guy. If he鈥檇 had rat tails it likely would have been me doing the pulling.鈥�
They didn鈥檛 date.
鈥淲e were teammates,鈥� Laverdure said. 鈥淲e played badminton together. I played with the guys on the basketball team so we were teammates there, too. I ran into him the first day at the village. He鈥檚 got a road race the same day I compete so we won鈥檛 be able to watch each other.鈥�
Actually, Bell figures he can make it if she goes fairly deep into the event.
鈥淚 was just heading out for a ride when I heard this shout the day she checked into the village,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 knew it was her. I knew she was coming.
鈥淭he fact both of us are here shows kids back in Canada that anyone can do it. We鈥檝e shown that not just one kid can come out of a small town.鈥�
By TERRY鈥圝ONES
Edmonton Sun
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