Norwalk to welcome home heroPosted: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 Lisa Chamoff / Staff Writer / The Advocate
NORWALK - The city is set to fete Dan Walsh, who captured a bronze Sunday after rowing in Beijing
and is believed to be the only Olympic medalist from Norwalk.
Walsh, 29, a Brien McMahon High School graduate, will have a reception in his honor as soon as he
gets back from China, which likely will be next month, Mayor Richard Moccia said.
Moccia, who years ago lived across the street from Walsh's parents, said Walsh may receive a rare gift -
a key to the city.
"We don't give them out too often, but I think he's entitled to it," Moccia said.
Fairfield County is home to several Olympic medalists - Wilton native Kristine Lilly helped the U.S. women's soccer team capture gold in Atlanta in 1996 and Athens in 2004 - but Walsh is believed to be Norwalk's first.
The Olympian can expect a fanfare when he returns, but it already was Dan Walsh Day at B.J. Ryan's
Sunday afternoon. The second floor of the Main Street bar was packed with Walsh's family and
friends, who came from throughout the tri-state area to watch NBC's afternoon broadcast of the men's
eight race.
Jessica Lawless, whose husband, B.J., is co-owner of the bar, went to school with Walsh. They were approached by Walsh's former wrestling coach at Brien McMahon about organizing a screening. "We were shocked at how many people showed up," said James Walsh, Dan's father, who got up early Sunday to catch his son's medal-winning race live on the Internet at 5:30 a.m.
The crowd cheered even though they already knew the outcome. The win was bittersweet for Walsh, who was selected as an alternate on the U.S. team in 2004, and despite intense training, did not get to row in Athens. The team won the gold that year. Norman Weinberger, who was part of the crowd at B.J. Ryan's, said Walsh will be a role model for young rowers in Norwalk.
Weinberger, who was Walsh's pediatrician and one of the co-founders of the Norwalk River Rowing Association, encouraged him during a checkup to take up the sport in 1991.
Although Walsh was a reluctant rower at first, encouragement from a coach and an injury that
sidelined his wrestling career during his senior year at McMahon propelled him to focus on rowing full
time.
Walsh attended Northeastern University in Boston on a partial athletic scholarship and made the
national men's rowing team in 2002.
Walsh often returned over the years to talk to kids in the Norwalk River Rowing Association's youth
program. It's fitting that Norwalk's first Olympic medal winner excelled in a sport that is accessible
here, Weinberger said.
"This is a sport where kids who are not particularly athletic, but have the resolve to work very hard at
the sport, can do very well," he said.
Walsh "found that rowing was an outlet for him that had meaning," Weinberger said, calling his winning
performance "phenomenal."
"I think he's a wonderful young man who has worked himself into this incredible position," he
said.
- Staff Writer Lisa Chamoff can be reached at lisa.chamoff@scni.com or at 750-5348.
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© 2008, Norwalk Republican Town Committee - Paid for and approved by The Norwalk Republican Town Committee |
