An excellent quote from Ignatieff's column today in the Globe and Mail too:
"The Games leave Canada a much more confident and competitive country. We showed we can be really competitive, sure, but in a Canadian way. Our athletes displayed grace in victory, showing that we can win without losing the qualities that foreigners like about us: our courtesy, our civility and our capacity to share success with others."
And one more thing, my favourite Olympic moment was not hockey gold, or our first ever home soil gold. No, there were 5 distinct moments of these games that made everything feel so very right in the world. Only sport can teach us the thrill of winning alongside agony of defeat and in step with the passings of life. My top 5 olympic moments are:
#5: KD Lang's performance of Hallelujah - awe inspiring.
#4: Being in England watching BBC coverage and the 5 minutes dedicated to explaining the athletic prowess that is Clara Hughes.
#3: John Montgomery's gold medal walk through Whistler village chugging back a pitcher of beer on live TV. Pure Canadiana!
#2: Jeanette Rochelle's short program in figure skating, a legend performance. Rock solid, clutch, legend. Her family must be so, so proud. I know the world sure is.
#1: Melissa Hollingsworth interview 5 minutes after going for gold only to fall to 5th. Tear filled eyes, "I feel like I let my whole country down..." she said. Melissa, you taught Canadians life's biggest lesson that hard work and determination and risk get you *in the game*. How you handle the game, its thrills and spills, is what distinguishes oneself from the rest.
Oh, and every morning and night watching incredible sport, incredible stories, and incredible landscapes with Meredith. We lost count of our tears but rumor has it I cried to Ice Dancing, Figure Skating, Cross snow boarding, and came pretty darn close to crying to Neil Young!
Thank you Vancouver and Whistler for affirming Canada's place among the greatest of nations.
Vive le Canada!
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