And just like that the Olympics have come and gone.
Overall Canada did well as they walked away with 10 gold, 10 silver, and 5 bronze medals. This is quite something when you look at the 1988 Olympics held in Calgary where Canada walked away with two silvers and three bronze medals.
I've always enjoyed watching the Olympics, there's something about watching someone who can do something you can't which is completely mesmerizing. Not only that, but it's a time for the entire country to rally together despite differences.
On Thursday, Feb. 20th, the majority of Canada watched as the Canadian women's hockey team took to the ice for the gold medal match against the Americans. They watched and many, like myself, lost hope with five minutes left stunned at what was unfolding, until all of a sudden there was a flurry of two goals and we were headed into overtime.
Following the men's match against the United States, the Canadians were going to take on Sweden at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning. So, what else would Canadian bars do but get special permits to open early or never close allowing everyone to have a place to go to watch the game.
From the photos I saw of bars across the country, they were packed with people wearing red and white celebrating our culture while cheering for our fellow countrymen.
Though not in a bar, I was able to watch both the women's and men's gold medal matches; but, the really fun part about it was that my friend currently living in Belgium completing a Masters degree was on Facebook during the games as she watched. So, as she was my roommate during the last Olympics and we watched the games together, we again were able to watch them together as we commented on the game and had a conversation through social media as the game was on.
It was entertaining though as during the women's game my live feed streaming from CBC was approximately 30 seconds late, so she would write something like, "AAAHHHHHHHHH!" and I would have no idea what she had just seen, doomed to watch for the next 30 seconds before finding out if her exclamation was of excitement or frustration.
However, I happily watched Sunday morning on a television to which her feed was now the one running 30 seconds late. Sadly the game wasn't quite as intense as the last few minutes of the women's game and I couldn't set her on pins and needles as she had done to me earlier, but it was a fun way to watch the game.
Canadians across the country were happy for our hockey teams. There's something about losing the gold medal in hockey at the Olympics that just doesn't sit right with us, especially if it's to the Americans trying to take it from us. There's always love for our neighbours to the south, but there are key differences in our cultures and a rivalry, for the most part an unspoken one, that permeates our relationship bubbling over when our best athletes take to the ice for hockey at the Olympics.
Locally we're happy for Paige and Rudi who competed after years of hard work and dedication, but I know the town of Shaunavon, where I'm from, would have been celebrating like crazy with Haley Wickenheiser able to reach Olympic stardom. One silver medal and now four gold medals, she is described as something close to women's hockey royalty. And for me, being from there, watching the women's hockey matches are more intense than the men's because of the pride the town takes in Wickenheiser.
I remember after, I think it was her third Olympics, she stopped by the high school in Shaunavon. It was so interesting listening to her speak and getting a chance to see her silver and two gold medals. It's something that can inspire you to work harder and strive for more.
I think this is part of the reason the Olympics are quite popular amongst schools and with the general population in Canada. It's the idea that we helped support these people, whether we've ever met them or not, that they come from our country and represent our ideals while displaying why it's important to work hard and set goals.
