Ross Rebagliati declares he can beat Stockwell Day. "I can beat anybody," said the famed snowboarder, an Olympic gold medalist in 1998 who will seek the Liberal nomination in Okanagan Coquihalla, Monday evening. "I don’t look at it as I’m running against Stockwell Day.
I’m running for the riding. I think it’s only fair for this riding to have an option and I’m prepared to dedicate myself to this election the same way I did when I won the Olympics. I will be passionate." Since retiring from competition in 1999, Rebagliati has been involved with real estate, broadcasting and other duties which come with being a retired Olympian. He and his wife now reside in Kelowna with a five-month-old son. "It’s opened my eyes up to seeing further down the road now that I have (son) Ryan," he said of fatherhood.Although this will be the first time he’s sought public office, the retired snowboarder has always been political. "I’ve been interested in politics for a long time but haven’t done anything about it publicly. I’m 38 now and not 26 at the time of the Olympics. After winning gold in Nagano, it became very political for the moment," he said in reference to briefly losing his medal due to a marijuana accusation. "Here I am a 26-year-old thrown into a media frenzy with nobody around me and no media training. It certainly taught me a lot." Rebagliati said he became more enthused about politics through his friendships and associations with both Blair Wilson and Cindi Hawkins. He also believes being fluent in French will be an asset in politics. His family owned a summer cottage in Naramata for years and he spent his summers there. He said one of his fondest childhood memories was of buying his first skateboard from Rollies in Penticton. The former World champion is the first person to allow his name to stand for the Liberal nomination. The meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. at the Pearce, Taylor and Schneiderat Law Office, located at 474 Main Street. As for the date of an election, he said, "You probably have as good an idea as I do but I think the spring might be the time."
-------------
Also see Kelowna Capital News Story:
No comments:
Post a Comment