Month Published:
Jan/Feb 2010
By:
Chaplain Shawn Kennedy “It’s the end of the meet as we know it and I feel fine”
(With apologies to R.E.M.)
Lately I’ve been bombarded with questions about the phenomenon know as 2012. “Is it...; Will we...; How...” I’ll address those concerns in a moment. First, there’s nothing wrong with something ending, specifically race meets. I’m not sure, but Woodbine must have one of the longest meets in North America, (including spring training). People are here from February to December and that is one long haul. Pre Woodbine only, the Ontario horse people rotated between Woodbine, Fort Erie and Greenwood, a meet that, while not perfect, at least provided some variety. Being in one place for a long time isn’t inherently bad in and of itself. Race tracks, however, are a little different. Most people work 6 or 7 days a week. It’s hard, back breaking manual labour. Come September, they are ready for the end. Many count the months, some the weeks or even days. Many keep a calendar for counting down the meet: red “X’s” mark each day spent here. (Hey, isn’t that a little creepy, like the scenes from a movie where prisoners scratch off days on the wall?)
It doesn’t matter what part of the race track people work, when the end is in sight people react differently. Some approach it with relief, finally being able to sleep in, except the clock in their body keeps getting them up when it’s dark and cold. Some do go away to warmer (and colder!) climes and continue to work. More power to them. Some go back to their home country as their work visa has expired. Some approach it with trepidation, as they are as broke now as they were in February and wonder how they will survive the winter. Winter here puts people in an awkward predicament: if they try to get a job off track and are honest about it, they should tell their prospective employer they’ll be back at the track in a couple of months (as a Chaplain, I try to encourage honesty). If they don’t have a vehicle, it’s pretty hard to get to a farm to work, unless the farm has living quarters. Here at Woodbine we have about 100 people who live in the dorms through the off-season. Other tracks, like Northlands Park, have members of the harness racing industry who stay throughout the winter season, as they are racing during that time.
As I stated earlier, everyone views the end differently. Going away can be exciting, especially if it’s for your first time. Some will look forward to warmer temperatures with eager anticipation, as they are now officially Ontario wimps. (These are the people in down-fills when the temps dip below 20 C. If they’re back here in the spring, its whine, whine, whine, until July.) Some, with the lifetime attitude of Maple Leaf or Argo fans, are already thinking next year- it can only get better.
So, what about 2012? For those of you who don’t know, 2012 is allegedly the end of the Mayan calendar, (please note allegedly), and many think it’s the end of the planet earth. Books and websites about 2012 have mushroomed: Amazon lists 299 doomsday 2012 titles and another 87 “2012 transformation” texts; Googling “2012 end of world” brings 13 million hits; and 2012 conventions are a booming business. The movie 2012 made $230.4M worldwide on opening weekend. It’s BIG news! Here’s what I think: the Mayan calendar was chipped out of stone using primitive tools. Jorge and Miguel get to a point in their work where Jorge says, “Miguel, I’m tired of chipping stone- do you think anyone is gonna live this long?” “Who cares, Jorge, I’m tired too. Let’s quit this and see if we’ve got time to catch the double at Tijuana.” This, in my opinion, is why the calendar ends when it does. Secondly, go back a decade to something called Y2K, the coming of the New Millennium, the year 2000. Remember that fun time? Planes were going to fall from the sky, cars stop running, and everything associated with power EXPLODES! Remember how nutty everyone, (almost everyone), got over that. Remember what actually happened? So do I. Happy New Year and may God bless you and yours in life and racing in 2010.
“Serving the King of Kings of the Sport of Kings”
Chaplain Shawn Kennedy
Race Track Chaplaincy of Canada
(Ontario)