WINTER OLYMPICS Eastman is honored to be a torchbearer

The ordained minister and chaplain for Hospice of the Valley will be among 16 area people carrying the Olympic torch.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- One of the highlights of Jay Eastman's life will be his participation in the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay that begins Dec. 4 in Atlanta.
"It's a great honor, especially in the light of what has happened in our country," said Eastman, an ordained minister from Youngstown, referring to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
"The Olympics always have been important to me because all the athletes are amateurs, and I always followed the Olympics, and this is the closest I will get to it and so it means a lot to me," he said.
Hospice chaplain: Eastman, who currently serves as chaplain for Hospice of the Valley, is honored to be part of an event that U.S. bicyclist Lance Armstrong, a three-time champion of the Tour de France, also has a role in as grand marshal.
"I read his book ['It's not about the Bike'] and he's an inspiration," said Eastman of the bicyclist who overcame cancer.
Eastman is one of 11,000 torchbearers out of 210,000 applicants, including 17 from the Youngstown area, chosen by sponsoring Coca-Cola, for the relay leading up to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, that begin Feb. 8.
As Hospice of the Valley chaplain since this past spring, Eastman tries to bring hope to the ailing.
"I visit patients who are terminally ill and bring hope and encouragement to them, and let them verbalize their opinion about their impending death," said Eastman.
"I was a volunteer chaplain with Hospice for six years, and I appreciate the work. I think I have been given a gift to work with people like this, because it is a high-risk job."
Eastman, whose last congregation was the Lynkirk Church of Christ in Austintown, said his relay route will be somewhere in the Cleveland area on Jan. 1 or 2, and will cover .2 of a mile. He will be told the exact location in December.
Avid runner: "I will go to Cleveland and be shuttled to the specific area that I am going to run," said Eastman, an avid runner.
"I run every day that the weather is good," he said. "I used to run five days a week. I run in Mill Creek Park, 30-40 minutes, about 2 1/2-3 miles at the most."
Eastman said he loves running and music because, "Running and music are some of the ways that I process and handle working with people who are terminally ill.
"I like to listen to classical music, the oldies. I just like music. Usually when I read, I got music on. I'm an avid reader."
Eastman said his family nominated him to be a torchbearer, and will follow him to his assigned location on the course to watch him run with the torch.
"My family will be taken somewhere along the route where I will run," said Eastman of his wife, Beulah, daughter Janet and sons Monty and David.
A graduate of Canfield High where he played football for four years, Eastman said he will be supplied with a torch, which he will be permitted to keep as a memento. He will also be supplied with a jogging suit so that all the runners have on the same apparel, but he will be responsible for travel costs.
Requirements: He said a torchbearer has to meet many requirements.
"There are a whole list of things that I couldn't do. I had to sign a waiver that I won't make any kind of money off of this, because it is an honor that I would do it," said Eastman. "You're not allowed to [make] any kind of political statements or religious statements other than that which promotes the Olympics."
The son of Kay and the late John Eastman, Jay received his bachelor's degree from Kentucky Christian College in Grayson, Ky., and his master's in Christian Ministries from Berean Christian College in Wichita, Kan. Prior to high school graduation, he worked as aVindicator carrier.
Eastman has participated in various 5-kilometer runs in Southern Ohio, including three appearances in the WEBN Night Run in Cincinnati, the Ohio Tobacco Festival in Ripley and runs in Manchester and Loveland and Maysville, Ky.
kovach@vindy.com