Article from Battleford's Daily News

Fiona Smith Bell will light Olympic cauldron in N.B.
Another torch runner, Courtney Crush, named
By Doug Collie, Editor

Former North Battleford resident and Olympic medalist Fiona Smith Bell has been chosen to light the cauldron in North Battleford Jan. 12, when the Olympic torch is carried through the Battlefords.

The name of another torch runner in the Battlefords was also revealed – Courtney Crush, daughter of city councillor Ron Crush.

The North Battleford Olympic Torch Relay Committee made that announcement Tuesday. Smith Bell will also speak on behalf of the nine cauldron lighters chosen in Saskatchewan during a luncheon today hosted by Premier Brad Wall.

Committee Chair Laura Allan says Smith Bell was the obvious choice to light the cauldron.

She said the committee believes Smith “exemplifies the values of the Olympic movement, having played in two world championships and winning two gold medals, winning a silver medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics and (serving as) a member of the Canadian National Women’s Team from 1994 to 2002.”

Allan notes Smith Bell has won a total of seven international gold medals.

Smith Bell says she is pleased to have been selected to light the cauldron.

“Absolutely,” she said during an interview with the Daily News. “Becoming an Olympian obviously was a life-altering experience for me, and having the opportunity to carry the (Olympic) flame in North Battleford, it’s just a tremendous honour.

“I look back now and you always dream, I think as a kid, of being in the Olympics and when that dream was realized, I don’t think I ever dreamt of being able to have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of carrying the flame,” she said.

“I want to thank North Battleford, and without the support of the great community, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to carry the torch on January 12th so I’m ecstatic, I can’t wait for the day to come.”

Smith Bell lives in Regina. She says she hopes to bring her husband Rob and her two boys –Jaxon, 3; and Kian, 6 – with her for the torch run and cauldron-lighting ceremony. She’s looking forward to seeing her mom and her brother, Martin, at the ceremony as well.

Smith Bell hopes her experience, her lighting of the cauldron and the Olympics themselves will inspire youth in the Battlefords to become involved in sports.

“It’s so important to get youth involved,” she said. “Sport has changed my life dramatically, obviously, and I know that I wouldn’t have had this opportunity, had it not been for sport.

“I hope that children of all ages are able to watch this prestigious event and that they’ll talk about it in years to come and hopefully it’ll ignite a flame in them, I guess. I hope it inspires other kids to dream big, I guess, to get involved in sports and realize how many opportunities there are for you out there.”

Crush, an-18-year-old Engineering student at the U of S, will be running from 15th Ave. to Diefenbaker Drive in North Battleford. She says she found out for sure that she’d been accepted as a runner about a week ago. She’s sponsored by Coca Cola.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “It’s an honour.”

Crush says she’s always been very active, doing five or 10-kilometre runs; playing soccer; going on the site slogoactive.com to log in her activities; and participating in plymometrics, a high-energy workout.

Crush says she remains active in university.

“I go to the gym every now and then, but I like just running. I walk every day there and back to school which is about 40 minutes, and I like doing some rock climbing every now and then too.”

“It’s just awesome that the Olympics are in Canada and that the torch is going to be going through North Battleford, so I thought I’d take advantage of that opportunity,” Crush said.

Crush is a fan of the Olympics, especially the summer sports, like swimming.

But she likes the Winter Olympics – especially bobsledding – so she thought she’d apply to carry the torch.

Crush says she likes bobsledding so much she’d like to give it a try some day.

“It’s something I’d want to try in the future because it’s kind of cool,” she said. “I’d just like to try it out for the experience.”

She plans to be a civil engineer when she graduates from university.