Over Once Again

 

When a person is young, the 4 year gap between Olympic games seems like a lifetime. This time around, it seems like just last week that Vancouver hosted these winter games. I was able to take in my fill of viewing due to lack of work these last two weeks. I enjoyed every minute of the competitions. The only downside, in retrospect, was the time difference and hearing the night's results on my radio alarm at 7 am. (Well, OK. The other downside was all the advertising)

Being the big hockey fan that I am, the highlight of the Olympics for me was the hockey and I was not disappointed. Gold in both men's and women's hockey is perfect, but the women's final game was some of the most exciting and inspiring hockey I have ever seen.

The Olympics brings out the best in the athletes, but also brings out the patriotism in the citizens of every country competing. My heart was swollen with pride over and over again and to see the joy and relief on the faces of the Canadian medal winners warmed me greatly. I have always been a rooter for the underdog, the one who works, dreams, strives, and overcomes obstacles  to achieve something great in his or her life, and then reaches the goal. I believe it is a God-given thing to be like that.

But anyone who was good enough to be there as a competitor was already a winner. When the difference between 1st and 30th place is fractions of an inch or a fraction of a second, one could theorize that they are all on par with each other. There should be no shame in not medalling. The friendly completion and the life lessons that the athletes learn are almost always stepping stones to other achievements, usually in the field of sport as an announcer, coach, or mentor. 

Yes, billions are spent, but I think and hope that the Olympics are a unifying force in our global community. In going against each other, we become closer. A paradox, but one we can all live with.   

Endurance Test

 

I look forward to the Olympics every two years (summer and winter games) but I forget, from one year to the next, what an endurance test it can be to watch the proceedings on TV. I have not had a stop watch to confirm this, but my guess is that for every three minutes of games, there are two minutes of commercials. This would be much more tolerable if there were some variety in sponsors or there were more new and unique ads. I am writing this on Saturday morning, and have had a chance to watch uninterrupted most of the morning and I am sick to death of all the ads already. How will I make it to the end? I will not. I will find a site somewhere on the internet that will give videos and synopsis of the daily events. I am very interested in the events themselves, the personal stories, the medal count, and how Canada is faring, but I do not give a lick for the ads.  Maybe because I do not watch much TV, I am not used to this.

Why not take an approach that other advertisers have taken, on rare occasions. Have a brief ad at the beginning of an event stating who you are and why you want the viewer to watch the event uninterrupted. Now that is a company that could garner my loyalty instead of making me want to start a boycott.  

Rules and regulations

After only a few days of Olympic events, controversy, as usual, is detracting from the games. It used to be all about the doping, or before that, questioning a female athlete's true gender. But now it is about politically incorrect tweeting, faulty timing devices(fencing competition), suspected doping (Chinese swimmer), and not trying hard enough (badminton). I suppose it is part of the package, but more importantly, it justifies the existence of a huge Olympic bureaucracy that has arisen over the years. It makes one wonder what all these people would do if they were required to have a real job.

Otherwise, kudos to London for a great games so far. The venues are great, the optics are wonderful, and the host country let Canada beat them in the men's rowing competition on Wednesday. Now that is hospitality!

London Olympics Opening Ceremonies

I can't believe I sat through the whole thing. For someone who only watches the odd sporting event on TV, this was an endurance test for me.

In the Olympic spirit of trying to outdo the previous hosts, Britain put on a spectacular show. The idea of the theme was to present an overview of the history of their country by highlighting various periods of time. I particularly liked the Industrial Revolution set piece, from which arose a giant foundry that produced the 5 gold Olympic rings. It was innovative and very well done.

Besides the flash and dance (literally) the most amazing thing is the co-ordination of thousands of people, props, musical score, lighting, and voice overs. To pull this off, live, without a glitch, is a great credit to the producer. Brief appearances of things very familiar and very British were a delight, such as the Queen parachuting into the venue, James Bond (Daniel Craig) accompanying her, Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) daydreaming at the keyboard while playing Chariots of Fire, many references to famous children's literature coming out of Britain, and of course, the famous tunes from years past. All very enjoyable.

I could not help but think of the cost, amidst one of the toughest economic times that Britain has ever faced. I had a vision of a bankrupt party goer who is buying rounds for the house on a credit card that has already gone over the credit limit. The bills for these Olympics will not be paid from cash on hand, believe me. As for ceremonies, you can double the cost because in a few days from now, there will be a closing ceremony and it will be just as crazy over the top.

The world is going mad, but we are having a great time on the way to the asylum.  

