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Captain Canada

Man in commotion
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It's safe to say that the man who went by the name of Captain Canada, a.k.a Pique Newsmagazine's Jon Parris, became a staple in Whistler throughout the Olympic Games. Anyone who spent any time in the village undoubtedly ran into the crazy man wearing a red track suit and waving a ridiculously large Canadian flag. Many even joined him for photographs or high-kick dance moves. On Monday morning, one day after the Olympics wrapped up, Pique's editorial staff finally managed to get Parris to stop dancing long enough for him to reveal why he was so hell-bent on spreading local pride. Here, in exclusive detail, is his story.

 

What made you decide to create a large flag and adopt the persona of Captain Canada?

I think it developed out of boredom. When first watching the torch relay run through Function, I realized that the Winter Olympics aren't very spectator-friendly. You wait forever until someone races by and it's over. I came to the conclusion that it would be better to see the whole thing if I ran with it.

So naturally I ran home, grabbed my red tracksuit and decided to run with the relay from Nordic to the finish. I had no intention of carrying on with this through the Games until it simply became obvious that that was going to be the most fulfilling way to experience them. Everyone smiles when they see a clown! And I like clowning around! Canadians are supposed to be funny right?

I also wanted to represent the everyday Olympian. There are many people around town who have overcome injuries, sickness and circumstance and remain passionate about enjoying life. In all the fuss about the issues surrounding putting the Games on a lot of us forgot why they exist in the first place. Sports are a good thing to aspire to. They promote a healthy lifestyle. The Olympics have been vilified around here because they have put such a weight on our resources and space. I don't think it's the Games that are at fault, but society's need to make everything bigger and better. Not just the Olympic Games. I for one am very inspired by athletes, the Olympic fever just enveloped me, and in turn I became the best smiling fan I could be. The fight for the well being of society will just have to wait a couple weeks.

The simple truth of the matter is that the whole thing just became my way of never having to look back on the Games and think, "That would've, could've, should've been more fun."

 

How did you make your flag so big?

The flag itself was pretty standard. But once I matched it with a trusty avalanche probe and some nifty dance moves it took on a completely different form. I tried to double up halfway through the Games but it seemed I was just too bogged down and wasn't quick enough for the first American Hockey game. So, I went back to the original configuration and developed some new hockey dance moves instead.

 

Where did you wave your flag?

I tried to attend everything that I could. This meant coming into the village on lunch breaks for concerts and then rushing back to the village after work for whatever was happening in both the Medals Plaza and Fire and Ice shows. The amount of free entertainment in the village was great. And I was able to meet twice as many people by running around. I watched the sporting events on all of the screens throughout the village as I ran by, stopping when something dramatic was about to happen. I knew from my experience with the 1988 Games that the atmosphere and people was what I really wanted to experience. So waiting in line for an event or a nightclub just wasn't something I had the patience for. I did, however, get to see the four-man bobsled. Fitting, as it was the only event I saw as a child in Calgary.

 

How did other people react to your flag?

I made a point to spread a positive vibe as best I could. Even though I got in a lot of people's faces with trash talk I made sure to greet them with a smile and a quick conversation. When you're running around with a big smile on your face, people tend to smile back. A wise man once told me "Whistler gives back to you what you give to Whistler." Whistler's given me my soul so I'm happy to give it back with a great big smile.

I'm also aware that many people who simply saw me running around screaming all the time may have thought I was on a huge acid trip, or completely wasted. But the truth is that it was just such a buzz to see everyone's smiles and cheers. Think about it, 17 days, two to seven hours each day, it's hard to do that hung over. Something that started out fun, just turned into more and more fun. I can't deny that I wasn't having PG-13 sort of fun, but never did I lose respect for the people or environment around me, unlike some folks at the Fire and Ice show. Seriously, garbage doesn't belong on the ground in Whistler. Anywhere. And sucker punch snowballs are for sissies.

As for media attention I did interviews with NBC, Reuters, CTV, Finnish TV, Austrian TV, I video bombed some Ukrainians and generally made a fool of myself on various websites around the world. I seemed to be a good photo op and I can't deny that I'm a bit of a ham. I really don't know the extent of it all because I don't have cable and rarely move beyond my facebook page on the interweb. I do know that I couldn't walk more than a few feet without being mobbed for a photo!

 

Why are you so proud to be a Canadian from Whistler?

It has to do with love. I think Canadians are some of the most understanding and compassionate people in the world. We have a reputation for acceptance and multiculturalism, the world would be such a better place if we all just had a little more respect, understanding and love for each other. Something I think Canada is a world leader in. As for my love of Whistler? I simply feel my blood runs through this place. I love the mountains, the active lifestyle. I'm proud of knowing so many socially conscious people who still are capable of having more fun than many 20 year olds because of the healthy lifestyles we aspire to lead. I've always bored easily of the path most travelled and this place is full of like-minded people. And while it's very obvious to me that these games aren't "green" or "sustainable" by any stretch of the imagination, I love the fact that there are so many people around to speak up and say something. All this love came to a pretty emotional moment as I watched K'Naan perform one of the most heart moving shows I've ever seen. Anyone else who was there could attest to how much love was in the air. Hockey isn't everything Canada is about in my opinion.

 

For the duration of the Paralympic Games, Captain Canada will be raising money in support of the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program. Pique Newsmagazine has also offered to match every cent he is able to raise. Support the Man in Commotion by finding him in the Village nightly, or you can visit the Captain Canada Superfanpage on Facebook for details on how to donate.

 

 



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