THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN’S MAIN CAMPUS IS SITUATED ON TREATY 6 TERRITORY AND THE HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS.
DORIAN GEIGER
Sports Editor
As news of the devastating earthquake that levelled Chile and the resulting tidal wave warnings for the Pacific coastline briefly stole the Olympic show on Feb. 27, a gentler wave generated by Canada all in its own had already descended upon Canada’s west coast — and it was gold.
It was foreseen by many Olympic experts — and for the past 48 hours the medals have literally been rolling in as melodically and rhythmically as ocean waves. The final four days were expected to show Canada’s strongest showing, and Canadian athletes have instigated a golden domino effect in the dwindling days of the Olympics.
From the endless individual Canadian athletic stories that have gripped millions in the tragic loss of figure skater Joannie Rochette’s mother to speed skating silver medalist Marie Saint-Gelais’ ecstatic televised reaction of her boyfriend Charles Hamelin’s gold medal, there have certainly been some triumphant stories, resulting in a mass outpouring of Canadian patriotism.
But not many of Canada’s golden athletes’ backgrounds are as rural as that of parallel giant slalom snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson and his well-publicized agricultural occupation in his native Quebec.
And what does Anderson, the fastest man in the world to shred it up in snowboard parallel giant slalom at the 2010 Olympics, do for a living in the agricultural world?
Anderson is in the business of farming crops of blueberries of course.
Just rolling off one’s tongue, Anderson’s area of employment sounds calming: “Blueberry farming.” Picking berries in warm summer weather sounds quite pleasant — the exact opposite of the adrenaline rush boarders of Anderson’s calibre would thrive upon when staring down the icy sides of a mountain.
“The blueberry farm was the project that kept my mind and my heart at peace for all those failed Olympics,” said a beaming Anderson, gold wrapped around his neck at the International B.C. Media Centre on Feb. 28.
After strongly contemplating retirement after a medal-less 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Anderson said harvesting bountiful blueberries was a zen way of transitioning into a more sedentary, familial lifestyle.
But when the Vancouver Olympics were announced in 2003, however, plans changed for Anderson and he re-entered the snowboarding world but kept blueberry farming as an important part in his life to maintain levity.
“The blueberry farm did bring me a lot of peace. I love being outside and creating something. Being an athlete you work on yourself but you don’t really create anything — you’re not productive in a tangible way. So you can inspire; you can motivate; you can be an example,” said Anderson.
In Anderson is a complete and perfect embodiment of what a Canadian athlete should stand for. Farming, as Canadians have done for centuries, starting with pioneers, requires all the patience, grunt-work, gambling and determination snowboarding demands of its radical athletes — especially patience.
“But as far as creating something — and quite manual — I lacked something, so blueberries were a really good escape for me,” noted Anderson.
“I was able to provide healthy, nutritious, nature’s candy to the local area and residents of Mont-Tremblant (Quebec) and I love it. It’s a beautiful project.”
Leading up to his Feb. 27 gold medal grab, the veteran boarder had accomplished everything within reach except an Olympic medal. Numerous top-10 podium finishes on the world circuit have defined the 35-year-old’s stellar snowboarding career and after four Olympics and 20 years of disciplined snowboarding, Anderson’s taste of gold on home soil has finally made his athletic pursuit all worth it.
There is no doubt about it — Anderson is now, if he wasn’t before, the most decorated men’s snowboarder in Canadian history.
And what’s next for the agriculturally-minded Anderson?
After finally attaining gold status Anderson jokingly told The Sheaf there’s a possibility of “Anderson’s Own” blueberry jam hitting the shelves in commemoration of his long-awaited Olympic triumph.
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photo: TheKarenD / Gerald Deo