In Retrospect

I am writing this just after having watched the closing ceremonies. Maybe I am suffering from Olympic burnout (this is a logical consequence of too much Olympic fever) but I did not enjoy the closing production as much the opening or the games themselves. For me, the highlight of the finale was the opening scene where the failure of the torch in the opening ceremonies was made fun of. I thought it was a brilliant strategy, and well done.
The theme was an attempt to poke fun at all the Canadian stereotypes, you know, the red serge of the RCMP, the beaver, the birch bark canoe, the maple leaf, etc. I thought that it only reinforced the stereotypes. The comedic routines fell flat (I was hoping somebody would beam up Captain Kirk) except for one snippet of brilliance when it was explained how the Canadians are polite and are always apologizing. The background graphic showed a Canadian athlete on the podium receiving a Gold Medal and saying, "I'm sorry. I will have it bronzed."
The staging for the various musical artists (I use the term loosely) was brilliant, but not so the bands themselves. Maybe it was just not my style. And did I mention that I am totally done with all those commercials that kept interrupting the proceedings?
Brian, the CTV host through most of the two weeks, had a good editorial after the last bit of fireworks signaled the end of everything. He went on about the unifying effect of these games on all of Canada. If what we saw on TV was any indication, he is right and it may be a historical turning point in our nation's history. It occurred to me that if it is true, it is in great part due to the flavour of the coverage that CTV gave the games and everything surrounding them. They definitely emphasised the positive aspects of everything and did not dwell on or make stories of anything negative. How easily the mood of the nation could have been influenced if the network poobahs had decided to give these games and Vancouver, and BC a rough ride. And they could have. It was not all roses, but putting a positive spin on almost everything elevated the mood of the nation and what resulted was an outpouring of patriotism that had not been seen in this country in my lifetime.
Before the Olympics, I made comments on my blog that I was neutral to these games, not a booster, nor a protester. I have changed my take on that. I suppose I have been caught up in the excitement, the drama, the pride, and the patriotism. I also now have a brighter outlook for the future of my country. May the effects of these games linger on and become a focal point for what we can do together.

A Golden Moment

I was beginning to think that this Hockey final was being over-hyped. After all the talk and anticipation, would it be a let-down? There was so much riding on the outcome that I was feeling sorry for both teams because of all the pressure being put on them, all the expectations, almost all the hopes and dreams of both their respective nations. But there would be a winner and there would be a loser.
I am sure you watched it or have heard all about it already so I will not recap it. Suffice to say that it was probably the best hockey game I have seen in recent times. It had plenty of drama, excellent play, and emotion enough for the most stoic of viewers.
This was the perfect finish for a near perfect Olympic games. Canada not only did well, but they exceeded previous records and in the process unified the country like nothing in recent memory. Maybe it was this significance that prompted busylizzy to watch it with me. Yes, you read that correctly. She actually watched the whole game with me. I still can't believe it! But true to a woman's perspective, that is, one who is not a sports fan in the least, her comment as the Canadians lined up for their gold medals was, "When they line up like that with their red and white uniforms, they all look like Campbell's Soup tins." It kind of stole the Golden Moment.

Fixated

It stared with what was to be just a bit of Women's Hockey. After enjoying the 18 to 0 drubbing the Canadian girls gave the Slovakian women, I watched some speed skating. I got a bit hooked and then the women's moguls came on and by the time I witnessed Jennifer Heil win a silver medal, I had spent several hours in front of the TV.
I realised that for the very first time, I was able to watch an Olympic event in my own time zone. This has some good advantages. I also saw what a fantastic turnout the venues are getting and it makes me proud and happy that we do not have to populate the stands with zombies the way the Chinese did in the summer Olympics. Of course, we as polite Canadians are being good hosts by cheering all the athletes, in the spirit of good sportsmanship and hospitality. And, in spite of the warm rains, Cypress bowl is still able to have some snow, even though it came from Manning Park.
I keep thinking about that torch run at the end of the opening ceremonies last night. It has to be one of the lamest finishes, to what was a fantastic program, that I have ever seen. I thought the Olympics was about athleticism. Here we have a 'has been' hockey player riding in the back of a pickup truck, in the rain, trying to keep the torch burning. It looked like a bit of a red-neck idea to me. And didn't riding in the back of a pick-up result in Rick Hansen's spinal cord injury? After all the fantastic artistry and showmanship of the ceremonies, I guess they just ran out of ideas. Let's hope they do better when they close shop in a few weeks.

Isn't it Obvious?

The 2010 Winter Games are almost upon us and there are some interesting stories coming to light. I was sent this information a few days ago by a cousin who is quite removed from Beautiful BC but these stories are filtering down to him nevertheless.

In what is likely a case of overkill, Vanoc (Vancouver Olympic Committee) published and distributed to its employees, a 128 page book on protocol with foreign dignitaries during the Olympics. It contains such useful tips as 'match your socks to your trousers' as well as not 'smiling too zealously or prolonged'. It might be helpful in teaching those things that one should have learned at their mother's knee but mother was not around that much. At least it is giving the rest of us a chuckle.

