Huron Expositor, 2000-03-08, Page 22-T141 HURON EXPOSITOR, Marsh E, 1000
News
Hard lessons learned on road
to an Olympic gold medal
From Pope 1
able to place fourth --not a
medal -winning finish.
The team was• made up of
himself,- Victor Davis,
Thomas Ponting and Sandy
Goss.
Davis was one of
Tewksbury's heroes while he
was growing up.
"He was this incredibly
• passionate, fierce guy,"
Tewksbury said.
- And Davis thought they
could.win a silver medal.
Before the race he
.remembers Davis saying to
them. "'You guys. if we do
everything possible, to be our
best tonight. I think we can
win a medal.' -
"I sort of sat there and was
'Yeah, right.Victor, keep.
dreaming.' I was so negative
because I was hurt from the
day before." •
• Davis continued• to be
encouraging and Tewksbury
found himself growing.
excited•about the race and the
possibility of winning a
medal..
In a crowded ready room
• before the race, Tewksbury
remembers being intimidated
again when other .team
members started jumping
around and psyching each.
other up for the. race.
Davis kept telling
Tewksbury to stay focussed
each time he became
distracted by one of the other
teams or other Olympic
heroes that entered the room.
During the - race.
Tewksbury• was the first
swimmer in the water. .
"I swam a 10th of a second
slower than the day before:"
he said. •
But this time. he had tried
his best and they were sitting
in • fourth place .as Davis
entered the water.
By the time if was over,
they were eight . one-
hundredth of a -second behind
the Russian. They had the
silver medal. -
He said Davis came up to
him and said. "'I told you, be
your best.'
It's a very, 'very simple:,
idea." he told the students,
• adding it was from that race
he developed his "squeeze
life" philosophy, -
`."It was a huge lesson I
learned in the Olympics." he
said.`
One year later, he told the
room. he learned what it
means to always be his best. •
He had come home after
running errands and found a
. number of strange messages
:left onhis answering
machine.
People were
telling
Tewksbury
how sorry
they were
about the
news.
Before he
could try to
figure it out,
he got a call
from his
parents.
Victor
Daviswas
dying.
He had
been hit' by a
car in
Montrealthat
left him in a
coma.
He died
three days
later at 25.
"Victor
was • some-
body .I
thought was
this invin-
cible; human
being. But in -
the height -of
his youth, he was gone.
Tewksbury said.
He decided each day he
would live to its fullest and
always try to be his best..
rather than waiting for that
one great day when he would,
win a gold medal.
In 1991. 'in a world.
championship race. Davis
placed second,
matching an
American
record holder
virtually stroke
for stroke and
missing first by
sine . one -
hundredths of a
, second.
"Why did I
have to cut my
fingernails?" he
asked.' joking
that much of a
distance could
have put him in'
first.
But he was completely
happy with his performance
because.he hadn't given up
on himself.'
In another race leading up
to the next 'Olympics.
Tewksbury faced the same
swimmer again.
He placed second with a
55.29 second finish next to a
53.98 finish. '
And coming out of the
water, he learned the
American had beat his old
world record by 1.2 seconds.
For the past seven years,‘
Tewksbury had been
Mark Tew
his Olym
ksbury with
pie medals
practicing
for four to
six howls a
day and,
managed to
shave 1:2
seconds off
his .time
each year.
Now; he
had about
six months
to do the
same in
order to
beat a
swimmer
who -was
1.2 seconds
faster than
himself.
H.e
remem-
b e r ed
• feeling dis
couraged
and de-
feated.
But. unlike
his first
Olympic
race, he said.
• "In -stead of
making the worst out of it. I
decided to. make the best.
I've got nothing. to' lose. I'm
going to go for it• and ask
everyone to help me do
anything possible to make the
dream'come true."
Even at the Olympic level.
