Just days ago one of the most extraordinary events of
my life occurred.
It was a connection that happened due to today’s electronic
age,
but also something that was triggered by a man’s passion for the javelin.
Kevin McGill received my contact information after
reading a post I had
written on my blog See More Worlds, about my father Stephen Seymour.
My dad had been an silver medalist winner in the 1948
London
Olympics in the javelin throw.
Kevin wrote me a long letter in which he told me that
he had run across
my dad’s javelin exploits in Modern Track and Field, a book
by
Ken Doherty. He quoted from my father’s javelin clinic in 1949,
in front of
the national College Track Coaches. Around that
time there was an article on my
father in Strength and Health
(which he is trying to locate). The following
quote interested Kevin,
which was a postscript of my father’s:
“One mustn’t think of the
javelin as a minor sport,
like curling or
anything. The javelin represents
the glory of Greece and it symbolizes man’s
search
for his primitive ancestral identity.
I can blink my eyes and look out
at a javelin thrower
and see tens of thousands of warriors marching
across the
field and I can hear the voices of antiquity.
No, the javelin isn’t some minor
sport. It is classic.
It is beauty. It is excellence. It is immortality.”
(Steve Seymour, 1948 Olympic Games silver medal winner
(Kirshenbaum
1969, p401)
Kevin McGill
himself is a former javelin thrower who never
lost interest in the event in
nearly 60 years. He had coached
at Columbia, and currently assists several javelin throwers
in college
and high school. Regarding the above quote he writes:
“It seems to me that the current track and field world
needs to be
reminded of this quote, and the terrific
accomplishment of your father.”
He continued : “He was the first US thrower to go to Finland in
search
of how they threw and trained. I was lucky to find a video of him
throwing in the 1948 Olympics, in the middle of a video in Finnish
on the
winner. He was already a good technician, much better
than any American, until
Bud Held came around. “
“Here is a guy
who basically started
modern American javelin throwing.
The current coaches and
athletes
should learn more about this terrific athlete!!”
Kevin’s second
letter contained the link to this video.
First, I will say that while in Los
Angeles last year, I desperately
tried to save an old movie reel from the 1940’s
that had been packed
away in a blanket, in my parents’ garage. It included faded and
unrepairable clips of my
dad. The film itself was a fire hazard and
had already “burned” through the
round metal container it had been
stored in. The most I could do was to take a
video of the faded film,
and some artistic photographs.You can barely see the
subject matter,
but one could see an arm and a javelin that had to be my father’s.
I
went to the fire department to find out about the danger of this kind
of film, and eventually a Los Angeles agency came to pick
up the film and then disposed of it safely.
The following link shows my father at about 4:32
competing in the
1948 Olympics.
In mailing me
this video Kevin writes
“ The speaker is
the gold medalist. I would love
to know what he said about your dad!!”
I too was
curious to know, and got in touch
with a friend on Facebook, Aras.who I knew to be
from
Finland! He and his Finnish wife kindly sent me the
translation of this Olympian winner’s words, which were
emotional to hear and learn about at this
time in my life:
“If anyone can
shoot longer, then he should be the best.
There was a guy from California,
Doctor Seymour, who was
in better shape than me. But he had bad luck. In the
London
Olympic Games the wrong man won the title! Seymour was
much better than
me but he didn’t have luck and he lost
because of throwing just three meters
short.”
I reflected on this comment of
the first place winner. It was a very
different world one time!! He actually admitted to the public of being
the wrong man! I can imagine my father’s disappointment to not have
had a “lucky” day. I wonder now if he every was knowledgeable about
the words of this winner, I imagine so.I was very impressed by this
first place winner's honesty and generosity in saying and admitting that
he should not have won. Times have definitely changed in the world of
sports, and not only! I also am curious to know whether a painting that
I found in my parents’ house, a painting from Finland was bought
by my father or perhaps it was a gift from someone
in Finland. This will be almost impossible to know.
different world one time!! He actually admitted to the public of being
the wrong man! I can imagine my father’s disappointment to not have
had a “lucky” day. I wonder now if he every was knowledgeable about
the words of this winner, I imagine so.I was very impressed by this
first place winner's honesty and generosity in saying and admitting that
he should not have won. Times have definitely changed in the world of
sports, and not only! I also am curious to know whether a painting that
I found in my parents’ house, a painting from Finland was bought
by my father or perhaps it was a gift from someone
in Finland. This will be almost impossible to know.
Supposedly the winner went on, said the translator of
the video,
to be a very successful actor
and singer in Finland. His songs are
still sung to children to lull them to
sleep at night. My dad had
told me that he himself had been asked to play the
role of
Tarzan once....I never knew whether to believe him or not,
but after
hearing of this athlete becoming an actor, perhaps
this is what happened to
well-known athletes once they
won....Hollywood got ahold of them!
A day or two later Kevin sent me yet another link.
This time an even more detailed one, a “guide” to the
rules of throwing the
javelin, with my father as a very
young man, demonstrating. Possibly this film
was
created by the military, as Kevin wrote. They
refer to my father as “Captain”.
Here is this link:
On a personal note, to see my father, run, jump, throw, and
to see his
facial expressions, after so many years (he died in 1973),
was more than
emotionally moving.
I am very happy to share this story with you.
For me it is
definitely a highlight of my life.
It is also a bittersweet story, since my mother
just
passed away last year and I am sure she would
have been thrilled to see these
videos of her first
husband in his younger years.
As this story proves, even later on in life, there is
always the possibility to have wonderful surprises
happen. And usually these special things happen due
to special people who have a passion for life,
and in this case,a true passion for sports.
As this story proves, even later on in life, there is
always the possibility to have wonderful surprises
happen. And usually these special things happen due
to special people who have a passion for life,
and in this case,a true passion for sports.
