Nov 19, 2009 - 04:30 AM

By Jeff Hayward

UXBRIDGE -- One could say Uxbridge's Bridget Rusk is carrying on an Olympic tradition.

What she will in fact be carrying is the Olympic torch, doing her part to ensure it arrives in Vancouver, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

And while the torch is an Olympic tradition, the Uxbridge teenager's family also has a tradition of lighting up the Games. The 15-year-old Uxbridge Secondary School student said her mother, grandfather and aunt were part of an Olympic torch-bearing team in 1988, with the Winter Games held in Calgary, Alberta that year.

Bridget said she answered televised ads in March to apply to be a torch bearer, and was contacted not long after that to send more information.

"I guess I'm lucky with draws," she said.

But it was more than just luck involved, she noted, as there was an essay to complete explaining why she should be chosen.

"It was about making Canada a better place," said Bridget.

Her task is to carry the lit torch 300 metres to the next bearer. However, Bridget is already in shape from playing basketball, she said, with her eye on trying wrestling.

"You can go at whatever rate you want (during the relay)," she explained. "My family will be there, I will go slowly for pictures."

She said she "is big on patriotism" and welcomes the chance to represent the country.

"I am so excited, I'm stoked to do it," said Bridget. "I feel Canadian all around."

The student is also headed to Europe on a Victory Tour next year with fellow pupils to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands, which Canada played a major role in, she added.

Bridget received free Olympic garb to wear while carrying the torch, with her portion of the torch's journey taking place in Newcastle on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Another face familiar to Uxbridge is native Shannon Winlove-Smith, who will also carry the torch 300 metres the same day on Water Street in Peterborough around 7:18 a.m. Ms. Winlove-Smith, 31, who graduated from Uxbridge Secondary and now lives in Whitby with husband Corey Price (also a former Uxbridge high school student), was selected through her company, General Electric, "as part of a (General Electric) company-wide torch competition", she noted. "During the summer, all GE Canada employees were given an opportunity to nominate fellow employees for one of 15 spots in the Olympic Torch Relay."

More than 350 nominations were received and Ms. Winlove-Smith received numerous nods for demonstrating "inclusiveness", she added.

Ms. Winlove-Smith is as proud as Bridget about taking part.

"I will have memories that will last a lifetime," she noted. "I think it's important to be part of this relay to show my support to all the Canadian athletes."

The torch will travel by land, air, and water through more than 1,000 communities across Canada during a 106-day journey before the Olympic cauldron is lit to start the Winter Games beginning Feb. 12, 2010. The Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece Oct. 22, and the Canadian relay began Oct. 30 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Bridget wasn't exactly sure where her run would take place in Newcastle, but the Olympic torch relay website, vancouver2010.com/olympic-torch-relay, shows the route heading west along Hwy. 2 toward Courtice. The 2010 torch relay is the longest in any country in history, according to the site.

"This relay in particular is very special ... and will show the world just how diverse Canada really is," said Ms. Winlove-Smith.