263 - 25 October 2005
• Concept of the Hero / Star• Can an N of 1 have impact ?• What is a leader in sport ?• Examples: Beers, Cyr, Hanlan,
Rubenstein, possibly B-A Scott• Readings chapters 6 & 7
The Hero in History
• At issue:~greatness~causation
• Hook: event-making vs eventful• “There’s a fine line betw being a hero
and being a delinquent character”• Hero archetype & mythology in our
culture
Myth
• Fulghum: “Myth is more potent than history”
• Myth as purely fictitious story, or…• The system of basic metaphors,
images, stories that informs the perceptions, memories & aspirations of a people
• Romantic myth, American dream, baseball myth, lacrosse myth
The Mythology of the Hero
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Mythical Hero(dep,initiate,ret)
Fairy talehero
Athletehero
Everypersonas hero
Anti-hero
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The Hero Continuum
Hero Characteristics
• Achieves great acclaim in sport• Generates national/societal pride• Has been central figure in sport• Has caused great events to
occur
Context of Hero’s Times
Cultural Factors
George W Beers
Louis Cyr1863-1912
Cyr’s birth home
Legends
• Tales of giants and local strongmen• Modeste Mailhout – “the Canadian
giant”• Angus McCaskill – “the Cape Breton
giant’• Big Anthony Allen – Dunlop, Ontario• Gamson – 7”4” – 322 lbs – barkeep in
the UK
Birth of a Legend
• Neo-Cyprien Cyr (Saint Cyprien de Napierville, Quebec)
• grandfather – village strongman• The first story – the teenager• The story grows – so does he• The first challenge – strongman David
Michaud – boulder lifting• The Montreal policeman• The tavern
His Physical Stats
• Height: 5’9”• Weight: 316 lbs• Biceps: 24”• Neck: 22”• Forearms: 19”• Chest: 60”• Waist: 45”• Thighs: 33”• Calves: 28”
Louis Cyr’s Tavern - Montreal
• Home base – funding for tours, demonstrations
• Montreal Gazette, 1885“I hereby challenge any man in the world, bar none, to a heavy weight lifting contest, without harness, for any sum from one hundred dollars to five hundred dollars a side.”
~ Yours truly, Louis Cyr
• Tours – Canada, the US, the UK• 1889 – invited to give a
demonstration for the Prince of Wales in London
• Crowd of 5,000 raised a 250 kilo weight with one finger
• A back lift of 4,100 lbs• The horse demo• US and UK tours in the 1890s• Barnum and Bailey Circus
*A flair for the dramatic*Excitement and tension*Audience participation(18 fat men on a piano)
The Physical Feats
• Iron cross with 96lb right hand and 88lbs left hand
• 35 consecutive right arm presses with 162.8 lbs
• 552 lbs one finger lift• 189 lbs with both arms straight in
front of his body• 986 lbs with one hand• restrained 4 horses for 55 seconds
Ned Hanlan – The Boy in Blue
• 1855 – 1908• Canada’s first indiv world champ• Grew up on Toronto Island• Rowed forth and back to
mainland to school & rum runs for Papa’s hotel
Hanlan
• Tremendous import of gambling to rowing’s popularity
• Hanlan’s lower class backgr unique
• Consummate professional in era of devout amateurism ideals by mc
Rare image and early tobacco card (Allen & Ginter's) illustrating world champion sculler, Toronto's Ned Hanlan, circa 1880 [C.J.Humber Collection]
~from 1980 17-cent stamp; artistic rendering
?? Who in “The Boy in Blue” (1986)
Hanlan’s famous races
• 2nd Courtney event to be near Chatauqua NY in ‘79
• Huge promo again• Nite b4, Courteny’s boat sawed in ½• “Great American Eagle screeches
Fraud” & “gr sports crime ever committed”
• For 3rd race near Wash DC, both Houses of Congress adjourned, over 100,000
Frederic Marlett Bell-SmithThe Hanlan-Plaisted rowing race, Toronto Bay, Ontario, 1878WatercolourR9266-44
Hanlan saga and greatness
• Held world title till thrashed by Aussie William Beach in 84
• 2 tours to Australia, one over 6 months long during which he fixed races, refused to race, did exhibitions always for $$$
• Coached at U of T & Columbia; alderman after turn of century
1880 Lithograph
Louis Rubenstein1861 - 1931
Louis Facts
• 1861-1931• Montreal • Bachelor• 1869 public of Hans Brinker or The
Silver Skates• 70s and 80s hey-day of skating &
Montreal Winter carnivals [ sk mania ]
• His business…
Louis and Sarah Rubenstein, 1927
Rubenstein – Quiet Hero ?
• Sports of precision, patience, practise• Wrote book, Lessons in Skating in ’00• Tireless administrator even of MAAA; Pres
of CWA; Pres of Cdn Bowling Assoc• Also imp in forming Int’l Sk Union of
America and RLSS