In Pictures: The Rick Hansen Relay arrives in town
By David F. Rooney
The Rick Hansen Relay, which marked the 25 anniversary of Hansen’s original Man in Motion World Tour, arrived in Revelstoke Tuesday afternoon.
About 300 people gathered at Grizzly Plaza to watch young Drew Derosier carry the relay’s official silver medal the last stretch from Second Street to the bandstand.
Drew, who has cerebral palsy, said he was honoured to be selected to carry the heavy silver medal during its last 100 metres. Former Mayor Mark McKee acted as MC and accepted, on behalf of the City, a copy of the medal from relay organizers.
The medal will be carried out of town on Wednesday morning.
Parks Canada spokeswoman Jacolyn Daniluck said that portion of the relay has been organized by Parks Canada and will begin at 10:40 am.
“Mike Pendrak of Parks Canada will depart from the Mount Revelstoke West Welcome Station at 10:40 am, carrying the Rick Hansen Medal in a snowplow, driving from the boundary of Mount Revelstoke National Park to the boundary of Glacier National Park,” she said.
“Parks Canada’s Alice Weber, Revelstoke student Emma Knight-Flood, Bombardier Beaumont-Smith Dept of National Defence and Gunner Hilderbrandt of the Department of National Defence will then run relay-style from the Bostock Trailhead in Glacier National Park (at 11:05 am) with the Rick Hansen Medal to Hemlock Grove Trailhead, the park’s barrier-free trail and picnic area.
“Next, Revelstoke skier Greg Hill and Parks Canada’s Eric Dafoe will depart from the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre at 11:45 am, skiing with the Rick Hansen Medal into the Balu Pass area of Glacier National Park (weather and avalanche conditions permitting).”
The medal will then continue on to Golden and down through the East Kootenays before continuing on to Vancouver.
Here, though, are photos from today’s event in Revelstoke:
Joey Dejardins, the Rick Hansen Relay's official endurance athlete, cycles his way into town. He stopped at McDonalds where he handed off the relay's official medal to a local athlete. David F. Rooney photoEZ Rock's Steve Smith interviews Desjardins. Now a paraplegic, Desjardins was injured in a motocross event. When he learned about the national relay and learned about Rick Hansen's accomplishments 25 years ago, he decided to he wanted to make a contribution and was surprised and honoured to be accepted as one of its endurance athletes. David F. Rooney photoRonald McDonald poses with endurance athlete Joey Desjardins and local relayers Chris Ball and Kendra Blakely who were the first Revelstokians to carry the medal into town. David F. Rooney photoAlways a good sport, MC and former Mayor Mark McKee clowns around with Ronald McDonald. David F. Rooney photoThe RSS Jazz Band, led by teacher Tessa Davies, provided a great musical backdrop for Tuesday's event. David F. Rooney photoTeam Gloria was on hand to provide burgers, snacks and drinks to members of the crowd of about 300 people who gathered at Grizzly Plaza for the 5 pm event. David F. Rooney photoDrew Derosier, who has cerebral palsey, was the last Revelstokian to carry the official Rick Hansen Relay medal. "The first thing I have to say is that medal is really heavy," he said when he arrived at the bandstand. "The other thing is that I am really honoured to be doing this." David F. Rooney photoMC Mark McKee welcomes the relay organizers and relay medal bearers to Grizzly Plaza. He recalled seeing Rick Hansen arrive in Revelstoke in 1987 and expressed his admiration for the effort and dedication Hansen showed then and that today's relayers have emulated. David F. Rooney photoMC Mark McKee displays the medal he accepted on behalf of the City from the relay organizers. David F. Rooney photoLocal songstress Sharon Shook leads the crowd in singing the national anthem, O Canada. David F. Rooney photoJoey Desjardins and all of the local medal relayers in their bright yellow and blue uniforms posed for an official photo at the conclusion of the Tuesday afternoon welcome. David F. Rooney photoWith the official event over for the day, people crowded in to see the medal up close as Krista Carnegie shot a picture of her son, Raine, who was one of the official medal-bearers. David F. Rooney photo
