News - Local/State - Andrew Dys

Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008

SILVER LINING

Van Wyck proud of its Olympian, even though Crawford says he didn't earn runner-up medal

VAN WYCK -- An Olympic silver medal in a place of hard brick and harder work shouldn't happen this way. Disqualifications do not give joy to men who bake bricks from clay and rock and heat so hot it hurts, or to a runner who has made so many dreams of his own and others come true.

A stunning turn of events propelled Van Wyck's favorite son, Shawn Crawford, to the silver medal in his race Wednesday morning at the Beijing Olympic Games after he appeared to finish fourth. Crawford had spent four years focused on nothing else, just training, trying to repeat his 2004 Olympic gold medal glory. When, for an eyelash under 20 seconds in the 200 meters, he was the fastest man on earth.

But Crawford wasn't fastest Wednesday. Not second-fastest, or third. A human gale named Usain Bolt of Jamaica won. Easily, convincingly, astonishingly, Bolt smashed the world record. No less astonishing is that the third-place finisher was disqualified right away for stepping out of his lane, then the second-place finisher was disqualified for the same infraction.

Crawford was awarded the silver medal and in true Crawford and Van Wyck "I didn't earn it so I don't want it" style, immediately tried to give the medal away.

Nobody in Van Wyck just across the Catawba River in Lancaster County was surprised Shawn Crawford didn't want what he didn't win. This tiny hamlet that watched Crawford rise from obscurity to fame had been anticipating the race for weeks, and the nervous edge felt like sandpaper. Signs at the tiny community center and post office boasted of Crawford the native son. Banners waved in front of homes. Red, white and blue ribbons covered the signs that lead into this crossroads that say Van Wyck is home to Shawn Crawford, 2004 gold and silver medalist. The anticipation boiled over at the Boral brick factory. The only employer in this tiny town of about 300 people -- 400 when the bricks are being made. On one forklift with his name on it toiled an icon of the town and factory, Jimmie Crawford, uncle of Shawn.

"Been here working 14 years on this forklift, every day," said Jimmie Crawford. "Shawn runs like we work. Puts in the time, every day. Knows you get nothing free in life. All of us do, and Shawn, too."

Winning the silver medal through a double disqualification "is not how Shawn wants to win anything," Jimmie Crawford said. "He wants rewards from running. He wants to beat the other guy. Fair and square. Shawn Crawford wants no gifts from nobody."

Nobody in that factory of brick wants or gets a freebie, either. The men sat and stood around at breaktime lined with sweat, clay dust and grime and spoke with love of Shawn Crawford, who makes them all proud because he is one of them.

"I grew up with Shawn, know him all my life," said Robert Foster. "He was always runnin'. Runnin' here, runnin' there. He said when he was in high school he'd win the Olympics. He did it, too. Worked for it, and nobody ever gave him nothin'."

A brickmaker named Winfred Hood proudly called out, "I know Shawn Crawford all his life! Never changes, Shawn. Humble."

A man named David Haigler kept checking his cell phone for updates on the race.

"Shawn came home last time, he come to the house and signed cards for everybody," Haigler said. "Didn't have to do it, but wanted to."

Other guys, Charles Harris, Craig Thompson, James Stevenson, more, who make these bricks every day, spoke of Crawford as people speak of their own brothers. So many growing up together at the White Oak AME Zion Church. They used words such "love," "faith," "friendship" and "pride."

The race in China wasn't televised live Wednesday, so all these guys had to use phones and the Internet to get the results. Haigler the dusty brickmaker walked up to Jimmie Crawford.

"If it's bad news, don't tell me," Jimmie Crawford said.

"Bronze," Haigler told Jimmie Crawford.

Then, much later, silver.

Nobody wanted it this way.

"I pulled open a drawer this mornin', saw a shirt from Jamaica on it," Jimmie Crawford said. "Never been there, somebody must have given it. Bad omen, but I didn't want to tell nobody."

People at the post office, in the houses of Van Wyck, said it is no surprise Shawn didn't want to get a silver this way.

Chad Crawford, Jimmie's son and just a year older than Shawn, so they grew up together and even call each other "brother," had sent Shawn this text message before the race from his job in Fort Mill: "Whenever you got God with you, who can be against you? They can't beat you with him by your side."

Shawn Crawford won that 2004 gold medal in Athens, and he wore that gold with pride. He won a silver in those games for a relay race, and he was proud of that one, too.

Then the Wednesday race, and a silver that won't shine as bright.

Yet, joy came anew from these men of work, for achievement, not loss. The next text message from Chad to Shawn: "You still #1 to me. I'm proud of you anyway. We'll bring the gold home in 2012 li'l brother."

In that brick factory Wednesday morning after Shawn didn't win, a worker named Mark Stinson gushed forth this immediately legendary line: "We don't make but two things in Van Wyck -- bricks and Olympians."

He's right. Van Wyck bricks are strong and hard and last forever. Just like Van Wyck's Olympian, whose legend of greatness in winning silver and gold in 2004, and in not wanting silver he did not think he earned in 2008, will last forever.