Go Vancouver!
Go Canada!
Go World!
Go Canada!
Go World!
--Cat
Afterthoughts March 2
WE WON!
The big game.
The most gold medals.
The most total medals we've ever won in the Winter Games.
A place on the world stage. A good place.
Goodwill and respect for our city, our province, our country.
Unity among the diverse peoples of this land.
Afterthoughts March 2
WE WON!
The big game.
The most gold medals.
The most total medals we've ever won in the Winter Games.
A place on the world stage. A good place.
Goodwill and respect for our city, our province, our country.
Unity among the diverse peoples of this land.
~
I confess to being among the skeptics before the Games began. Too expensive by far, too difficult for the organizers, the weather would probably not cooperate, protesters would give our visitors a bad image, in other words a big dud!
My feelings changed during the torch run. People turned out in droves in big cities, in little towns throughout the country--east to west, north to south--and cheered in good weather and bad, enthusiastic, proud, pleased to be included. It was...inspiring.
Then bad stuff happened. A young luger from Georgia died during his practice run. Cypress Mountain, site of several events was green and wet. Snow had to be trucked in. A malfunction during the opening ceremonies. Gretzky looking worried in the pouring rain carrying the torch to the cauldron.
A dud.
But soon I found myself glued to the television watching events unfold. I hoped for the rain to stop so the visitors could see how beautiful Vancouver is. There were some delays, some problems, some grumbling, some asinine protests. The sun appeared. People by the hundreds, by the thousands, took part in the street festivities, watched events on giant screens, cheered together, groaned together. It was...inspiring.
As was watching young people from all over the world come together and compete in fast, beautiful, grueling sports for their country, for themselves.
The closing ceremonies remedied the opening "glitch" in a humorous way. The proceedings were so...Canadian.
I confess to being among the skeptics before the Games began. Too expensive by far, too difficult for the organizers, the weather would probably not cooperate, protesters would give our visitors a bad image, in other words a big dud!
My feelings changed during the torch run. People turned out in droves in big cities, in little towns throughout the country--east to west, north to south--and cheered in good weather and bad, enthusiastic, proud, pleased to be included. It was...inspiring.
Then bad stuff happened. A young luger from Georgia died during his practice run. Cypress Mountain, site of several events was green and wet. Snow had to be trucked in. A malfunction during the opening ceremonies. Gretzky looking worried in the pouring rain carrying the torch to the cauldron.
A dud.
But soon I found myself glued to the television watching events unfold. I hoped for the rain to stop so the visitors could see how beautiful Vancouver is. There were some delays, some problems, some grumbling, some asinine protests. The sun appeared. People by the hundreds, by the thousands, took part in the street festivities, watched events on giant screens, cheered together, groaned together. It was...inspiring.
As was watching young people from all over the world come together and compete in fast, beautiful, grueling sports for their country, for themselves.
The closing ceremonies remedied the opening "glitch" in a humorous way. The proceedings were so...Canadian.
I'm happy I was here to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event.
And proud to be Canadian.
As someone once said, A perfect ending leads to a good beginning.
--Cat
--Cat
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