Every once in a while, we reporters come upon a nice story. Given that much of what we do is taken up with man’s inhumanity to man, political disputes, and complaints, such stories are not only a relief from the day-to-day stuff, but also a pleasure.
It was particularly nice last weekend to be engaged with two different families, both of whom it was a pleasure to meet, and just as much fun to report about it.
We received a telephone tip from an old friend in Elora that led us to the home of Rendall and Myrna Bilton on Friday afternoon. It was a nice way to complete the week, meeting a pair of Sportsmen who competed on the world stage in, of all things, shuffleboard.
Like all games, it takes a large amount of skill to perform any sport very well on a regular basis. Randall Bilton finished on the world champion men’s team, and Myrna finished second to Japan in the event held down under. What was really impressive though, was the camaraderie that both felt towards all the players they met. Rendall, in particular, talked about only one game he played, the one he lost to a German competitor who won only that game all week.
Sportmanship seems to rule the day in such events, and given the nonsense and trash talking of professional players these days, it is like a breath of fresh air.
The next day we visited Mike and Brenda Dolderman. Brenda was inducted the previous week into the McMaster Hall of Fame for her running career. She was a top high school athlete, won a scholarship to a big American school, returned home after a year of injuries, and then helped McMaster to a number of titles, winning individual Canadian honours herself.
What was particularly touching was the tale of how she could not run her specialty race because it was scheduled on a Sunday. Instead, she entered a race more than three times as long, and still won going away. We haven’t seen or heard of such faith, conviction, and athletic prowess combined since we saw the movie, Chariots of Fire, although we remember Bobby Mader, of Breslau, not wanting to suit up during the Olympic Games for hockey because the game was on a Sunday. We were just a kid back then, and we don’t remember how that issue was resolved, but a professional athlete standing his religion ahead of his glory on the field is hard to imagine.
Brenda Dolderman talked more about a running club she is starting in Fergus than what it was like to win all those events. As a teacher, she wants to pass along her love for her sport more than she seeks accolades. Her husband had to convince her to attend the Hall of Fame induction.
We salute the Wellington County athletes who had ability that took them to fame far beyond the confines of the county borders.
