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Oakville man is Olympic string flag bearer By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF He may not have won any gold medals for Canada, but an Oakville man's special contribution to the Olympics continues to be discussed by people from around the world. All he needed to achieve this legacy was a lot of skill and a long piece of string. Ronald Read, 87, is the inventor of the Olympic flag string figure, a loop of string which has been weaved with fingers to create a pattern resembling the five rings of the Olympic flag. Read, who has made string figures since the age of 10, said prior to his invention others had attempted the Olympic flag design, but were never able to pull it off. "The International String Figures Association put out a magazine and somebody in that magazine had attempted to make an Olympic flag (string figure) and didn't succeed except by at one stage cutting the string and tying it together again, which is sort of cheating," said Read. "They said it was impossible to do it otherwise, but I didn't really believe that and, eventually, I did figure out how to do it without cutting the string." While being the first to put this intricate design together using one piece of string may not seem like a big deal to some, the achievement has generated widespread interest ever since a bulletin discussing Read's new design was published in the International String Figure 5 · Friday, August 3, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog e perfected. His creation has captured attention around the globe as the 2012 Summer Olympic Games unfold in London, England. Association magazine in 2001. when we were kids. We're not interested in that Today, entire webpages and YouTube sites are any more.' But it is actually a very interesting devoted to showing people how to loop a piece of topic," he said. string to make the Olympic flag string figure. Read, a retired math professor who has lived Read said he is glad to see his design rise in in Oakville since 1986, said he first learned string popularity, particularly now with the 2012 figure designs from his mother when he was a Olympics underway. boy. "It's the sort of thing a lot of people dismiss as Read got reacquainted with the hobby while child's play. `Cat's Cradle? Oh yeah, we did that teaching mathematics in Jamaica at the world-class craft: Oakville resident Ronald Read, 87, with the Olympic string flag he has University of the West Indies, forming much more complex shapes and patterns. The desire to form string figures stayed with Read when he came to Canada in 1970 to teach mathematics at the University of Waterloo. Some of the more complex designs he has replicated have included numerous string figures developed by the Inuit. Read also learned other complex patterns, which are native to island nations in the South Pacific. Read said the Olympic flag pattern, while not the most difficult he has put together, can be tricky. "It doesn't hold very well so you have to adjust it very carefully," he said. "It's usually a good idea to get somebody else to adjust it while you hold it. Apart from that, the moves are all pretty straight forward." How long the Olympic flag design takes to pull off depends on how much practise you've had with it, explained Read. Read said some eight years passed since he once again created the Olympic flag string figure. When asked what he liked about string figures Read was hesitant in his reply. "It's difficult to say. It's just one of those things. I took it up again and got interested in knowing a bit more about it than I did before," he said. "It's great fun." waste electronics unplugged APPLEBY SYSTEMS hours 905 Appliances and Electronics 100 pound Minimum, items must be outside. Collection of Unwanted Are You Ready for the Summer · 10 Year parts warranty · Free winter cover · Don't pay for 6 months (O.A.C.) Backed by Coleman's Get Your New Air Conditioner NOW! Give your A/C the OK for the summer! Televisions, monitors, stereos, speakers, washers and dryers, fridges, freezers, computers & accessories and much more... 100% Satisfaction Guarantee 1-877-910-2929 recycle your unwanted electronics 45 years 2012 Book your A/C maintenance now! · 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE · QUALIFIED MECHANICS · QUALITY WORKMANSHIP · 2086 Speers Rd. 905-825-1893 (Oak) Oakville 905-335-3203 (Burl) 24 HR. HOTLINE w w w. a p p l e b y s y s t e m s . c a 905-825-1929 Mo n - Fri 8 am - 5 pm Sat 11 am - 4 pm SHOWROOM