I first saw the news on Twitter:

“The Canadian Sportsman will cease publication after the December, 2013 issue. Thanks for 143 years of fantastic memories.”

For myself, and thousands touched by our industry, the news evoked emotions of surprise and real sadness.

The Canadian Sportsman is a publication that has made an indelible impression on several generations of Canadians. It is a magazine fully worthy of our respect and the accolades it has received over the years. It carries with it a legacy of true professionalism for Canadian harness racing, and the current team, led by Dave Briggs, has always served the sport and their readership extremely well. We wish them only the very best.

I think to a certain degree, we all struggle with balance when it comes to the past, present and future. For as many motivational quotes as there are about looking forward, not back, there are an equal number of meaningful statements about the importance of remembering and appreciating what came before us.

The past two years, especially in the province of Ontario, have taught us the sometimes dire consequences of designing the future without understanding the realities of the past or even the present.

When an announcement about Canada`s oldest magazine is delivered on a platform that demands its writers to stay under 140 characters, it surely drives home the message that times do change. But as much as our models of delivery may change, the fundamentals still remain strong.

The world`s most popular sports; soccer, tennis and cricket are all simple ball games. Music is music. Art is art. The written word is still the written word, even if it`s read on a Kindle. We are still hunters and gatherers – It`s just that more of us do it at the Wal-Mart meat counter than deep in the woods.

What changes in this world, it seems, are the vehicles of delivery. Your i-pad is an important part of your life because it brings you words, pictures and personal connections.

Newspapers and traditional television stations may be struggling, but our thirst for information and knowledge isn`t disappearing.

Harness racing, a sport which has been enjoyed for thousands of years, dating back to before the first Olympic Games, has a delivery problem. Young people don`t want to digest the product in the way it is being presented to them, but that does not mean we can`t make changes and find that audience again. Everything that is ``new`` was, in some way, repurposed from somewhere in the past.

Whether it`s learning from the mistakes we’ve made by closing down tracks that are an integral part of our community, ignoring the people, horses and builders who got us here, or rejecting the institutions of our sport, the past has more to teach us than to dismiss or reject.

As the new year approaches, this is our challenge. We will understand, honour and appreciate that which came before us, and create a future that is vibrant and new.

To you and your family, all the very best for the holidays and a happy new year!

Darryl Kaplan
[email protected]