Last Friday, at about the time the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games was getting underway in Sochi, Russia, one of our twitter followers (@bilbobilliald) tweeted, “School should be cancelled for the next two weeks #Olympics2014 #priorities.”
While such a cancellation will never come to fruition – particularly in a winter with so many school closures already – we agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment behind that statement.
We have always had a great fascination with the Olympics (particularly the Winter Games) and everything for which they stand. That attraction, which for us borders on obsession, was bolstered even further by the Vancouver games four years ago.
It seems like just yesterday we wrote an editorial at the end of the 2010 games lauding the performances of athletes like Alex Bilodeau, Christine Nesbitt, Jon Montgomery, Joannie Rochette, Clara Hughes and the men’s and women’s hockey teams.
Hosting the games on home soil and the success of the Canadian athletes (Canada finished with more gold medals than any other nation ever, and third in the overall medal count) combined to inspire a sense of national pride we have never before witnessed.
We truly believe that something about that experience changed us and the way we look at ourselves as Canadians, even if we only recognize or acknowledge it once every few years.
The resounding success in Vancouver, aided by a number of factors, including the often and unfairly criticized Own the Podium program, made everyone realize that Canadians can maintain their long-standing reputation as unassuming individuals – and yet also compete on a global scale.
While some bemoan the fact Olympic success is judged based on medal counts, we embrace the newfound desire to win. No longer are many Canadians happy to just be there, quietly in the background, and try for a personal best (however crucial those personal victories may be).
Making it to the Olympics is indeed a great accomplishment on its own, but we like that the Canadian Olympic Committee has set the lofty goal of finishing first in the overall medal count in Sochi. Sure, the committee could have set a more modest goal and acted like heroes when it was surpassed, but that would have been a disservice to athletes who have trained for four years to be the best.
And it’s hard to argue the new focus on podium finishes isn’t working – the results speak for themselves.
In just the first few days of the Sochi Olympics, Canada’s freestyle skiers had an historic showing, as sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe took gold and silver respectively in women’s moguls, and Bilodeau became the first individual ever to win back-to-back gold medals in freestyle skiing (men’s moguls).
Personally, we have been glued to the television in almost every spare moment (even with more pressing matters at hand), hoping to catch a glimpse of the latest Canadian success.
It’s hard to put into words the great feeling of pride the Olympic Games can provide us as Canadians, and we can’t help but feel a bit sorry for those who don’t embrace it.
Perhaps we should cancel school and work in order to fully immerse ourselves in the magic that is the Olympic Games. Go Canada!
For a great example of locals embracing the Olympic spirit, take a drive by the snow bank spray paint display by siblings Vanessa and Matt Dirksen on Wellington Road 7 just south of Alma (photo on page 23).
