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PAGE 34, WHTBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7,1988 Whitby's 1988 Olympie athietes honored, by Town _By Mike Johnston Whitby's five Olympic athietes were recognized by the Town last Weclnesday night in a ceremony beld at the municipal building. Approimately 150 people were on hand to bear politicians and their representatives from all four levels of government bestow accolades on the five - Lori Melien, Lori Strong, Terry Paul, Glenn Beaucbamp and Christina McDonald. (Both Beauchchamp and McDonald were unable to attend the ceremony. McDonald is attending university in Florida). During the ceremony, Mayor Bob Attersley unveiled a drawing of the memorial that will be built to honor Whitby's Olympic ath- letes as a part of the new $14-million recreation complex adjacent to the municipal build- ing. The names of the five, as -well as Whitby's past Olympic ath- letes, will be featured as part of the memorial. Past athletes include: Louis Joseph Sebert,- track, Summer Olympics, 1908; Bob Attersley,. George Samolenko and Harry Sinden, ice hockey, Winter Olym- pics, Squaw Valley, U.S.A., 1960; Anne Ottenbrite, swimming, bronze, sil ver an4 gold medals, Christina McDonald's mother, Lee, helps herseif to a slice of the Olympie cake at the Olympie cere- mony last Wednesday. Christina was unable to take part in the ceremony because she is attending university in Florida. Summer Olympics, Los Angeles, U.S.A., 1984 and Glenn Beauchamp, judo, Summer Olympics, Los Angeles, U.S.A., 1984. Figbting back tears, Melien, 16, who won a bronze medal at the Games, told the children in the audience 'Tou can reach your dreams if you really want to." After the ceremony, she recalled standing on the'podium witb bier bronze medal as the Canadian flag -was raised as a memory she will neyer forget. Melien won the niedal as the backstroker for the 4-by-lOOm medley relay teami. "I was just happy I qualified for the team," said the Gr. il student at Anderson MV. The team went into the finals with the flftb best time. She said a team effort won the medal witb each of the four members swimniing within balf a second of their best times. That was the bighlight of ber two weeks in Seoul, South Korea. But not ail bier memories are positive. She recalis how shocked every member of the Canadian team was when they heard Ben Johnson bad been stripped of his go id medal for allegedly using anebolic stèroids. "We were shocked, then everyone was angry and mad at him," said Melien who talked to track athletes from numerous countries while she was at the games. IlAI'thbose athietes weie sayrng that aIl thie finalists -in>1the events were on ýteroids. Iemjust mad at aIl of tbem fqr ta ' g steroids.", As for the citzens of Korea, Melien said théy were constantly stopping athletès in the streets for pictures. 1I met one U.S!-.girl there and we are stili writing letters to each other." Melien says bier thoughts are focused on competing in the 1992 Summer Olympics to be held in Barcelona, Spain. But she'admits a lot of things could happen between now and then to make ber change lier mmnd. Lori Strong, Canada's premier gymnast, was in a press box wben Johnson won bis gold. "That was a great feeling. Then the next day a reporter came up to us and asked us wbat we tbought of Ben. Hie was the one that broke the news about it to us," said Strong, also a Gr. il student at Anderson. After Johnson returned bis medal, Strong says Canadians shopping in downtown Seoul would be subject to derision and laughter as people pretended to tâke pilîs. LORI MELIEN holds the bronze medal she won at the Summer Olympie games as a member of the 4-by-100 medley swimxning relay team. Frec Press photo "But Carolyn Waldo's double gold rnedals (in synchronized swimming) made us proud again as did Lennox Lewis (gold medal winner in boxing)." Strong suffered a personal setback when she broke ber foot on a floor exercise during the individual events. But she gained even more admiration and respect when it was later learned that she had competed despite the injury. I have had problems with my ankle in the past and I had fallen of the bars in an earlier exercise. I remember lying on the floor saying to myseif 'What are you doing here. You sbould be fin- isbing your dismount."' She got- back up on the bars but bit ber ankle. It finally gave way while she was doing ber floor exercise. I heard the crack, said Strong, who was then taken to a hospital in the Olympie village. The Canadian women's gymnastics team went to the Olympics ranked eigbth, but left ranked lltb in the world. According to Strong, the girls wêre performing well but tbey were not receiving bigh scores. "We watched otbers and tbey would do a routine we wôuld and they would get a 9.5 while we couldn't get above 7.5. "Spain, Korea and Greece were abead of us anid they are neyer ahead of us." Strong says she would like to stay in gymnastics for another four years and compete in the 1992 Summner Olympics, but she admits that may not be possible. She does întend, however, to compete in the 1989 world championships to be held in Cermiany. "I want to get my standing back." Strong stood lSth ini the world before heading to the Olymnpics. ]Paul, 24, coxswain of Canada's four-man, 2,000-metre rowing team, has .no intention of staying in the sport for four more years. S"That is too much time. inm now looking at job offers," says Paul, who graduated from Brock University last year with a degre inphysical education. Mye is stili unsure whetber hie wilI join the team in the 1989 world championships to be held in Yugosîavia. "If the teamn trains-out here, in Toronto, there is a possibility but flot if they train out west." The team, which was expected to do weIl at the Olympics, failedl tomake ittothe finals. "We had some technical diffi- culties with the boat,'" explained Paul. "The riggers that bold the oars in place were too bigh. "We got four new ones made in Germany and shipped to us but they didn't feel the samie. It's hard to focus when you don't feel the boat is right." Paul's team flnished ninth overail. He says rumors of the Ben Johnson incident began leaking out the day. after the 100m race. It was not a national event for me then. It was a risk that he took. At that level of competition the most.. important tbing is winning." SEE PAGE 35 REGINALCOUTNCILLOR Tom Edwards talks to Glenn Beauchamp's parents, Barry and Grace Nolan, at the ceremony to honor Whitby Olympie athietes. Free Proe photo AN ARTIST'S* rendition, of the pari of the new $14-milion recreation LORI STRONG signs autographs after'the ceremonies memorial to' Whitby's Olympie ath- ýcomplex adjacent to the municipal at the municipal building to ,honor Whitby's Olympie letes. The memorial will be designed as building. F. rs ht athletes Ilast Wednesday night. F. r. ht