A funny thing happened a year ago...
A funny thing happened a year ago today... Alexandre Bilodeau won Olympic Gold in freestyle skiing. This was the first Canadian gold medal won on Canadian soil.... EVER! While it wasn't the official start of the Olympic Games, for many Canadians it was one of its defining moments. The golden curse had been broken. The stage was set... not only were "we" welcoming the world with confidence and optimism, we were discovering new heights in patriotism and pride.
Canadians often mock our Southern neighbours for their overt patriotism, but for those 17 days in February 2010, Canada discovered its heartstrings. For 17 days, we cheered for every athlete, waved the maple leaf proudly, and sang our national anthem with gusto. For 17 days, we cried for every fall, every loss, and every crash. For 17 days, we forgot our petty differences, our linguistic barriers and our geographical divide. For 17 days we lived the Olympics. In many ways, I think the Olympics drew us together and everyone felt it. From the red mittens we all wore (and still wear), to the Roots hoodies we so loved, we became more of a nation than we knew we could be.
CTV aired an Olympic anniversary special yesterday which commemorated not only the athletes and the games themselves, but also the effect they have had on the Canadian psyche. Needless to say, I cried numerous times watching it this evening. In the end, the Olympic games were about more than medals, records and national pride... they were also about the power of the human spirit. And that's where all those tears came from.
A year later... I am still very proud to be Canadian, and I thank all those athletes for the inspiration they are to us all.
Canadians often mock our Southern neighbours for their overt patriotism, but for those 17 days in February 2010, Canada discovered its heartstrings. For 17 days, we cheered for every athlete, waved the maple leaf proudly, and sang our national anthem with gusto. For 17 days, we cried for every fall, every loss, and every crash. For 17 days, we forgot our petty differences, our linguistic barriers and our geographical divide. For 17 days we lived the Olympics. In many ways, I think the Olympics drew us together and everyone felt it. From the red mittens we all wore (and still wear), to the Roots hoodies we so loved, we became more of a nation than we knew we could be.
CTV aired an Olympic anniversary special yesterday which commemorated not only the athletes and the games themselves, but also the effect they have had on the Canadian psyche. Needless to say, I cried numerous times watching it this evening. In the end, the Olympic games were about more than medals, records and national pride... they were also about the power of the human spirit. And that's where all those tears came from.
A year later... I am still very proud to be Canadian, and I thank all those athletes for the inspiration they are to us all.