' he knew he couldn't do the
"dolphin kick.". a swimming.
style. to save
his life and
improving
that could
make the
.difference:
He - had
always (veil,'
t -. 0 o'
embarrassed
to ask for
help • but
approached
the synch-
r,onized
swimming
.team coach
and Diked if she would help.
' Expecting her to say no, he
said, "The most amazing
thing happened." -
- • Sheworked with him, not
only on his swimming but on,
how he felt abbut himself.
Ori July 30.' 1992 at
Barcelona. he swam the 100
metre backstroke, placing
second in the:- qualifying
round at 54.7 seconds. The
American was first at 54,6
seconds.
"1 waited 16 years of'my
life for this .moment." he
- said. •
"This was when I usually
Quoted
'I real
wasn
swim.
theO
This
drmark
COYmPic
ized this
'tjust a -
This was
Iympics.
was my
T
eam'--
ewakbury,
- msddht
found some reason to not
believe in myself.
He tried to imagine
winning the race but just
couldn't see it happen but
decided to focus on being his
best again and living for the
moment.
"It's the same thing I've
done since I was eight years
old," he told himself. .
During the race, he could
see the American had a lead
on him and thought, this was
when he tended to wait for
things to happen.
• Instead, he thought to
himself. "Go now. .go now"
with each stroke; pushing as
hard as he could.
When he realized he was
catching up to the world
record holder, he started
thinking. "Keep going, keep
going." .
With two strokes left, he
lunged and touched the. wall
for the end of •the race and
waited for the results 'to be
displayed. -
For the first time. his name
came, up before anyone
else's. . ,
"I realized. this wasn't just
a swim. This was• the
Olympics. This was my
dream:" he said.
Still in shock. he also.
realized his time was 53.98 .
seconds. His best time before
that was 55.29. '.
"I'd found the 1.2 seconds
1 needed and a.new.Olympic
record." he:said. •
In fact. he had found 1:31
seconds.
.And the American's time.
was 54.04 seconds.
Tewksbury had won by six •
one -hundredths of a second.
the same time he had lost by
to the American.once.before.
"I was really. truly in
•shock," hesaid.
"It was a great experience
and life carried on," he said.
From his story of success.
he told the students they were.
just starting out on their.
career paths and. whether or
not they.knew what they
wanted to do. they needed to
build the skills they have and
believe in themselves. •
He learned a powerful
attitude from life's lessons
and said the students needed
to hang on to their dreams
and not let anyone tell them
not to try.
"Victor taught me to be my
best," he said.
"If you're- your best. things
will happen. If you think.
"What's the positive here.'
good things will happen. -
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23 Albert Street, Stratford 273-5773
Lawyer questions fairness
of process to close schools
Board lawyer says more opportunity than requried by policy was given
to communities to present ways to keep area schools open
•
From Pope 1 ,
about the fairness of the school board to the community in
making its closure decision. -
Leitch outlined a situation where two trustees that made
up an ad hoc -committee,. came up with a recommendation to
move.the board offices to.Seaforth District High School and
that the high school should be moved to Clinton to become
a school within a school.
He said the board took the recommendation of two
trustees without any community consultation. -
While a decision to close the school was deferred by, the
board, the vote was 5-4.
h
was.a close vote.1 take from that, four trustees were
willing to close ,the high school right then and there." said
Leitch.
Through this and other arguments. Leitch suggested there
had been a predisposition to close the 'school and threatened
to reveal more at the judicial review in May about how a
series of public meetings for input into the closure were not
"real" attempts at hearing the -public's concern.
Brown however,. pointed to several examples of case law
in which only one public meeting needed to be held in
relation to a decision being made to close a school.
He said the Avon Maitland board held approximately 17
Meetings in which the public was invited to participate.
including one at each of seven schools listed for closure
study last November.
Leitch also questioned how the board went from a list of
•
21 schools to be studied for closure at an earlier date to.a
list of only seven schools. '
The first list contained six schools in Stratford while the
new list, which was before the board last month, contained
' only one Stratford school with no explanation of how the
board selected seven schools from those 21.
