Despite a rough start that included an opening ceremony ‘glitch’, rain on Cypress, a most horrific and fatal accident on Whistler’s skeleton track, transportation issues [i](hundreds of people stuck on Cypress waiting for arranged coaches on the first night, a bus full of athletes getting lost in North Vancouver etc.)[/i]cancellation of some standing room tickets for Snowboard spectators and the slagging of the Own The Podium program (due to public misconception of its intent), the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games were simply outstanding.
The opening ceremony glitch was humorously sorted out by a stereotypically Canadian mime/clown with a belt full of tools, who got it working again to open the closing ceremony [i](a little laugh at at our own expense, a little humility and self-deprecation that was recognized and applauded worldwide)[/i]. Catriona Le May Doan popped out of the floor with her torch and finally got to light the flames.
The sun and crowds came out at Cypress.
The city came alive in a way I haven’t seen here in all my years in Vancouver. OTP program got some reprieve as Canada received the most gold medals, in fact the most ever won in Winter Olympics history.
And then there was “The Game”! The Canada US hockey match-up. After losing the opener against the US, Canada had to win 4 straight to get back on the podium. What a game it was, I won’t even begin to mock the US team, it was a riveting and exceptionally well played game by both sides. No silly penalties or bad calls resulting in game winning power plays, just 73 minutes of well played and simply incredible hockey.
Between the curling, bobsleigh and hockey alone, the edge of my seat has now become threadbare.
One thing I liked the most was the stories. Athletes assumed to win, often didn’t. Athletes assumed to put in a reasonable showing, often won gold.
How Joanie Rochette, after sadly losing her mother who had just arrived in Vancouver for the games, came back two days later and win a Bronze Medal or a flawless performance by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir win gold (quite unexpectedly, I now love Tessa too, she’s so purrrrdy an all!).
It reminded me of the old Wide World of Sports opening theme, [i]”The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat”[/i]
It was a way for Canada to show the world what Canadians really are about and I think it shed a positive, new light on a widely misunderstood nation.
So, in the end and despite some initial ‘growing pains’, it all came to an end with a hilarious closing ceremonies. Sure, some of the acts are bring widely criticized in both the US and Canada,
“Why not Celine?”
“I’m glad they didn’t have Celine?”
“Why Nickleback?”
“Nickleback was the best”
“Avril was lip syncing!” [i](actually 90% of it was, and usually is in live events, including the symphony being dubbed in, for the TV broadcast)[/i]
But that is so trivial, it wasn’t Dick Clarke’s New Years Eve Party after all, music was just the finishing touch. They even played the bands in reverse order, most popular to least well known, so that the crowd would filter out gradually and not congest the streets.
The idea was obviously that people would not be complaining about waiting through an hour of lesser known artists in order to see Neil Young or Michael Buble (which NBC interrupted for an hour in order to air a failure of a season opener by Jerry Seinfeld) they will find something else to complain about of course, “Why not [i](insert favortite Canadian artist here)[/i]?”
But one thing that rings true no matter where you stand, it was one for the books. American’s dominated the overall medal count by taking an early lead that nobody could catch up to, Germany, the second largest population represented, came close. Norway, with a tiny population, showed incredible sportsmanship and winning spirit to drive up their medal count too, and what about them curling pants! Now [i]that’s[/i] having a laugh at yourself.
Everyone won in the end, the athletes, the locals, the tourists, the city of Vancouver, and Canada as a whole..and even the TV networks [i](despite NBC offering HORRIBLE coverage, that has received widespread bashing from upset US viewers)[/i]
Even the normally scathing, London, UK media, which initially condemned the games as possibly the worst, are now saying they learned lessons from watching how Canada came together to make it a great Olympic Games. They say they are carefully planning to try and create similar venue locations, atmosphere and “party zones” that hope to duplicate the scene from Vancouver.
It was a Winter Olympics that will be go down in the records as one of the best, or at least that’s what the rest of the world seems to be saying, for now.
Sochi, ball’s in your court now, have fun with it…and don’t worry Russia, you’ll win some medals again, once you get your attitudes back on a more positive track.
Go-Canada-Go!