The Dancer
by
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This is a story about one of the most amazing characters in Canadian history. He wasn’t a human character but this little Canadian hero and his family have had a positive influence on the lives of millions of human beings of every race, religion and culture in every corner of our globe.
It’s a sports story but not a sports story about overpaid professional athletes. This story features amateur athletes, perhaps the epitome of amateur athletes.
It’s about outstanding performances in historic events but it’s also about love and tragedy. The love we have for an animal, a beast of burden that can carry the hopes and dreams of entire nations. It’s about the tragedy of young lives snuffed out before they reach their prime. When you read the epitaphs of some of these animals you will start to understand the emotional attachment we form with these beautiful creatures.
This story is from the perspective of a fan. A fan that loves the history and international aspects of the sport as much as the numbers and statistics it provides for measuring excellence. A fan that loves the underdog but gets shivers down his spine when he witnesses a dominant, record setting performance.
This story is full of plots and sub plots. It has an ensemble cast of thousands but they all have one common thread, our little Canadian hero with his crooked white star, three white legs and oversized heart.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this story is its ending ... it doesn’t have one … it may never have one … not in my lifetime anyway. The hero I admired as an eleven year old boy still never ceases to amaze me as I unravel the never-ending stories of his children, grand children and their offspring.
I hope you enjoy the story of the most significant Canadian of my lifetime as much as I have enjoyed researching and documenting it.
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About the Book
The following is a story about one of the most amazing characters in "Canadian" history. He wasn't a human character but this little Canadian hero and his family have had a positive influence on the lives of millions of human beings of every race, religion and culture in every corner of our globe.
It's a sports story but not a sports story about overpaid professional athletes. This story features amateur athletes, perhaps the epitome of amateur athletes.
It's about outstanding performances in historic events but it's also about love and tragedy. The love we have for an animal, a beast of burden that can carry the hopes and dreams of entire nations. It's about the tragedy of young lives snuffed out before they reach their prime. When you read the epitaphs of some of these animals you will start to understand the emotional attachment we form with these beautiful creatures.
This story is from the perspective of a fan. A fan that loves the history and international aspects of the sport as much as the numbers and statistics it provides for measuring excellence. A fan that loves the underdog but gets shivers down his spine when he witnesses a dominant, record setting performance.
This story is full of plots and sub plots. It has an ensemble cast of thousands but they all have one common thread, our little "Canadian" hero with his crooked white star, three white legs and oversized heart. No one wanted as a yearling for $25,000. His owners later turned down $40 million for him as a 20 year-old stallion. Meanwhile, his descendants' earnings have already topped the billion-dollar mark and growing exponentially.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this story is its ending… it doesn't have one… it may never have one… not in my lifetime anyway. The hero I admired as an eleven year old boy still never ceases to amaze me as I unravel the never-ending stories of his children, grand children and their offspring.
I hope you enjoy the story of the most significant Canadian XE "Canadian" of my lifetime as much as I have enjoyed researching and documenting it.
About the Author
Frank Beattie is a baby boomer sports fan that has spent a lifetime chasing his dreams. Instead of being a thoroughbred jockey or math teacher he did get to groom and train standardbreds for a few years before becoming an IT professional and coach. His careers were rewarding and fulfilled his competitive needs but he never totally lost touch with one of his childhood heroes in the diminutive Canadian champion Northern Dancer.
He was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario where he went to Delta Secondary and Hamilton Collegiate before attending University of Waterloo and McMaster University. He never did accomplish his goal of achieving a university degree after pursuing 2 different degrees in business and mathematics but he hasn't totally given up on that goal.
Frank is married to Linda his wife of 32 years and has 3 sons Stephen (married to Karen with daughter Kristina in Brantford), Andrew (North Bay soon to be Nevada) and Adam (South Korea). Frank and Linda have lived in Brantford, Ontario since 1983.
Staring retirement in the face and seeing a documentary on the CBC about his childhood hero he decided to do a little research and before you know it he was deep into a project that would take two years and culminate in this book. There was only one dedicated book on Northern Dancer (Muriel Lennox 1995) when Frank started his project and since there has been one other (Avalyn Hunter 2006).
Frank is still working for Atlas Hydraulics in Brantford, Ontario but has reduced his hours from 100 per week down to a mere 60. He is planning to retire in 2012 and spend his summers in beautiful Grand Bend, Ontario and winters in Florida. He loves the beach, music, reading and movies and one day would like to give fiction a try (maybe a romantic comedy or mystery or both).