Leitch said an explanation of this was one of the items of
information the community wanted from the board to help it
prepare its own proposals but did not get a satisfactory
answer. •
"We do know they got a community study .report from
Stratford. They didn't get one from Seaforth," said Leitch
of a report .that was made to•the board regarding the
possible.closure of the Stratford .schools before seven
schools were "short listed—for closure study in November.
Brown argued there were reasons given for why each
school was selected. - - -
Hc also•disputed 'claims from Leitch that the community
was not provided with enough information.
He said .there was more than enough facts and figures
given to the. closure study committee that Charles Smith.
one of the community members who launched the -suit, was
able to find:a $200,000 error made in the board's
calculations..
'Brown also said the trustees were made well aWare of the
error by members of the' public- who spoke at a meeting
prior to the board making its decision to close the high
school. •
Regarding that situation, Leitch had told the court earlier.
"They deserve more than having someone say, 'Go ahead
and speak and we'll do. what, we want,' and that's what I
think happened here."
He had also told Justice Heeney, "Consultation means not
only do you have to ask, you have to listen."
Brown said the trustees were aware of the error and no
one said they were going to "plow ahead" anyway. •
'It was• a matter for the board to decide whether or not it
needed' to hold off ,a decision because of 'other possible
errors," he said. .
He also said the board worked within its closure policy to
give the community more opportunity than was required to
have input into the decision to close schools.
SNEAK PREVIEW 2001
Cc> POLARIS
THE WAY OUT
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At TA Sports Complex
2519 Fanshawe Park Rd. E.
London; Ont.
Wednesday . March 15
-4-9p.m
Bingeman Park
:Kitchener. Ont.
Thursday March 16
4-8p.m
:.114111.
POOLS & SPORTS
Phone: (519) 527-0104. Fax: (510i 527'2262
234 Main St, N.. Sealorh -Army & Susan Van Dorp
aiiillatidh
You we invited to f
these aJ LdUAIis
SEAFORTH COMMUNITY
CHURCH
38 Godench St E 527.2253
Rev. &N & Rev. Mavis Hauser
„unday.10:45 Worship •
7.00 p.m. Praise, .
Wed ' 30 pin Study and Prayer
Full Gospel WOO . .
pentecostaimessage.
WARM WELCOME
St. Thomas-.
Anglican Church
Jarvis St. Seaforth
Rev. Robert Hiscox 482-7861
Wed.. Mar. 8: Ash Wednesday
Service at 730 p.m.
Sunday, March 12thLath
Service of Morning Prayer
9.30 a.m.
CAVAN
Winthrop)9.30a.m &
. NORTHSIDE -
(GodefKhSt Seaforth) 1toe a.m
UNITED CHURCHES
• 527.2635 uccavnsOtcc once
Minister. Rev. Sheila Macgregor
l "Tod pt
Gra ns S
INortnsii Food Grams SurWsy)
Sunday School dunng
services, nursery provided.
Bethel Bible Church
• An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St Seaforth
(formerly Canadian 'fire,Saturday
Adventure Club - Wad 7:00 p.m.
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Worship at f 1:00 a.m.
Pastor:Rev. Doug Corrrveau
527-0982
Catholic Church
Saturday - 5:15 pm
St. James Parish. Soak:Nth
. 7:15 pm' -
St. Josephs Parish, Clinton
Sunday. 9:00 am -
St. Michaels Pariah, Myth
Sunday • 11:00 arra •
St. James Pansh. Seaforth
Faeai Dino Salvador
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
59 Goderich St. W., Seaforth
Worship at 11:15
Sunday School during worship
Nursery Available
Pastor. Rev. N. Vandermey
Egmondville
United Church
Rev. Judith Spnngett-
11 a.m. Worship
Sunday School
Grades 2 to 8, 10 a.m.
Nursery to Grade 1, 11 a.m.