track at the Winter Olympics.

First Simon Payne, Bermuda's very first Winter Olympian in 1992, and now Patrick Singleton marching behind the Bermuda flag at Nagano, Japan, and tearing down the Spiral track in the men's luge. Just the photograph of Number 33 speeding on the ice was a thrill.

It is important that he has received a good deal of encouragement from friends and E-mail from Bermudians. He is a long way from home, competing for his Country at high speeds in a dangerous sport. That takes guts and encouragement is a boost.

Little could be further from the usual Bermuda experience than screaming speeds and a frozen ice track in a far away country. It is quite remarkable in fact that Bermudians can qualify for the Winter Olympics at all. Now we have done it twice thanks to the determination of two young men.

For its size Bermuda has a strong record of notable competition in both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. We have to remember Clarence Hill's boxing bronze medal at Montreal, Nicky Saunders' gold triumph in the high jump at the Commonwealth Games of 1990 in New Zealand, and Brian Wellman's great showings in the triple jump, both at the world indoor championships which he won and at the world outdoor championships where he took the silver.

Now Patrick Singleton is said to be in "fantastic spirits'' after competing during the early days at Nagano and he has every right to be. He has done Bermuda proud. He seemed to come out of nowhere without warning and suddenly he was Olympic material. Perhaps he is a natural.

He has competed hard but has also managed to attract fans and to be very popular, especially with the Japanese spectators at the Games. That is not always easy to achieve. He has been under intense media scrutiny, especially from the Japanese, and it takes a good deal of strength of personality not to let that get on your nerves.

At 23 years-old Patrick Singleton personifies the Olympic spirit of amateur competition. That is not always true these days when Olympic medals translate into cash. He has done his personal best and coped well with the pressures of his first Olympic experience in a dangerous sport. He is young enough that he is just beginning and it is a great beginning.

Patrick Singleton is a role model for other young Bermudians and has demonstrated that you can do anything you want to do if you only will.