Heroes, lost and found

As an avid fan of many sports, a great supporter of excellence in many forms of the ‘arts’ and someone who understands the need to try to teach those who know less than I, and to try to learn from those who know more ... I’ve always been blessed with many, many personal heroes – teams and individuals that I admire. But unfortunately, there have been those heroes that I’ve had that, after placing them in this (sometimes) lofty position, they have done something so much against the morality of what I thought they were, that they fell from my heroes list. 

Like many in my country, I’m an avid hockey fan – it’s da Canadian thing, eh?? I’ve always supported the ‘little guys’, the teams that got by on little experience but tremendous heart, raw talent and determination. I’ve followed the Edmonton Oilers (a Canadian NHL team) since their inception into the WHL (a now defunct hockey league), way back almost 3 decades ago. They always had the young, energetic, financially-challenged (nyuk, nyuk) rosters and, throughout their winning (Gretzky) years of the early 80’s until just last year, they’ve been MY team – that is, until the trading deadline last year, when they traded Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders. The trade was just another hockey trade, they happen all the time, but what the team did because of that trade made me realize that I’d need to find a new favourite team this year. They won (I believe) one game of the final 20 games after the trade. They didn’t skate, they didn’t defend, they didn’t play as a team, they didn’t try. They gave up on the season with 20 games to go and ‘tanked it’ – which, to me, is one of worst things one can do as a professional athlete. A hero fallen. 

I followed Lewis Hamilton’s rise to F1 car-racing fame this year in (I must admit), a little awe – the guy’s good, no two ways about it. But his antics in the Chinese Grande Prix on the restarts in the rain changed my opinion of him (probably, for good) – and I don’t really mean the restart where he caused (in my opinion) Vettel and Webber to take each other out, but moreso, the first restart with Fernando Alonso (second to him, in the championship) behind him. Someone who, in appalling track visibility conditions takes a restart by speeding up, slowing down, then doing it again before finally taking off is not someone that I can really respect. I apologize to all Lewis Hamilton fans, but I must choose my heroes by my own morality, and mine says that racing should be decided by racing, not taking advantage of track visibility conditions. Another hero fallen. 

As a professional musician for many years, I’ve lost many heroes from their addictions to drugs and alcohol. Every time someone I admire ends their life because of one of these hideous substances, although I am very sad, my respect for them takes a major blow. The first time I met my ex sister-in-law, I sat in her livingroom, admiring her “Tribute to Elvis” display, that covered most of the corner in that room. When she finally entered the room, my comment was: “Nice tunes. Shame about the drugs.” Unfortunately, being my sister-in-law, I ‘paid’ for that comment for many months to come (laffin). Nevertheless, over the years, drugs and alcohol have left me with many heroes fallen. 

It’s unfortunate that heroes can be so human at times – unfortunate even more, that I, in my admiration, continue to forget this.

D. Berryman

October 24, 2007