With the Vancouver 2010 Olympics done and gone what will the world do? We'll carry on as usual of course, and so will the athletes who felt defeat and felt pride in Vancouver. And those of us who got to take part in history, we will marvel at how fast time passes and smile when we look back and say "I was there".
I was there... When I arrived home to Alberta and watched the remainder of the Olympics on my television, I would see the places I'd been. I would see the things I enjoyed and the athletes I'd watched compete. I kept saying "I was there."
I will never again have an opportunity that compares to this one. I have felt a national pride that had been lying dormant within me for my entire life. Never have I been so proud as the day I watched the Canadian speed skater receive her gold medal. Never have I felt so much pride radiating from those around me, and my own pride swell up in my chest as we watched the Canadian flag rise to the national anthem. You could hear each and every word as the collective came together into one voice.
Never have I been so impressed as I was by Clara Hughes' incredible race, or by Charles Hamlin when he won two gold medals in one night, with only a short break in between races.
Never have I been so excited about hockey as when Sidney Crosby managed to, by some stroke of luck, score that winning goal and give Canada its historical gold medal count. And never have I been so proud of our female athletes as I was when our girls took gold and silver in the women's two man bobsled.
Now, not to be left out of course, the USA did incredible, clearly dominating the medal counts, and they certainly gave Canada a run for its money in both the men's and women's gold medal hockey games. Shawn White dominated the halfpipe once again, receiving a nearly perfect score. The USA also managed to get two athletes on the podium at the same time multiple times. They have certainly proven themselves to be outstanding athletes, and I am proud to call them our neighbours.
While the USA dominated the medal count, Canada dominated the gold medal count, having won more gold medals in one winter games than any country has ever won at a single winter games. Just a short time before Crosby's miraculous goal (I call it Crosby's but I really should give major credit to Iginla for the pass that got the puck to the Kid), Canada had the most gold medals ever won by the host country. And to think, Alexandre Bilodeau's gold medal in men's moguls was Canada's first ever gold medal on Canadian soil (or was that hay...). What an impressive feat on Canada's part. We may not have owned the podium on all three levels, but we certainly did rise above and stood tall in the center of that podium. I say we owned just enough of that podium to be proud of our country. And then some.
P.s... there were certainly some disappointments and downsides to the Olympics for each country... Russia's loss to Canada in men's hockey, the loss of the Georgian luger, injuries and defeats, Canada's performance in halfpipe (we had so much talent that should have been showcased... next time, okay?), and many others... but I felt that the positives out weighed the bad. Let's aim higher next time guys, from everywhere. As the Olympic motto states, citius, altius, fortius - faster, higher, stronger.
