There was a standing ovation at the 9:30 a.m. Mass today at Ste. Marie Parish for Olympic race-walker Joanne Dow, who has just returned from Bejing, where she competed and finished 31 in the 20K race walk. She didn’t expect to win (the New York Times quoted her as saying, “there’s not a chance I’m winning”), but win or no, the 44-year old Manchester athlete is an inspiration for her own kids, her parish community, and the city. I was glad Father Mark made note of her accomplishment. Here’s a piece on Joanne from the July/August edition of the diocesan magazine, Parable.
Tags: olympics
