Coca-Cola Torchbearers – January 29th
NAME: Jolene Agabob
Hometown: Quesnel, British Columbia
Carrying Torch: Quesnel
Torchbearer number: OTR092-027
Torch Relay Segment: January 29th, 2010
Age: 28
Torchbearer Story:
Jolene Agabob loves the water and believes swimming is an excellent skill and activity. Her sister was a Special Olympic athlete and was competing in several sports, but her small town did not have a Special Olympic swim team. So, after talking to her sister and several other interested athletes, Agabob decided to start a Special Olympic swim team.
Agabob contacted the Special Olympic coordinator who was just as enthusiastic about the new team. Within a short time, Agabob and her colleagues had the program registered, pool times rented and a group of 4 athletes willing to practice. The athletes trained, developed their skills and Agabob took them to their first swim meet to compete and show their skills. The following year, the Special Olympic team grew. Agabob now had a team of 10 willing and excited athletes. Agabob took the group to several swim meets and to the B.C. Winter Games. Since then, the team has continued to grow and the athletes have continued to improve. Some of the athletes have even competed at Nationals and Worlds.
Today, the team is thriving with 25 members and 3 coaches. Agabob feels very lucky to have started this group of enthusiastic and eager athletes.
NAME: David Law
Hometown: Quesnel, British Columbia
Carrying Torch: Quesnel
Torchbearer number: OTR092-023
Torch Relay Segment: January 29th, 2010
Age: 60
Torchbearer Story:
David Law’s love affair with bats started twenty-five years ago, when he discovered six black beauties dead in his yard. He called a conservation officer who suggested Love store them in his freezer for later investigation. He bagged and tagged the poor critters, and stored them in their temporary mortuary. Law never did discover the cause of their demise, but was shocked by the fragility of their existence. From that day onward, he resolved to promote “all things bat and beautiful”.
Law has also constructed a backyard bat house. His nephew, who was plagued by bats at his international guiding ranch, was inspired by his uncle’s idea. Law’s nephew built a bat condominium, home to around three hundred bats. The guano from the bats provides natural fertilizer for his nephew’s greenhouse, which has generated lasting impressions on the ranch’s clients, with resulting global impact.
Law believes bats are excellent examples of the rich biodiversity of British Columbia: eight of the sixteen species of bats in B.C. are found nowhere else in Canada. Law wonders at the aerial “acro-batics” of these beautiful creatures, just as he marvels at the physical prowess of our Olympic athletes. Like a bat compelled to flutter in the shadows of an evening campfire, Law is irresistibly drawn to the flickering Olympic flame.
NAME: Dayle McKinnon
Hometown: Prince George, British Columbia
Carrying Torch: Prince George
Torchbearer number: OTR092-082
Torch Relay Segment: January 29th, 2010
Age: 55
Torchbearer Story:
From 1990 to 2002, Dayle McKinnon was the team manager for the local summer swimming club for children and youth in Prince George. His responsibilities included the day to day management of the team, setting the schedules, organizing the local swim meet and out of town swim meets. The swim program promoted participation and physical fitness by offering a program that was fun and open to all who wanted to participate regardless of their ability. Dayle spent many years focused on promoting physical activity for children and youth but he neglected his own well-being.
For many years, Dayle did not pay attention to his own diet and fitness level and consequently the result was an inactive and unhealthy lifestyle. In the last year, he has made a personal commitment to make a significant change. He is working hard at increasing his own level of fitness. He has begun a learn to run program to gradually increase his ability to run 10 kilometres. He is also paying attention to his diet by reducing his intake of unhealthy fats and fast foods and focusing on the more healthy choices of vegetables, fruits and lean meats. In 2005, Dayle participated in the Vancouver Sun’s 10 kilometre run and his goal is to run the 10 kilometre race once again in 2010.
NAME: Nancy Giesbrecht
Hometown: Williams Lake, British Columbia
Carrying Torch: Kersley
Torchbearer number: OTR092-013
Torch Relay Segment: January 29th, 2010
Age: 52
Torchbearer Story:
In 1976, as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, Nancy Giesbrecht was deployed to Montreal for the Summer Olympics. The unforgettable feeling in the City left Nancy as a lifelong supporter of the Olympic Games.
She was introduced to the Northern BC Winter Games in 1995, when the games came to her community. Her son got the opportunity to participate in the Northern BC Winter Games, Curling in 1996 & 1997 and she travelled to the Games as chaperone. After Nancy was hooked. She became a Regional Director with the Northern BC Winter Games Society in 1998, and in 2004 took on the role of Director – Sport, which is the position she currently holds on the Board of the Northern BC Winter Games Society, working with Provincial Sport Organizations to support the development of sport in the Northern part of BC. In 2002, she also served as Chair – Cash Recruitment for the Williams Lake BC Winter Games.
Her experience includes supporting organizations, which her children belonged such as Minor Hockey, CanSkate, Dancing, and Babe Ruth Baseball. As a Girl Guide Leader, Nancy has worked with Brownies and Pathfinders before taking on the role of District Guider, promoting fitness to local guiding groups.
NAME: Jeanne-Anne Bentham
Hometown: Williams, British Columbia
Carrying Torch: Williams Lake
Torchbearer number: OTR092-005
Torch Relay Segment: January 29th, 2010
Age: 49
Torchbearer Story:
Jeanne-Anne Bentham has taken steps to reduce her family’s impact on the environment. She recently started composting with a green cone that is incredibly easy to use. It breaks down all kitchen scraps and food waste. After sharing the information with her co-workers, three other people became interested in the cones. Since last fall, four households have not put a single scrap of kitchen or food waste into the garbage! Quite a reduction in what usually would go to the landfill. Jeanne-Anne has shared this information with her local city councillor and is hoping the city will support a community wide cone program. Reaching out to her community to reduce waste is an initiative that Jeanne-Anne strongly believes in and she is taking steps to make a difference in her community.
NAME: Ryan Gaudet
Hometown: Prince George, British Columbia
Carrying Torch:
Torchbearer number:
Torch Relay Segment: January 29th, 2010
Age: 13
Torchbearer Story:
Ryan Gaudet’s favourite sports are soccer and speed skating. As a speed skater, he has raced many times in Calgary on the Long track oval and has even had the opportunity to race at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Ryan says it was very exciting to skate in the same place as the Olympics are being held. Through his speed skating, Ryan has had the opportunity to meet Jeremy Witherspoon, Catriona LeMay Doan and even Cindy Klassen. Ryan hopes that one day, with a lot of hard work, he too may be an Olympian.
