The Olympics

The Olympics

We all are breathing normal again after our fling with hosting the 2010 Olympics.  It was a rush none of us expected.  I for one was a skeptic and in some ways still am, but I must admit that the Olympics did get hold of me and I was as emotional about the athletes winning as a proud new mom with her first child.  What happened?  I was caught up in the spirit of the games from the very beginning, as were most of the people I know, even those who were also skeptical of cost and motive of the Olympic process.

When the pairs couple from Canada skated for the Gold Medal I could hardly look at the screen.  I was so afraid they were going to fall and be knocked back to fourth or fifth place.  I almost was in a panic over it.  They were such a lovely couple and modeled all the characteristics of what it is to be an Olympian.  They did win Gold and my heart was at ease when it finally happened for them.  The pairs skating was just one of the many moments that won me over to treasure these 2010 Olympic games.

Why would any country want to host the Olympic games post 911?  The world has changed and we are not as safe as we were pre-911.  The security issues are mammoth and beyond imaginable expense.  The infrastructure that is required to host the games is epic in task.  We in Vancouver are still not sure what the security cost are for the games, nor are we being informed of the total overall cost of hosting the world in 2010.  The figure being tossed around today is near the 2 -Billion dollar mark.  No one is sure at this point.  The rumor is that the security is near the 1- billion-dollar mark.

Was it all worth that kind of expense?  I guess we can debate that issue forever.  It was one exceptional party, especially if you were one of the 200,000 plus that partied on Robson street during the games.  I never went downtown to witness the emotional frenzy of the participants, but I heard it was absolutely amazing.  People were spontaneously breaking out into groups singing Oh Canada.  Every one had a flag, a Maple leaf or something Canadian that waved, fluttered and moved to and fro.  For me, it was like watching Canadians acting like Americans on July 4^th, only worse.  Canada has always had national pride, but we hide it deep in our British roots of conservatism that was rationed out to us by the Queen mom.  Canadians only post the Queen’s picture in the post office, not like the Americans who post pictures of the top ten criminals in their country. Canadians are very reserved normally, but something broke loose and patriotism broke out on the streets of Vancouver for seventeen days.  I think it was strong enough to have a lasting effect upon Canada. 

It all culminated in the U.S. – Canada hockey game that closed the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.  That hockey game will be one we will hear about for rest of our lives and then some.  In reality it was our NHL players playing against their NHL players, but what the hey, national pride was at stake.  Needless to say we won, but it was an overtime thriller.  The country went loony and is still a bit tipsy over that game.  Did I mention that our women’s hockey team beat the U.S women’s hockey team as well?  It was an American wash out in the hockey department.  Silver (which is a very prestigious medal to win) meant nothing in comparison to Gold when it came to this hockey match.  This hockey game was the quintessential sport of one-up-man-ship between the U.S. and Canada.  An invisible power struggle of rivals, neighbors and politics were at stake.   The winner took all, and that we did.  We took it all by a shot on Goal by Sidney Crosby in the overtime period at 7:40 into the period.  It is now history.  Part of that history is that that goal won us our fourteenth Gold medal and set the Olympic record for the most Gold medals for any country to win in winter Olympic history.

  

Was it worth all the expense and Gestapo like tactics that Vanoc imposed on the citizenry of Vancouver?  I think it was.  What the long-term results will be is a guess at this point in time. What happened inside British Columbia and the rest of Canada was priceless.  It has a value that cannot be measured in physical terms or accountant’s spreadsheets or political reports.  Canadians stood together in openness and sounded from the heart that we are Canadian.  That sound revealed that we really do love our home and native land. It showed that ours sons are true to their patriot love and gave us the chance to show our glowing hearts and state that we are the True North (and hockey is our game) strong and free. From far and wide Canadians stood strong to guard our land.  Everything declared we are Canadian.  We’ve become a flag waving nation (although most Canadians do not know of proper flag etiquette).  Waving it is the easy part, learning to respect it is the harder part. 

I will end this blog with this quote from, Henri Bourassa:  “There is Ontario patriotism, Quebec patriotism, or Western patriotism; each based on the hope that it may swallow up the others, but there is no Canadian patriotism, and we can have no Canadian nation when we have no Canadian patriotism”.

Canadians in 2010 have answered Mr. Bourassa quote by together saying “We are Canadian”.