Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
The single drawback of going to Peterborough with the Attack tonight will be missing the presentation from former St Mary’s Mustang Josh Cassidy at the Harry Lumley-Bayshore Community Centre.
Cassidy, who grew up in Bruce County, has competed in wheelchair racing for more than a decade at the biggest events in the world; Paralympics, World Championships and the Boston Marathon, an event he captured the title at.
Truthfully, no matter what Josh does, no matter how big the stage is, I will forever see him as a high schooler at the Bluewater Track & Field Championships in Kincardine.
In 2001, using his day to day wheelchair, Josh Cassidy enthralled the crowd by posting a time of just over 8 minutes in the 1500 metres.
As impressive as that was, Cassidy came back a year later in 2002 with a modified chair designed for racing and smoked his previous time, cutting it in half to 4 minutes & 3 seconds.
I’m not prepared to say it was the greatest sight or the greatest thrill I’ve had covering sports, but Josh Cassidy’s back to back Bluewater races in the 1500 remain both vivid and special.
Tonight, Cassidy returns to his roots to talk about his past, his present and his future at the Rio Games, a presentation I imagine will be equally vivid and special
I’m Fred Wallace