KIDWCKED
02-21-2010, 04:03 PM
c\pBy Jeff Blair, The Globe and Mail Posted Sunday, February 21, 2010 12:54 AM ET
WHISTLER - They are worth watching, those who walk down the road less travelled - or, in this case, slide down it at 145 klicks per hour. So keep an eye on Jon Montgomery, Canada. You never know where this gold medal of his will take him.
Friday night, it was the centre of Whistler Village, like some kind of roving street party. People spilled out of the pubs - or, more accurately, vacated their place in line - as word spread that the guy they had been watching on television was coming down the mountain.
Clutching his turtle and thunderbird First Nations motif helmet, the automobile auctioneer who grew up playing baseball with Theo Fleury's family in Russell, Man., Montgomery stopped to guzzle beer, accept hugs and sign autographs. "Sign the stick ... sign the stick ... sign the stick," a crowd yelled outside the CTV stage where he had just been interviewed, as a small hockey stick was passed up to him. Deed done.
About the only thing Montgomery didn't do was crowd surf but that's no surprise. Because while his wild-man antics after his exhilarating and, for Canada, desperately needed win on a track that up to then accounted for one more death than Canadian medal, there is much more to the moppy, red-haired Montgomery than simply being a dude. One of the first things he did in the post-race news conference was apologize to silver medalist Martins Dukurs of Lativa for the over-exhuberance of his celebration. It was extended good-naturedly and accepted thusly. There is much, much more to Eldon and Joan Montgomery's kid than meets the eye.
"Sometimes you feel like you're floundering around on the roads of Europe," Montgomery said on Saturday, at a reception at the Whistler Brewing Company about seven hours after he'd shut down the partying in the wee hours of an alpine morning.
"That it doesn't really matter. That what you're doing is insignificant. But to see the pride others share in our success here ... it means everything to us as athletes. A large portion of this goes to all of Canada."
WHISTLER - They are worth watching, those who walk down the road less travelled - or, in this case, slide down it at 145 klicks per hour. So keep an eye on Jon Montgomery, Canada. You never know where this gold medal of his will take him.
Friday night, it was the centre of Whistler Village, like some kind of roving street party. People spilled out of the pubs - or, more accurately, vacated their place in line - as word spread that the guy they had been watching on television was coming down the mountain.
Clutching his turtle and thunderbird First Nations motif helmet, the automobile auctioneer who grew up playing baseball with Theo Fleury's family in Russell, Man., Montgomery stopped to guzzle beer, accept hugs and sign autographs. "Sign the stick ... sign the stick ... sign the stick," a crowd yelled outside the CTV stage where he had just been interviewed, as a small hockey stick was passed up to him. Deed done.
About the only thing Montgomery didn't do was crowd surf but that's no surprise. Because while his wild-man antics after his exhilarating and, for Canada, desperately needed win on a track that up to then accounted for one more death than Canadian medal, there is much more to the moppy, red-haired Montgomery than simply being a dude. One of the first things he did in the post-race news conference was apologize to silver medalist Martins Dukurs of Lativa for the over-exhuberance of his celebration. It was extended good-naturedly and accepted thusly. There is much, much more to Eldon and Joan Montgomery's kid than meets the eye.
"Sometimes you feel like you're floundering around on the roads of Europe," Montgomery said on Saturday, at a reception at the Whistler Brewing Company about seven hours after he'd shut down the partying in the wee hours of an alpine morning.
"That it doesn't really matter. That what you're doing is insignificant. But to see the pride others share in our success here ... it means everything to us as athletes. A large portion of this goes to all of Canada."