March 23, 2009

Sponsorship 'so surreal' for bus crash survivor: In January, 2008, Bradd Arseneau faced an uncertain future after surviving the bus crash that killed seven of his high school basketball teammates in Bathurst, N.B. "I didn't even know if we'd have a basketball program, let alone whether I would take part," he said. Fourteen months and a provincial championship later, the 17-year-old found himself in a downtown Toronto studio, filming a commercial for Gatorade. On Friday, after having breakfast at the condo of NBA star Chris Bosh, the drinks company unveiled Mr. Arseneau as one of the faces of its Canadian campaign, alongside other athletes such as Paralympian Chantal Petitclerc and hockey legend Gordie Howe.
Between breaks in the commercial shoot, Mr. Arseneau explained that the No. 7 shirt he wore in the final and the shoot symbolized the seven players who died in the crash, including his mentor Nathan Cleland, who wore the jersey last year. Grinning to himself, he remembered some of his friend's skills.

posted by tommytrump to culture at 03:26 PM - 2 comments