'It was really amazing'

Murray McCormick, The Leader-Post

August 22, 2005  The smile said it all.

Saskatoon's Mitch Bodnarchuk was wearing one when he proudly led Saskatchewan's team into Saturday's closing ceremonies for the Canada Summer Games. The smile was still there three hours later as the athletes started to depart Taylor Field for their homes across Canada.

"It was really amazing,'' said Bodnarchuk, who was selected Saskatchewan's flagbearer after winning two gold medals in wrestling. "It was completely unexpected. The coaches had hinted there was something special for the wrestlers. Just before we left, it was announced that I would be carrying the flag. It was a great honour.''

Bodnarchuk was also in the honourable position when Saskatchewan's team was the final one to be introduced. The approximately 13,000 spectators gave Saskatchewan a standing ovation along with the loudest cheer.

"When everyone was on their feet . . . It was like something I had never experienced before,'' Bodnarchuk said while continuing to maintain a death grip on the Saskatchewan flag.

Saskatchewan's wrestlers were deserving of the recognition. The men's team won gold and the women's team earned a silver medal. Saskatchewan also picked up 15 medals in the individual competition. Saskatchewan finished with a Summer Games record of 67 medals, eclipsing the 52 it won at the 2001 Summer Games in London. Ont.

"They were the best Canada Games ever for me,'' said Bodnarchuk, who has wrestled for six years. "I can't imagine doing any better than double gold.''

The closing ceremonies marked the conclusion to a journey that started in 1993 when Regina first expressed interest in playing host to the Summer Games. It continued with the official awarding of the Summer Games to Regina on July 10, 2001. Lynda Haverstock, Saskatchewan's lieutenant-governor, marked the end of the process when she declared the Games "officially closed'' at 4:45 p.m. The Games torch was then passed from the 2005 host society to Whitehorse, which is playing host to the 2007 Winter Games.

The closing ceremonies were quicker and more upbeat than the opening event held Aug. 6. The athletes were directed towards their chairs, rather than parading around Taylor Field. That decision reduced the marshalling time from over an hour to 30 minutes.

The closing ceremonies recognized Saskatchewan's rich aboriginal heritage with a purification ceremony that was also held during the opening ceremonies. There was also a flypast by four Canadian Forces CF-156 Harvard IIs from 15 Wing, near Moose Jaw.

The speeches by the dignitaries were short, bright and enthusiastic. The dignitaries included representatives from the municipal, provincial and federal governments.

Jack Semple of Saskatoon and Canadian Idol runner-up Theresa Sokyrka from Saskatoon provided musical entertainment. Katie Semple belted out a farewell song that had many of the athletes hugging and wiping away tears.

About two hours after the athletes entered Taylor Field, the formal aspect of the ceremonies was over. Within moments of the dignitaries being escorted from the front stage, Our Lady Peace rocked into its 75-minute set. The Juno-Award winning Toronto rock band had each of the 2,400 athletes dancing on the Taylor Field turf to the loud music.

"We have a lot of Canadian pride,'' Raine Maida, the lead singer for OLP, said after the concert. "That's the reason why we took this show. It was a big deal for us.''

The improved Taylor Field sound system couldn't handle OLP's music very well but it didn't seem to bother the athletes. They filled the mosh pit, body surfed and celebrated the end to the Summer Games.

"It was a little different than our usual concerts,'' Maida said. "You could tell that it was the end of the Games. No one was drinking but everyone was very positive. It was a great atmosphere.''

© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2005.