i believe in the power of you and i.
So I've officially been sucked into the Olympic frenzy. Yup, I now spend my days watching events and cheering (silently) for Canadian athletes! Canada has finally won its first gold medal on home soil! It was amazing watching the 22 year old Alex Bilodeau mogul his way to gold. So amazing.
On a very sad note, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in an accident during one of his practice runs on the day of the opening ceremony. For the life of me, I don't know why CTV decided to air the footage. Since they're the sole broadcaster of the Winter Olympics, they had the decision on whether or not to air it. "We agonized over the decision whether or not to air this, but we decided to show you this video".
Now, I've seen lots of gory, bloody crash videos and stuff...... but this. This was something different all together. No blood, nothing. Maybe just a short trickle. From the angle of the camera, you don't even get to see much... but it's the meaning behind the video that is so haunting.
It consists of the luger preparing for his trial run, and then him pushing off. After several downhill turns, he clocks a speed of 144km/h right when he enters the final turn. He makes an error, his sled flips over, and he's thrown out of the track. His body twists and flings right into a metal pole beside the luge track. *THUNK!* It was eerily loud. Then nothing. He just lays there, motionless as paramedics rush towards him to perform CPR.
Anybody who's seen the video just KNOWS that nobody could have survived such a crash. He flew into the pole neck/head first. Even with a helmet, nothing could have saved him. Imagine going at 145km/h in your car and crashing into a metal pole. Even then, your chances of survival are slim. This? Not a chance.
What's so disturbing about the video isn't the carnage or gore. There are none. It's just the knowledge that you've just watched another human being lose his life. People always compare life to a burning flame. Just a slight gust of wind, and it's put out. Most times when people die, they've already been dying for a while. Be it cancer, or a gunshot wound to the chest. Most bleed to death. Death seldom comes so suddenly. So abruptly.
Nodar Kumaritashvili's death was just that. One moment, he was as alive as you and I, and the next, he's dead. Just like that. It reminds you of how fragile life is. Truly, our lives are just small candle flames. One blow, and that's it.
If you do a search on Youtube, you'll find a video (posted by CBS, I think) of the accident. I chose not to embed it in this post because I think it's.... just too disturbing to be paraded around. Other news outlets replayed the video in slow motion. What kind of sick people are they, anyway?
On a very sad note, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in an accident during one of his practice runs on the day of the opening ceremony. For the life of me, I don't know why CTV decided to air the footage. Since they're the sole broadcaster of the Winter Olympics, they had the decision on whether or not to air it. "We agonized over the decision whether or not to air this, but we decided to show you this video".
Now, I've seen lots of gory, bloody crash videos and stuff...... but this. This was something different all together. No blood, nothing. Maybe just a short trickle. From the angle of the camera, you don't even get to see much... but it's the meaning behind the video that is so haunting.
It consists of the luger preparing for his trial run, and then him pushing off. After several downhill turns, he clocks a speed of 144km/h right when he enters the final turn. He makes an error, his sled flips over, and he's thrown out of the track. His body twists and flings right into a metal pole beside the luge track. *THUNK!* It was eerily loud. Then nothing. He just lays there, motionless as paramedics rush towards him to perform CPR.
Anybody who's seen the video just KNOWS that nobody could have survived such a crash. He flew into the pole neck/head first. Even with a helmet, nothing could have saved him. Imagine going at 145km/h in your car and crashing into a metal pole. Even then, your chances of survival are slim. This? Not a chance.
What's so disturbing about the video isn't the carnage or gore. There are none. It's just the knowledge that you've just watched another human being lose his life. People always compare life to a burning flame. Just a slight gust of wind, and it's put out. Most times when people die, they've already been dying for a while. Be it cancer, or a gunshot wound to the chest. Most bleed to death. Death seldom comes so suddenly. So abruptly.
Nodar Kumaritashvili's death was just that. One moment, he was as alive as you and I, and the next, he's dead. Just like that. It reminds you of how fragile life is. Truly, our lives are just small candle flames. One blow, and that's it.
If you do a search on Youtube, you'll find a video (posted by CBS, I think) of the accident. I chose not to embed it in this post because I think it's.... just too disturbing to be paraded around. Other news outlets replayed the video in slow motion. What kind of sick people are they, anyway?