Cheers to our champs

There’s a long-standing formula when it comes to the establishment of elite athletes.
Have them grow up in a large metropolis area, receive the best coaching money can buy, have them train at top-notch facilities, and give them that extra push by having them face a wealth of premium competition right in their own backyard. Shake well, and watch them rise to greatness.
The odds of a national champion and a world double medalist coming from a town about 1/428th the size of Toronto would seem astronomical. But within the last two weeks, Jared Catholique-Bruyere and Raymond Bedard looked straight at the odds, and laughed in defiance.
Catholique-Bruyere, riding an undefeated season which included gold in his individual weight class at the Canada Winter Games in February, made mincemeat out of his opponents at this past weekend’s Canadian judo championships, winning the plus-81 kg category in the Juvenile division.
Bedard travelled the rocky road to Dublin and came out of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Ireland with a silver in the long jump and a bronze in the 200 m dash, despite being more than a decade older than his track and field rivals.
To not fully appreciate what these two individuals, or the many others that have accomplished great athletic feats before them, would be a dramatic oversight.
Their success is based on pride, dedication and a firm belief that you don’t have to come from the more-populated urban centres to achieve superior results.
The amateur sports scene in Fort Frances may not be what it once was, but it is still a thriving entity that provides the foundation for athletes from here to move on to conquer higher peaks and live out bigger dreams.