Importing our athletes
SPORTS TOURISM: Maple syrup in your blood? Welcome to Canada
When Johnathan Cabral crossed the finish line with a rather stunning sixth placing in the 110-metre hurdles, the rather earnest press attache from the Canadian Olympic Committee asked: “Does anyone want to talk to Johnathan?”
“I would,” came the response in the mixed zone, “if I had any idea who Johnathan is.”
Medals and headlines aside, the surprising sixth-place finish Cabral produced would normally be considered close to a victory in a very challenging Olympic event, except for this: Barely a soul across Canada has any idea who Cabral happens to be. How is this possible? Well, for starters, he was born in Oregon. He grew up and starred in high school football and track at Agoura Hills, Calif., where he was coached by his father, an American. His mom, Ghislane, who divorced her husband 15 years ago, was born in small-town Quebec.
Thus, through research, ingenuity and just a touch of desperation, a not-so-accidental Canadian Olympian was born. And Cabral is not alone here.
A perky 16-year-old swimmer named Taylor Ruck was part of the two bronze medal-winning relay teams here at the Summer Olympics. She lives and trains in Scottsdale, Ariz. Her Olympic inspiration happened to be Missy Franklin.
She was born in Kelowna and spent the memorable first nine months of her life there. She probably wouldn’t know Justin Trudeau from Gary Trudeau. But the girl can swim. So those nine months matter. They helped Canada to two podiums here.
This is the new and growing Canadian Olympic team. We will leave no stone or passport unturned. If you have some Canadian in you and can pole vault, we will seek you out. And it’s all being done rather intentionally and without apology.
Santo Condorelli, the young swimmer who gives his American father the finger before each race, made a name for himself in these Olympics. He was born in Japan. He grew up in Oregon. He swims at the University of Southern California. So what brings him to the red and white? His mom is Canadian. This is the Missy Franklin story in reverse: She has Canadian parents and could have chosen to swim for Canada. Four years ago that was somewhat disappointing, but understandable. This time, not so much. Own The Podium CEO Anne Merklinger admits without shame or trepidation Canadian coaches and individual sports organizations in Canada now recruit by birthplace. They don’t only search for Canada’s best. They target America’s best who happen to have some kind of Canadian connection. Knowing someone in Canada does not qualify.
This is networking at its best or its worst, depending on your perspective on this.
Shawn Barber, the pole vault hopeful who had a poor performance here, isn’t much of a Canadian, really. He was born in New Mexico, lives primarily in Las Cruces, N.M., and has attended the University of Akron. His dad grew up in El Paso, Texas. But he was born in Kincardine, Ont., home of the really famous Canadian Paul Henderson.
Odds are Barber wouldn’t know what Henderson is famous for — but he did look good in red and white winning the world championship last year in Beijing. He wasn’t nearly as desirable in the rain the other night, when the weather and circumstance got the best of him in the pole vault final.
“This is our world now,” said Merklinger. “A lot of these athletes are proud of their Canadian heritage. And some of them have a choice to make. They can compete for the United States, but they’ve chosen Canada. They’re excited to represent our country. And they’re proud to do so.”
Both John Atkinson of Swim Canada and Peter Eriksson of Athletics Canada actively work with the NCAA to find American athletes with Canadian connections. As non-Canadians themselves — Atkinson is a Brit, Eriksson was born in Sweden — they’re being paid to win and if that means deepening the field and searching for a dad from Kincardine, so be it.
In the past we have mocked other countries for this very practice, but Merklinger points out Canada has lost its own athletes to competing nations in recent Games under similar circumstances. For a middle-ofthe-road, athletically challenged country such as Canada looking for more opportunities, this is part of the new price of trying to stay competitive at the Games.