NORFOLK HUB, December 25, 2012 page 15
H
ow would a child feel?
By Dave Scott October 9, 2012 A couple of months ago Mary Taylor, owner of the Simcoe Canadian Tire Store, and I got together to talk about the 500 km bike ride she was about to embark on to raise funds for her Norfolk Chapter of Canadian Tire Jumpstart. Well now, here is the story behind the incredible journey Mary went on… Mary began in Kingston, bright and early on Monday, September 17th, with twenty-nine other Canadian Tire Store owners or employees. The first thing she noticed was the equipment everyone else had, was built for road and speed… her equipment was built for off-road… these folks were serious cyclists. Mary knew that her training she had done, was now going to be put to the test… and sure enough it was. The main group finished forty minutes ahead of her that first day. Having travelled 100 km, Mary was exhausted as she made her way to her room. She knew that with a good night’s rest, she would be back at it in the morning… but before she turned in for the evening, she thought, maybe some TV. As luck would have it, the Terry Fox story was on. Her mind cleared, her drive energized, this was not going to be easy, but watching a true Canadian Hero that evening, provided fuel for the fire that burned inside of Mary. Tuesday morning came and so did the weather, rain from Picton to Cobourg… 60 km of solid rain. This tested Mary’s resolve, soaked and wet, chilled to the bone, large trucks flying down the highway, the constant spray from the vehicles hitting her, but she persevered. She thought the day would never end. When the day finally came to a close, she hit a hot bath and went straight to
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Annaleise Carr (left) with Mary Taylor after riding in Canadian Tire Jumpstart Pedal for Kids. bed. It was going to take more than rain to stop Mary from her goal. Wednesday morning arrived, and Mary was back out on the road. As she cycled through the small towns, their quiet, quaint beauty on display, her mind drifted to the children of those towns who perhaps were unable to participate in sports. She thought about her journey, how lucky she was to be able to partake in this event. If she were a kid who had no opportunity to play sports, how would she feel? It was an emotional moment for her. She knew at that moment she would complete her 500 km quest, and raise as much money as she could for Jumpstart, to make sure kids in Norfolk never had to feel left out. Her pace was steady, her resolve was hardened; sure her joints were sore from the ride, but Thursday and Friday were all that was left to do. When Thursday came, Mary found that her pace relaxed and she enjoyed her ride more. At one point going through a neighbourhood, she saw kids out playing. It did her heart a world of good. She reminded herself, GET KIDS IN THE GAME… get them out playing. Friday arrived and with it, so did Annaleise Carr, who was joining Mary on the last 100 km ride into Niagara Falls. Mary was over the moon to have Annaleise join her. Their mutual respect for each other is a bond both share. Mary was impressed with Annaleise’s drive and in return Annaleise was impressed with Mary’s five-day, 500 km bike odyssey. The two spent the day pedalling and working hard. Mary had a little spill, catching her tire on a curb. As she did the slow motion over the handlebars, she wondered if this was how it would end, just a few kilometres away from the finish line. She lay still for a moment, Annaleise rode up to check on her, Mary looked up from
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beneath her bike, laughed and said to Annaleise, ‘Don’t try this at home.’ Mary climbed back on the bike more of a bruised ego thing, a few more bumps and bruises to add to the week long collection, but determination still in place. Then at just after 3 pm, Mary and Annaleise, along with close to 100 other cyclists, reached their final destination. Mary explained that it was an emotional moment, seeing her husband, children and grandchildren waiting for her. She was tired and sore but the smile kept coming through. Mary had made the journey and in the process raised well over $7,000 for her Canadian Tire Jumpstart Chapter. Nationally, they raised over $240,000. It took Mary a few days to recover and when we chatted about the journey, I was impressed with just how much it means to Mary to get kids involved in sports locally and on a national level. She admits freely that she should have trained more and that she needs to update her own bike gear, but to me, she took the tools she had and made the best of it. Her own internal fortitude pushed her to her limits and to new heights on a personal level. That speaks volumes of the type of person Mary is. The strength in which she places Jumpstart at such a high level of importance is an example to us all. Thank you Mary, for being a community leader! If you would like to donate to our local Chapter of Jumpstart and help local children get in the game, stop by Canadian Tire in Simcoe or go to www. ctjumpstart.ca/Marytaylorfornorfolkkids.
Best Wishes to You and Your Family for a Happy Holiday Season.
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