by Anita Benedict
The buzz in our community for the last few weeks has been all about our Olympian Wyatt Sanford, aka The Kennetcook Kid. I have to say, rightly so. The buzz was there when he was in Japan, but this time, I am sure his fans heard the crowd at the ballpark in France, because I know I heard Angela from France!
What incredible support, many communities united by one man. Many of you remember the countless fund raisers, from dime auctions to dessert socials that helped
Wyatt achieve his goals. I have a beautiful quilt made by one of his family members on my bed that I won in a raffle to support his boxing career. I have a T-Shirt, and a magnet of the young boxer who stole our hearts from an early age. I do believe he and his brothers were my first sports related story when I wrote for the Weekly Press and Wyatt was my last story I wrote for them, even though it was never
published.
I remember how hard it was to get him recognized in the media. My son Neil did a small news reel many years ago as part of a media project. Small blurbs in small print; I wonder if it would have made a difference had they been clairvoyant and saw where he is today. I knew from the beginning that boy had enough charm, talent and dedication to get him to the top. It was wonderful to have another young
person from the community, Luke Ettinger, report on Wyatt’s first fight on Monday.
The community and his family worked together to support his goals, and he never forgets that. His hard work and dedication got him to the top and he never forgets where he came from. I didn’t get to the ballfield to watch either fight with the community, but I was so happy to see all those supporters there to cheer him on. The Hants North area really showed their pride in one of their own. And the images of
Dan and Angela cheering him in on in person, well, all I can say is I couldn’t look through Facebook at work. People ask why my eyes are red not to mention we aren’t supposed to be on Facebook at work.
Your community pride was noted by visitors to the area when they saw the numerous Olympic flags displayed roadside. I was very proud to share the story and was delighted when some of the visitors already knew the story. I did cry when Angela shared a post about Wyatt after he qualified for a medal that simply stated, “I
wonder when people fight Wyatt if they know they are fighting the nicest guy in the world.”
That one short statement sums up a lot. Wyatt was raised well by two loving and dedicated parents whose love and support has been oh so obvious this week. Wyatt has wonderful siblings and now a lovely wife. Wyatt was always humorous, intelligent, a good friend, he is always thankful and so very genuine when he thanked people for their support. The one thing above all that sticks in my mind is his humility. He never bragged about himself or showed off when we would chat. He is one of the good
guys for sure.
While the interviewing days are over for me, it was a privilege to have told the first stories, and to have watched that funny young boy grow into this dedicated and talented young man and Olympian. He has made history bringing home a Bronze boxing medal for Canada, not just for us, but an entire country. Wherever his path leads, it will surely be successful.
Excuse me, I think I have something in my eye, they seem to be watering.
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