The community of Humboldt is being asked to get on board with Team Rush as they train to race for gold in Russia in 2014.
At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, one of Humboldt's own, Lyndon Rush, competed in the bobsleigh event, winning a bronze medal with his team.
He proudly announced to the world that he was from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, and it was a very proud time for his family, for his country, and for Humboldt.
However, before that, not a lot of people connected Rush with Humboldt.
"I was a little surprised,"
admitted Michelle Bankowski, the local businesswoman who has spearheaded raising support for Team Rush in Humboldt. "I didn't realize we had a local Olympian competing. Not until he proudly stated he was from Humboldt. Unfortunately, as a community as a whole, we didn't do something for him. Being in the Olympics, is kind of a big deal."
Now, Rush, who is based in Alberta, is in training again for the 2014 Olympics in Russia. He and his team are focused on becoming 2012 World Champions, and gold medalists at the 2014 Olympics.
Bankowski doesn't want the team to go down that road without Humboldt behind them, emotionally and financially.
" I am hoping this time as a community, we can help make the difference," Bankowski stated in a recent email she sent to the Journal.
The financial contribution from the community to the team would be welcome.
Expenses for our Canadian athletes are huge, yet athletes like Rush cannot work to support their families, as they are training year-round and competing internationally at the same time.
Finding sponsors and doing fundraising is "part of the gig" for a Canadian athlete, Rush told the Journal in an interview recently.
"As Canadian athletes, we have the best facilities, and the best coaching, and great opportunities, but the funding we get is not enough to live on... It's really tough, especially if you're a mature athlete with a family."
Rush is one of those mature athletes. He and his wife, Krysta, also from Humboldt, have two young children, whom she stays home to look after while Rush trains.
Though they do receive grants from the federal and provincial government, expenses for competitions are covered and Rush has a major sponsor in law firm Borden Ladner Gervais, the Rush family is living on meagre means. What they bring in doesn't equal their monthly expenses, which means the family is sinking into debt.
Rush had debt before the last Olympics, but pulled himself out when some bonus dollars came in from speaking engagements and other sponsorships. But those have now dried up and he's digging a hole again.
He tried, he said, working and training for his first four years in the sport.
"I was not very good at any of it," he admitted.
"Our competition is well supported and they train full time. So we have to do the same."
If he was 21 and living in his parents' basement for free, the money he receives from the government would be enough, Rush noted.
"But it's not enough to run my household."
As the pilot of the bobsleigh, Rush is the leader of his team.
"As the pilot, I am the one steady on the team," he said. "It's Team Rush. In order to win, I need three other guys training full time.... I want them to be able to put in a good six hours a day training. How do you do that with a job?"
Besides training, Rush is also in charge of finding sponsors.
"It's like running a little company," Rush noted. "It's not easy. We're not very high profile. We talk to companies all the time. They are very interested and very nice, but we strike out 99 per cent of the time."
The companies can't justify spending their marketing dollars on teams that are not high profile, he said.
Rush is not bitter about that. He knows bobsleigh is a tough sell where there are many other great community causes out there.
He's been trying to raise the profile of his team with speaking engagements, and is relying on his faith to see him through this tough time.
"I believe I'm supposed to be doing this," he said. "God will provide. He always has. But it's still hard."
After hearing about this struggle from Rush's family after the last Olympics, Bankowski promised that for the next Olympics, something would be done for Team Rush.
"I decided I was going to pick up the torch, and see what I could do for our Olympian," she said.
She spoke to Rush, got a copy of their fundraising pamphlet, and is striking a committee to see $75,000 raised in the next 12 months for Rush and his team, achieving gold medal level sponsorship for the city.
"I believe that the Olympics are a platform for which our youth form ideals and goals for their own lives and futures," she said in her email. "Our Olympic athletes are tangible inspiration and a spirit for our youth and entire country. I would like our community to associate and get involved with this high performance team that has already made us proud Humboldtonians.... I believe if we all pull together, we should be able to raise this amount and hopefully even more. Our community would receive international exposure, photographs, autograph signing opportunities, speaking engagements, public appearance and more."
There are places, Rush explained, on their sled, jackets, helmets and race suits where they can display sponsor logos.
"We could have Humboldt on the sled," he agreed. Other teams do it.
"If Humboldt was on board, it would be huge," Rush said. "Literally, at the last Olympics, because we had a main sponsor, that's why we won a medal. We got a new sled with that money."
Now they have the equipment, they just need some funds to keep the team together.
"We can't keep going in this sport if we can't afford to," Rush said. "How do you keep a guy on the team when he can't afford it? Or recruit really good athletes from other sports?"
Bankowski has discussed the idea of Humboldt sponsoring Team Rush with Mayor Malcolm Eaton of Humboldt, and has been very encouraged by his support and that of others within the city.
Bankowski is confident that Humboldt will come through for Team Rush.
"Humboldt is known for when we tackle something, everyone gets on board," she smiled.
Bankowski says she wants Rush's entire team to know that when they are going down that track, "Humboldt is behind them."
JCI Humboldt is one community group that has already jumped on board to help Team Rush.
Most of the JCI board actually knows Rush and his wife personally, reported Chris Hergott and Trevor Galka of JCI Humboldt.
"We went to school with him (and his wife)," Galka reported. "Everyone knows Lyndon from high school football and rugby."
"It's not very often we get an Olympic medallist out of a town this size, and one you know," Hergott said, which is another reason why they want to help him out.
"He promotes Humboldt," Galka added. "He lives in Alberta, but he wears that Saskatchewan flag. He's always back here doing stuff for the community. The least we can do is support him."
The two joked that maybe if they help Rush out, they could recruit him to a bobsleigh team of their own in the future.
The club has decided to dedicate the funds raised at their annual Halloween dance to Team Rush. It's hoped the dance would raise a donation of about $2,000, if they get a capacity crowd.
This dance is just the first step, they added, in their commitment to helping Rush. Though the group has not formally agreed to any other fundraising, the two felt it would likely be ongoing for the next couple of years.
The bobsleigh team is "kind of low on the totem pole for (financial) support," Galka said. "With him wanting to train 24-7 and to support a family, we'll help him out any way we can."
The Halloween dance will take place October 29 at Jubilee Hall at the Humboldt Uniplex. Prizes will be awarded to those in the best costumes in a number of categories.
The City of Humboldt has also decided to support Team Rush through their Halloween party, which attracts over 1,000 people every year.
Anyone wishing to join Bankowski's Rush for Gold committee, especially those with a financial background, can contact her. Volunteers are still needed.
Donations to Team Rush can be made care of the City of Humboldt.
