He Walks On Water

Now I am not at all comparing the man to Jesus, BUT ...
after he successfully completed his inaugural run at the Boler Slush Cup I heard someone say,
"I guess we really DO have a Pastor who walks on water!"
Actual quote.
Which was over heard by the media and may end up in the paper tomorrow.

What started a week ago as "maybe I'll do the Slush cup this year."
Progressed to "maybe you should do it as a fundraiser for SERVE."
Turned into almost $500, a crazy blast of a day, and a daughter who had the thrill of her life!

"Daaaddddyyy! Daadddyyyyy! That's my Dad!"

Fear? Yes!
Reason for the fear: "Shoot. I'm going to make it.
Shoot. There are a lot of people at the end.
Shoot. I'm going to hit those people."

"Thank you. Thank you very much.
And yes, I do this for weddings, parties, Bar Mitzvahs - you name it."

"Oh the press. How to handle the press! I've been training for this for the past 35 years.
It's taken a lot of dedication and practice - without it I wouldn't be here."

And the fans - big and small! Wanting a chance to chat with Spidey.

And here's the true irony of today.
He is an amazing skier.
He skied strong and he skied fast.
He was the first to clear the puddle.
He ended the day by hitting the jump, doing a phenomenal flip/twist ...
... and landed IN the water.

But the irony.
We raced home from church to make it to Boler on time.
He ran to the basement to get his ski boots.
At the bottom of the stairs he tripped on the vacuum cleaner hose.

Yes - tripped on the vacuum cleaner.
And twisted his ankle.
Not a little twist either.
Huge goose egg. Black and blue. Swollen. Needing RICE.
And yet he skied.
And jumped.
And flipped.
And twisted.
Couldn't disappoint the fans I guess.
Had to suck it up. Clamp on the ski boot and go for it - sprained ankle or not.
Now that's what I call a good sport!

Thanks so much to everyone who pledged and gave for the SERVE trip.
Your giving is a blessing beyond words.
Thanks.

Here is the article from this morning's paper:

Slush Cup caps off season

BOLER MOUNTAIN: Pastor who 'walks on water' won the annual event

By DANIELA DISTEFANO, SPECIAL TO QMI AGENCY

George Saylor came flying down the hill at Boler Mountain on his skis wearing a Spider-Man Halloween costume.

As more than 100 people watched Sunday afternoon, Saylor skimmed across a large pool of water at the bottom of the run, forcing spectators to quickly move out of the way to avoid getting hit.

After Saylor came to a stop, the crowd cheered and his wife Robin and daughter Karis, 8, ran to congratulate him.

"This moment was 37 years in the making," said Saylor, 37, the pastor at Connections Community Church.

"He's the only pastor that can walk on water," said John Vandersteen a spectator and friend.

Saylor was one of about 50 brave skiers and snowboarders to tackle the 21-by-five metre man-made water pit at the annual Slush Cup -- and one of only a handful to make it across.

Most contestants suffered dramatic icy plunges into the waist-high pond, leaving them and spectators soaking wet. Ski staff were nearby handing out blankets and helping the brave souls out of the water.

"It's like jumping into a rum and Coke with lots of ice," said Wayne Alexander, snow school director at Boler Mountain.

Slush Cup is a traditional closing event for many ski hills, and a test of bravery and character. An eager group of mostly teenagers and a few fun-minded adults came out to test their alpine skills and their cold-water tolerance.

One of the youngest contestants, Mason Marche, 8, came down the hill on skis wearing a T-shirt, but didn't make it far.

"It was just fun to try," said the third-grader who didn't even seem to mind the cold.

From balloon hats, wigs and balaclavas to colourful getups, garbage bags or just boxers, the contestants tried to make it across or show off with tricks and jumps to the delight of the audience.

Boler had a successful season.