Homage to family farm marks Canadian Blake Enzie's Olympic debut in skeleton
Albertan honours home on helmet in Beijing with 'blowing wheat in the wind'
Skeleton racers announce their arrival with their helmet. In a sport where athletes launch themselves down an ice track headfirst, the helmet is the first thing everyone sees. It can say a lot about the athlete and what they choose to represent.
When Canada's Blake Enzie makes his Olympic debut in men's skeleton, he will sport a helmet honouring his roots.
"My family has a grain farm," the 20-year-old from Calgary explained, "so representing my heritage I figured I'd get some blowing wheat in the wind."
The family farm is near the small towns where Enzie's parents grew up — Trochu and Three Hills in Alberta, about 130 kilometres northeast of Calgary.
The artwork on his helmet features a blue sky at the top with the base surrounded by a golden field of wheat and "Canada" emblazoned on either side. On the back are his family members' birthdays.
"My family, when I first ran it by them, I think they were pretty excited about it," he said.
It was painted by Vancouver artist Ian Johnson last summer. Enzie has been wearing it in competition since the skeleton season began. But it will be seen by a much bigger audience at the Olympic Games.
"It's very Albertan," he said about showing his province to the world. "And being born and raised in Calgary, it's a good representation."
Enzie was introduced to the sport after his class took a field trip to WinSport Canada Olympic Park (the site of the 1988 Calgary Olympics). He started pushing sleds at the age of 13.
3 more days until the Olympics! I’m still flashing back…<br>Grade 8 B.enzie__ <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TeamCanada</a> Skeleton painted this pic in art class…he hung it in his bedroom and never looked back. Maybe life really can imitate art! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamCanada?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamCanada</a> 🇨🇦 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/beolympic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#beolympic</a> 🍁 <br>Art- Blake <br>📸 IBSF <a href="https://t.co/YgHxEbSeDr">pic.twitter.com/YgHxEbSeDr</a>
—@HeatherenzieFresh off competing in the World Cup season, he said he's aiming to enjoy his Olympics experience and aiming for a top-10 or top-15 placing.
Enzie will compete in men's skeleton at the National Sliding Centre in Yanqing starting with Heat 1 on Wednesday Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The medal race takes place on Friday, Feb. 11 at 8:55 a.m. ET.
