Lögberg-Heimskringla - 14.01.2005, Blaðsíða 11

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 14. janúar 2005 • 11
PHOTOS FROM WAGONS TO WINGS: A HISTORY OF LUNDAR AND DISTRICTS 1872 - 1980
Some of Lundar’s athletes. Front row: Doddi Johnson, Oskar Thorgilsson, Paul Reykdal, Gusti Mag-
nusson, Einar Erickson. Back roiw: Einar Eirikson (Vestfold), John Thorgilsson, Beggi Erickson.
Two from Lundar
to Olympic trials
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Lundar, MB
Paul Reykdal organized
the Grettir Sports Club in Lun-
dar in 1912, and he was the
president until 1928, when he
moved to Winnipeg. He was a
good athlete and a role model,
and it is interesting to note that
two members of the club, Gusti
Magnusson and Svein Sigfus-
son, went to Olympic trials but
in both cases war cancelled the
games.
Ami Jónsson from Reyk-
holtsdalur and Helga Jóns-
dóttir of Deildartunga emi-
grated to Canada in 1887 and
moved to the Lundar district
two years later. Their son Paul
was then 11 years old. He grew
up with the new community
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and influenced it a lot. He was
the man behind the establish-
ment of the Grettir Sports Club.
He formed the Lundar Trading
Company with D. J. Lindal and
Snaebjom Einarson, but they
sold the store to Vigfus Gut-
tormsson, his son John and son-
in-law Oscar Eyolfson in 1930.
They changed the name to G &
E Cash Store. Paul served as a
reeve from 1920 to 1928 and
for many years he was instru-
mental in organizing and cam-
paigning for the Conservative
Party in the Interlake area.
In 1908, when Paul was
30 years old, he raced against
a Canadian champion sprinter
and won. That set the tone and
after the Grettir Sports Club
had been established, athletes
from Lundar won many a vic-
tory. lt has been said that Gusti
Magnusson was the best long-
distance runner in the province
in his time and Svein Sigfus-
son was considered the greatest
track and field athlete of Icelan-
dic descent in Canada.
At the Icelandic celebration
clubs competed and the winner
Svein Sigfusson
gott the Oddson Shield trophy.
Grettir won it 15 times includ-
ing lOyears inarow, from 1914
to 1923. Bjorgvin Stefansson
won the pole vault and the high
jump at the Manitoba Olympic
Trial as in 1919. “He could not
accept the offered trip to To-
ronto for the Canadian Finals
as he was teaching school,” ac-
cording to the book Wagons to
Wings.
Arthur Reykdal, Paul
Reykdal’s son, was a writer and
wrote a few books. The poem
“The Backward Race” appeared
in his first book, On Track and
Field, published in 1953.
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The Backward Race
by Arthur Reykdal
The members of the Grettir Club to Gimli went one day
To show them how they did things out Lake Manitoba way,
For the Nyja Island Goolies thought their athletics neat
And the time had come to take a pin and puncture their con-
ceit.
The Icelandic Celebration had been booming loud and strong
And Gimli had things all their way till Lundar came along.
In high-junip. broad-jump, sprinting, Lundar took them one by
one
And in the mile Gus Magnusson soon showed thcm how to
run.
In one event, the high-jump, of necessity I inention
That the stalwart sons of Gimli suffered a misapprehension.
It's possible they might have made a better showing far
lf they hadn't tliought the purpose was to try to break the bar.
As the Grettirs, showed their prowess all the hecklers booed
and cried
For Gintli were the local boys and-well, al least, they tried.
They had organized the meet and they had tried to do their
best
And it hurt to take a licking from these upstarts from the west.
Then up spoke Einar Jonasson, the head of Gimli’s clan.
“You have coine up here on purpose to insult us all you can.
We’ll all be ages living down the damage you have done,
But since you think yourselves so smart, let’s see Paul Reyk-
dal run.”
As a sprinter Paul had gained a little notice in the past
And, not so many years ago, had been considered fast.
To see a Lundar man go down wóuld lessen Einar’s rage
Despite the fact that Paul was over forly years of age.
On first consideration Paul was tempted to refuse,
So Einar promptly claimed he was afraid that he might lose.
To take his bluff would be the same as to admit defeat;
Then up spoke Gusti Magnusson: “My spikes will fit your
feet.”
From the group of youthful cherubs that were lining up with
Paul
It seemed that he might easy be the daddy of them all.
For years his wrinkled forehead hadn’t felt a brush or comb
And the sunshine was reflecled on his bald and shining dome.
From somewhere in the audience there came a taunting oath:
“Would you like to borrow crutches or a wheel-chair, or
both?”
But is wasn’t an occasion jeering sarcasnts to heed
For when they started down the track, old Paul was in the lead.
His lead grew greater, stride by stride; his contrades howled
with glee.
And then his rnind was filled with suddei. curiosity
As to how his opposition might be faring in the chase,
So he turned around and, running backwards, finished off the
race.
And since that day. on field and track, when Lundar’s team
comes down,
The Gimli boys find business in the other end ol' town.
If bets are being offered now. no takers can be found.
They discreetly keep their silence when therc’s Lundar boys
around.
Pp 198-201, From Bad to Worse to Verse
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