Encounter at a gas station

Last week, I was filling up at a nearby gas station after Bible study. There was a man at the station who was walking around asking if anyone could help him out with a few bucks. He said that his car had run out of gas a few blocks away on First, and he needed some help to get on his way. He was holding an empty one-gallon gas can, so his story was plausible, but I declined.

As I was wrapping up, I saw him still waiting and looking frustrated, so I walked over and gave him $5, which was more than enough for a gallon of gas. He was so thankful that he hugged me (ugh!) and shook my hand. Just then, as he was turning around, a police car came down the street with its sirens and beacons on. My new friend jumped several feet in the air and began to run a few yards until he realised that the cop car was travelling down the street and not coming for him. He said with a smile, "I thought you were trying to set me up!"

It left me wondering whether his line of work was in drugs or prostitution.

Canadian sports trivia

I've gone to trivia night at a local pub a few times this summer. It's actually a lot of fun - playing trivia and hanging out with friends makes for a good evening. The game has eight categories of trivia, each with a particular theme. However, the one drawback is that if there is any category that is oriented towards American culture (federal politics, football, guns), I'm mostly useless.

Last week, though, I lucked out: there was a category devoted to Canadian sports trivia. For most Americans, the questions were probably pretty tough; for any Canadian who has lived in Canada for the past 20 years, they were dead easy.

1. Which MLB team had a mascot named Youppi?


2. What is the name of the now-relocated Montréal Expos?


3. Which Toronto Blue Jays player hit a home run to win the 1993 World Series?


4. What city did the Memphis Grizzlies move from?


5. To which American team did Wayne Gretzky famously move to from Canada?


6. Which NHL team has won the most Stanley Cups?


7. The Montreal Alouettes won the Canadian Football League's title last year. What is the trophy called?


8. Saskatchewan and Ottawa's football teams are both called what?

My team ended up getting all of the questions correct (I don't think my teammate knew most of the answers). I also ended up winning $5 off my meal by being the first to answer the bonus question: Which NFL team agreed in 2008 to play one regular season game each year in Canada? (I submitted my answer before the question was finished being read.)

A great night! It definitely makes up for the "Tennessee" category I had to put up with a few weeks back.

Redux: Who will light the Olympic Flame?

In true Canadian form, we couldn't just let one person light the Olympic Flame. However, all four lighters were great choices:

1. Catriona Le May Doan: One of my favourite Canadian athletes. A well deserved choice from the past decade. And she's a woman of the faith, to boot.


2. Nancy Greene: Canada's top female athlete of the 20th century, she won Canada's only two individual medals from the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, bringing home gold and silver. (The only other medal won was the men's hockey bronze.)


3. Steve Nash: I was surprised to see him in the final four, but it makes sense since he's a local boy, raised in Vancouver and Victoria.


4. Wayne Gretzky: The obvious choice. He's probably Canada's best-known athlete internationally, and he has done a lot to advance the popularity of hockey. A well-deserved, albeit unsurprising, honour.

I was hoping to see Betty Fox carry the flame; however, she was one of eight people carrying the Olympic flag into BC Place, so that's a pretty good compromise. There were some other good choices amongst the flagbearers: Julie Payette, Bobby Orr, Barbara Ann Scott, Roméo Dallaire, and Donald Sutherland. They also included Jacques Villeneuve and Anne Murray. (ahem)

Rick Hansen carried the flame into BC Place - a nice tribute to the man.

Hayley Wickenheiser, role model and inspiration to tens of thousands of young hockey players across the country, read the oath. Amazing choice.

Thankfully, they didn't pick some random kid to light the flame at the Olympics. They did at the Paralympics, though. Oh well.

Who will light the Olympic Flame?

After 6.5 years of hearing about Olympic planning, Canadians will finally get to enjoy the two-week celebration this Friday. The world is coming to Vancouver.

Undoubtedly, the greatest honour that can be given to a person at the Olympics is the opportunity to light the Olympic Flame. The main criterion is that the lighter(s) must exemplify the Olympic spirit. Beyond that, though, there are likely a few criteria that VANOC is going to use:

• Someone connected with sport.
• Someone Canadian.
• Someone with integrity.
• Someone whom Canada can rally behind.

I considered adding a fifth criterion, "Someone recognisable on the world stage", until I recalled Canada's tradition of selecting unknown tweens and teens for Montreal 1976 and Calgary 1988. I sincerely hope that we pick someone we've heard of this time.

