Feb 28: Pride and Inspiration

I must admit that when the Olympics were approaching, I had mixed feelings about BC/Canada hosting them, given the enormous cost.  I don't know if there's ever an ideal time for a community, province or nation to host a huge event, though, and once the decision has been made, you just have to do the very best job you can of putting it on.  I had seen first hand the positive effects of the Calgary Olympics and of BC Summer and Winter Games in Trail/Rossland/Castlegar, so I was committed to playing my part.

When I attended the torch relay celebration here in Trail in late January, I wondered about some of the words used by the "crowd animators" to pump us up, i.e., "Are you ready to create a better Canada?"  I wondered what was not already great about Canada, and I wondered how we were expected to go about improving it, other than by cheering and dancing.  The relay celebration seemed so strongly tied to the corporate sponsors that I knew this would further fuel anti-Olympic sentiments.  I heard and read comments within our community that suggested the corporate sponsored relay had no real connection with the communities through which it passed, that it was just a big advertising event.  However, I thought about how virtually every cultural or sporting event in our local community does depend on corporate sponsorships, just on a smaller scale.

I also wondered about the "I Believe" TV commercials that were aired in the months leading up to the Games, in particular bits where children said "I believe that Canada will win it all!".  I knew all about our country's "Own the Podium" programs, but still wondered whether this goal was at all realistic.

So, I went off to Whistler to help host these Games, committed as I always am to doing my best, but wondering how I was going to help create a better Canada and how Canada's athletes could live up to the very lofty expectations being placed upon them.

Things didn't start off so well.  There was the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili and the concerns about the safety of the Whistler Sliding Centre.  There was the lack of snow at Cypress and concern about the costs of bringing snow to that venue.  There was the malfunction of the cauldron leg that marred a spectacular opening ceremony.  At my venue, there was concern that warm, soft snow and low visibility might result in cancellation of many or most of the alpine skiing events.

But as the days went by, the weather improved, the volunteers busted their butts and the results for Canadian athletes started to pour in.  Eventually, we began to notice that we were really racking up the victories and we shared the lead in gold medals, and Canadian pride that has always been there began to be released in great displays of flag waving, red wearing and anthem-singing. 

To me, the crowning of the men's ice hockey team as gold medalists today, our country's 14th gold medal, signified that we did indeed "win it all".  USA and Germany surpassed Canada in total medals and their achievements were outstanding, particularly the play of the US men's hockey team.  But winning the most gold medals in the history of the Winter Olympics is to me a solid indication that we owned the uppermost step on the podium. And the Paralympics are still to come!  I am looking forward to celebrating more victories by our paralympians in the next few weeks.

Are we creating a better Canada in the process?  We welcomed the world to the fantastic place we call home and celebrated our success in a way that showed us that it feels good to be proud of who we are and of our accomplishments.   To keep that spirit and pride alive after the Games, we'll need to get back to working on the social, economic and environmental issues we all face together, with the same degree of determination that our athletes, organizers and volunteers put into the Games.  This was a good kick-start to making Canada even better - now let's keep the motor running!