With glowing hearts: the Olympic Flame stops in Whitehorse

It was as if Whitehorse was welcoming a Hollywood celebrity yesterday.

It was as if Whitehorse was welcoming a Hollywood celebrity yesterday.

All over Whitehorse people were out on the streets to catch sight of the Olympic Torch as it swept through the city on Tuesday afternoon.

The torch wound through the city being passed along by a team of excited torch bearers of all ages.

All the torch bearers tried to savour the moment as they had their brief time with the torch.

The flame eventually reached its final destination of Shipyards Park at 6 p.m. Tuesday evening.

Community torch bearer Ramesh Ferris hand-cycled the final 300 metres of the relay to the stage, with close to a thousand Whitehorse residents cheering him on.

The flame’s ride with Ferris on his hand-cycle was only one of the modes of transportation the flame has taken so far. It rode a surfboard in Tofino, B.C., it has been on a float plane and a canoe and will take a ride on a dog sled.

After the initial lighting of the cauldron on the stage by Ferris, Whitehorse’s torch bearers circulated the crowds with the torches that had been lit earlier in the day taking time to stop and greet people and take pictures.

“I feel like a rock star,” said Tom Fairman, a second time torch bearer.

Fairman ran with the Olympic Torch in Whitehorse over 20 years ago when it passed through on its way to Calgary to start the 1988 Winter Olympics.

He was chosen by RBC for volunteering after his daughter submitted his name.

“It was great, it was wonderful,” said Fairman, in between photos with excited onlookers, on Tuesday evening.

Fairman says the day was well organized. The runners met early in the day to discuss what they were going to do, and torch relay assistants ran with the torch bearers to help out.

“We were well shepherded around,” said Fairman.

Torch bearer Thoa Mai says the runners were extremely helpful.

“The runners that are going with you, they don’t get enough credit,” she said. “They run the whole way.”

Mai says the 300 metres she ran went by too fast as she tried to take in every second.

“It went by so quick,” she said.

While it was just a short distance, Mai says she will never forget it.

“It was awesome. (A) once in a lifetime experience,” she said.

Before she even received the flame, an excited Mai managed to trip and fall. After she picked herself up, she was concerned she would have another fall with the flame in hand.

“I was completely scared I was going to slip,” said Mai, with a laugh. “When it counted, I didn’t.”

The torches, built by Canadian company Bombardier, were built to withstand spills, high winds and low temperatures.

Mai says the torch weighed about three pounds.

The torch bearers were given the option to purchase their torch for just over $300. Mai says her company, Mackay LLP, has purchased her torch and it will be put on display there.

Mai was chosen by RBC to run with the Olympic Torch. She made a pledge to reduce her use of plastic bags. To earn the position, she switched to reusable or compostable bags.

She still does her best to remember her non-plastic bags when shopping.

“I feel guilty when I forget it,” said Mai.

Mai says the torch’s stop in Whitehorse was something many people may not have the opportunity to see again for a long time.

“This is one time it’s going to come to Whitehorse,” she said. “It’s a Whitehorse day.”

The torch bearers and the spectators will remember the Olympic Flame’s visit to Whitehorse for a long time to come.