Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “.
As an annual segment in this space, we always reflect on what I consider to be the local sports highlight of any given year.
Remarkably, even in a pandemic there were a number of qualified candidates for the spotlight.
For 2020, the highlight I selected has less to do with a game, contest or event but rather it was a pursuit.
Sometime last Summer, I was out exercising and happened to be wearing a ” Stay Strong ” running shirt that had been created by Garb & Gear.
As I was moving along, a car did a wicked U-turn and Rob Walker, whom I’d never met, wheeled around to tell me the shirt I was wearing was a shirt of support for his son, Jesse.
Rob Walker also mentioned that Jesse, an OSDSS student, was going to run a half marathon in August as a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, an organization that he knew well based on his personal battle with medulla blastoma.
At first I thought I’d do a quick interview with Jesse to promote his run.
Then I thought Jesse might like a morning with The Great Paul Hill on the CFOS Morning Show, not only to preview his campaign, but also to simply have a fun day, possibly a nice diversion from his day to day activities.
The CFOS Morning Show with Jesse Walker was a tremendous success on every level.
For a teenager, for a first time on the radio surrounded by total strangers, Jesse acquitted himself well…..and during the course of the morning his fund raising was bumped by about 50 %.
Here’s the neat thing…..Jesse Walker was running to honor the memory of his uncle John and also to support his friend, Nick
Initially, he hoped to raise, $ 1,000.
A few days after his CFOS appearance the total was around $ 13,000.
A subsequent article in the Sun Times further boosted the campaign.
And by the time Jesse Walker’s running shoes crossed the finish line on a Saturday morning in August, his fundraising total had cracked $ 30,000.
So the sporting highlight for me in 2020 didn’t involve a game, a championship or a trophy, but put quite simply the story and performance of Jesse Walker was far more impressive on every possible level.
I’m Fred Wallace