By Rob Walsh - Five-time Paralympian, two-time Paralympic
medalist, Chair of the IPC Nordic Skiing Technical
Committee
 

About the time that the Olympic flame was nearing its destination in Vancouver, I received an invitation to be a part of the Paralympic Torch Relay.  It said I had been chosen by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to represent the sport of Cross Country Skiing.  The Paralympic Games is an elite sporting event for athletes with physical disabilities that takes place following the Olympic Games in the same host city.  There are five sports included in the Winter Paralympics: biathlon, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey, and wheelchair curling.   About 1300 athletes, staff, and officials from over 40 countries took part in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics.
 
I was a member of the Jury for the biathlon and cross country events in Whistler so I was already planning to be at the Games, but being one of the approximately 600 people to carry the Paralympic flame was an honor I hadn't counted on. The notice said I was scheduled to carry the torch on March 11, one day before the opening ceremonies. I was instructed to meet in downtown Vancouver for a briefing and to get my uniform at 6:30 that evening.
 
It is about a 2 hour drive from Whistler to Vancouver. I had arranged for someone to give me a ride, but we were a little late getting underway so an on-time arrival seemed in question. With a light drizzle falling and rush hour traffic downtown, I found myself still in the car at 6:45. We passed Robson Square, a celebration site for the torch relay, so we knew we were getting close. We found a parking spot a couple of blocks further down and I jumped out of the car to immediately start asking people for directions. No one seemed to know where 865 Hornby Street was until a man came up to me and asked "Are you Walsh?" "Yes", I replied, quite surprised that anyone might know me. "Come with me. I'll show you where you need to go." I followed this mysteriously convenient escort down the street and up an elevator to the gathering room for my torch relay group. "They will take care of you from here", and he disappeared as quickly as he came.
 
There were about16 people in the group, dressed in steel blue nylon jackets bearing the Torch Relay logo. Everyone also had a pair of the iconic Canadian red mittens and, of course, a torch to be used for their leg of the relay. The torchbearers came from a variety of backgrounds. Among them was former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan, who famously waved the Olympic flag with his wheelchair during the closing ceremonies of the Torino Olympics. There was a woman who taught special education in a school outside Vancouver, a couple of employees from one of the corporate sponsors, an 11-year-old girl, and the cousin of the man who directed the Paralympic Opening Ceremonies. We each had our own story and our own reason for wanting to be part of the Paralympics. 
 
When I arrived a short woman with blonde hair was explaining what was about to happen, demonstrating how to carry the torch, and giving us instruction on the significance of the torch and torch relay.  "The Paralympic Torch Relay", she said, "is an invitation to the community to watch the Paralympic Games, to join the Paralympic Movement, to feel the Paralympic Spirit."
 
The rain had ended, and a few minutes later we were boarding a small bus. The torch relay is a two-bus operation. The first bus drives ahead of the flame and drops off the torchbearers at designated transfer points. The second bus drives behind the flame and picks up those who are finished. I was near the end of this grouping so I patiently waiting as we slowly drove through the streets of Vancouver. Then it was my turn, and once I stepped off the bus the pace of the action sped up considerably. The flame came into sight, a relay volunteer used a special key to activate my torch and I walked out to the middle of the street to accept the flame. My leg of the relay was short, only about a quarter  mile, so it didn't take that long. As I held the flame in front of me, I thought back to the description of the torch relay as an invitation, and my viewpoint on the experienced changed. This was not just a spectacle, it was a discussion. No words were exchanged, but as I held out the flame for everyone to see, the people lining the street accepted the invitation with their applause and cheering. This is how the games begin, how the movement spreads, how the spirit grows.
 
Before I knew it, it was my turn to reach to the next torchbearer, watch the flame jump to his torch, and see him continue the process. I hopped on the collection bus where I could share the experience with the others in my group. From the gathering point near Robson Square I caught a ride to the Vancouver Athletes' village and about 3 hours after arriving in Vancouver I was back on a bus headed to Whistler, hoping that some of the people who saw the torch relay that night would come up and join the excitement of the competitions in the coming days.