I've heard several names floating around about who should light the flame. In no particular order:

• Rick Hansen - Paraplegic wheelchair athlete, Man in Motion, wheeled over 40 000 km for spinal cord research. Pro: A great symbol for disabled athletes and persons everywhere. Con: He may be the prime candidate to light the flame at the Paralympics in March. Con: He carried the torch on February 9.

• Barbara Ann Scott - Olympic ice skating champion, winner of one gold medal, Canada's sweetheart. Pro: One of Canada's earliest world-famous Olympians. Pro: A pioneer for figure skaters and female Olympians everywhere. Con: She carried the torch into the House of Commons on December 10, which is one of the most prestigious legs of the relay.

• Trevor Linden - Vancouver Canucks player for 17 years, Vancouverite, one-time Olympian. Pro: He's a Vancouverite. Pro: The city loves him, both for his sportsmanship and his involvement in the community. Pro: He's been named as a torchbearer, but has yet to carry the torch. Con: He's mostly unheard of outside of British Columbia and NHL circles. Con: Wayne Gretzky is more famous.

• Walter Gretzky - Canada's most famous hockey dad. Pro: He exemplifies what it means to coach and raise a young athlete. Con: He will carry the torch earlier in the day on February 12.

• Rolly/Betty Fox - Parents of Terry Fox, who is arguably Canada's greatest modern hero. Pro: Few people exemplify the Olympic spirit more than Terry Fox. Pro: Terry Fox is beloved throughout the country. Pro: Projecting a picture of Terry next to the Olympic Flame while it is being lit would be an image remembered for decades to come. Con: Rolly Fox will carry the torch earlier in the day on February 12. Con: Betty Fox has said that she doesn't think she can muster up the strength to light the torch at her age.

• Bobby Orr - NHL hockey great, influence of Wayne Gretzky. Pro: One of hockey's greatest players of all time. Pro: Probably the most famous retired hockey player who still lives in Canada. Con: More likely to be a torchbearer on the final day of the relay. Con: He's not Wayne Gretzky.

• David Suzuki - Environmentalist. Con: His activism is often divisive and would distract from the games. Con: Wrestling climate change is not an Olympic sport.

• Wayne Gretzky - Hockey player, The Great One, coach of the gold-medal men's hockey team at Salt Lake City 2002, one-time Olympian. Pro: Revered throughout the hockey world. Pro: One of the most sportsmanlike players in the modern NHL. Pro: Singlehandedly responsible for thousands of young Canadian kids playing junior hockey. Pro: Led Canada men's hockey team to gold in 2002. Con: He is a naturalised American citizen living in Phoenix. Con: Stated in 2009 that if the Phoenix Coyotes (whom he then coached) relocated to Hamilton, he would not follow them.

• Nancy Greene - Downhill skier, winner of two Olympic medals (including one gold). Pro: She won Canada's only gold and silver medals (two-thirds of Canada's medal count) at Grenoble 1968. Pro: She is one of Canada's most famous Olympians ever. Pro: Voted as Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century. Con: She's now a Conservative senator, and VANOC may want to avoid making what would appear to be a politically-motivated choice. Con: She carried the torch on January 27. Con: She has been named Canada's Olympic ambassador for Vancouver 2010.

• Cindy Klassen - Speedskater extraordinaire, winner of six Olympic medals (including one gold), and national record-holder for most Olympic medals. Pro: Great symbol of sportsmanship. Pro: Well-known and well-loved throughout Canada. Con: She is competing in these games. Con: Canada's flagbearer is Clara Hughes, also a speedskater.

Who do I think the top contenders are? Wayne Gretzky and Betty Fox.

I would expect to see Trevor Linden taking part in one of the final legs of the relay entering/inside BC Place, along with Nancy Greene, Elvis Stojko, Barbara Ann Scott, and perhaps Jamie Salé and David Pelletier. Maybe throw Orr, Howe, or Lemieux in there for good measure.

Who would I like to see light the Olympic Flame? Without a question, Betty Fox. Terry Fox has always been a hero of mine, and few people make Canada prouder than him. Although cancer claimed Terry's life, his family has selflessly continued to promote his cause and raise money and support for cancer research. Few people would be able to unite the country like Mrs. Fox.

I'd love to see Wayne Gretzky hand the torch to Rick Hansen, who would finally pass the torch to Betty Fox.

I'll be eagerly watching the opening ceremonies on Friday. Here's hoping it isn't another teenager.

Number one

Welcome!

I've finally decided to move my blog over here. Expect to see a mix of polemic, theological, reflective, and current affairs writings on here. Time will tell if I keep this blog updated or not.