Olympic flame pauses to honour students killed in N.B. crash

EDMUNDSTON, N.B. — The Olympic torch relay has been filled with inspirational moments, but on Saturday, as the flame spent its final full day in New Brunswick, there was a pause to reflect on one of this province’s tragedies.

The relay began before dawn in Bathurst, stopping at city hall for a moment of silence to honour the Boys in Red, the seven high school basketball players killed in van crash outside the city in January 2008.

Members of the Bathurst High School Phantoms, the boys had just finished singing Happy Birthday to Nick Quinn, who was turning 16, when their van skidded out of control and slammed head-on into a tractor-trailer.

Killed were Daniel Hains,17; Nick Quinn, 16; Nathan Cleland, 17; Javier Acevedo, 17; Codey Branch, 17; Justin Cormier, 17; Nicholas Kelly, 15, and Elizabeth Lord, 51 — a popular math and music teacher — who was married to their basketball coach, Wayne Lord, who was driving.

The solemn moment that began Saturday’s relay quickly gave way, however, to a day of festive events, including visits to a giant Atlantic salmon, a gushing waterfall and two First Nations ceremonies.

The relay covered more than 1,400 kilometres during its seven-day stint in New Brunswick, on a trip that featured 630 torchbearers in 58 communities.

Jean-Guy Poitras, a badminton referee who worked at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, was one of the last New Brunswick torchbearers, carrying the flame Saturday evening to the celebration in Edmundston, about 20 km from the Quebec border.

“It’s an honour and I’m very proud,” said Poitras, a retired education professor at l’Universite de Moncton’s Edmundston campus.

Poitras praised the Vancouver Olympic committee for organizing the far-reaching relay, which drew large crowds throughout week.

“It’s making the Olympics a bigger event,” Poitras said.

“For a lot of people, that’s the only chance they’ll have in their life to see the flame. It’s not just only for sport — it’s a cultural thing.”

Gordon Pitre, a longtime volunteer for the Special Olympics, carried the torch past Restigouche Sam, the giant Atlantic salmon statue that overlooks Campbellton’s scenic waterfront.

“I’m carrying Special Olympic athletes with me as I carry my torch,” said Pitre, whose son, Jamie, has a learning disability.

“The moments I’ve spent with my son, I’ve learned about happiness,” he said.

“There is so much joy in him.”

The torch stopped for an afternoon celebration in Grand Falls, home to the largest waterfall in New Brunswick, before continuing to Saint-Leonard, Saint-Anne-de-Madawaska, and Riviere Verte.

The relay rested in Edmundston on Saturday night, with a party held on the grounds of Turgeon Stadium.

“You can just feel the energy in the city,” said Mychele Poitras, spokeswoman for the City of Edmundston.

After passing through Edmundston and Saint-Jacques early Sunday morning, the torch relay will quickly cross the border into Quebec.

Since beginning Oct. 30, the torch relay has already blazed through the Canada’s three territories, reached North America’s easternmost tip at Cape Spear in St. John’s, N.L., and crossed through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The 45,000-kilometre journey began Oct. 30 in Victoria, and will end Feb. 12 at the opening of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.