Local Sports

As we drove along the Trout River yesterday and through the towns of Enosburg Falls, Montgomery, and Montgomery Center, we noticed yard signs in front of a lot of the houses and businesses we passed. Contrary to the divisive messages that so many of those signs broadcast lately, all of these had a unified focus. "Go for the Gold Elle!" they cheered.

A little research informed us that, a hometown girl, Elle Purrier-St. Pierre had qualified for the finals of the women's 1500 meter race. Furthermore, we learned, she would be in the blocks when the starting shot fired at 8:50 this morning.

It's been a bit a challenge keeping up with the Olympics here in Northern Vermont. The only broadcast TV our rented house gets is from Canada, which is only 10 miles away. Watching the Canadian coverage of the games has been refreshingly low key and without the laser focus on American athletes that NBC shills to US viewers. This morning, though, we wanted to root for Elle along with our neighbors up here, but since the Canadian women were playing for gold in soccer, there was no way that race was going to be on. So we rigged up a picture-in-picture kind of a set up, streaming the race on my laptop, while the Canadians and Swedes battled it out on TV.

Elle finished a disappointing tenth, at 4:01 flat, well slower than her personal best, but it was still fun to support her. Since she so far off the podium, NBC did not provide an after-race interview, and we turned our attention to the soccer match. What a nail-biter it was! Going past double overtime into a shootout and then sudden death? My heart was in my throat every time Stephanie Labbe stepped into the goal. And when she made that save, setting up Julia Grosso's game winning shot? Well! 

In the words of the Canadian Tire commercial we've seen a million times this week? 

We all play for Canada.