Think about it. Wouldn't you be thoroughly embarrassed as a Canadian if some under informed city employee said with a big prolonged grin to a foreign dignitary "Dude, do you feel the breeze?", instead of "Excuse me sir, I feel compelled to inform you that your trouser fastener seems to be disengaged"?

And The Winner Is ...

The new 2010 Canada Winter Olympic medals were unveiled yesterday. Finally, something original and, in my opinion, very attractive. Each medal will be unique, a small part of a larger piece of art, a stylized Orca. The medals, which weigh about 600 grams each, are also unique in the fact that they are not flat, but undulate in gentle waves. I am sure they will be treasured by the finest athletes in the world, not only for what they represent, but also for their beauty.

My only criticism is that once again, we are telling the world that the only Canadian cultural art is native art. It is no wonder the Americans expect to see igloos as soon as they cross the 49th parallel.

Are We Surprised?

This is a photo of an Inukshuk, an Eskimo rendering of a standing man. It is the official symbol of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. These Olympics, along with the recent spate of gang related shootings, is all we hear about recently. The cost over runs were expected by all but the most naive, and now, today (I am writing this on March 4), comes this headline: "Provincial government says recession having an impact on 2010 games; games may not provide much talked about ten billion dollar bonanza."
DUH!! Who figured this out? The same guy who is predicting that the sun is going to come up tomorrow? We (citizens of BC) are going to be paying for this for generations to come. I have said for years that the Olympics have run their course and pity on the poor country that gets them. It has become a simple competition to see who can saddle their citizens with the most amount of debt in the most opulent and wasteful way. In a time of recession/depression, you can double that.

2010 Olympic Security

It was supposed to cost $150 million to provide security at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Compared to other security budgets at previous games, this did not seem like enough so for the last few years the price tag was disputed until finally the Vancouver Olympic Committee admitted that the cost would, indeed, be higher. The figure of one billion was bandied about but you knew that the outrage at that amount would be very great and so did the committee. I believe they reasoned that dropping the figure by $100 million would be acceptable after having thrown around the larger figure for so long. So now the official number is $900 million. Whew, we say, what a bargain.
This is an outrageous amount of money to spend to protect us all from something that "might' happen. Here is my idea, but don't spread it around or it will not work: We declare that we are spending $900 million on security and that it will mostly be on surveillance, hidden cameras, plain clothes police, un-marked security vehicles etc. Then we put out a few more uniformed police and security guards than normal, but forget about all that other stuff. Just knowing it is there will be a huge deterrent to the terrorists, right? We save all that money and nothing bad will happen, not that it would have happened regardless.
The ultimate weapon will be the threat of punishment for anyone causing any kind of problem during the games. It could be an un-supervised bob-sled ride or a downhill giant slalom race wearing only a pair of jockey shorts. There really are many ways a perpetrator can be punished in the cold winter of Whistler.
*Photo above is not mine but is a great shot of Whistler Village, the hub of the games in 2010.

A Final Olympic Comment

They are over and it makes one wonder if there will ever be an Olympic Games without controversy. I don't have to list them here, but they (the controversies) are many. We are now left with some question marks regarding many of the Gold medals and if they will be re-awarded. It must now be determined if the Chinese women gymnasts were underage and if the Jamaican track team was doped up. How sad. If there is deceit and cheating, is it worth even having this kind of event? There are world meets in all the venues and I am thinking that this might be good enough. How better can the world allocate the huge dollars that are spent? It is likely that the Olympics are more about money than sport. The billions that are spent are definitely stimulating somebodies economy but it is not that of the poor of the world.

I am leaving all this behind me for a week. No blog posts or email, phone calls or bills to pay, no alarm clocks, no work, no computers or Internet, just some R & R. Not necessarily well deserved, but taken nonetheless. It remains to be seen if I can survive this ordeal. I will let you know on Monday Sept. 1

Collection Day For Bees

I now have conclusive proof of my theory outlined in my blog post of a few days ago. Canada's medal count is absolutely determined by my viewing habits. Every day that I have not watched, Canada has been winning, and more than once. Yesterday I watched a few events and of course we won not a single medal. Not only that, but the one event that I did watch with a Canadian participant was the Taekwando. The match was between Sweden and Canada and our girl obviously dominated the match. However, every time she scored a point the judges did not register it on the score board. It was speculated later that the Chinese judge did not want the Canadian to win because she was the better contestant and the winner of the match was to go up against China in the next round. So much for impartial judging.

So with this volume of proof that I am solely responsible for the outcome of the medal count for my country, I have a proposal to make. If someone makes it worth my while, I will change citizenship to ... say USA, and at the next Olympics I will cheer for my country and watch the competitions every day, thereby ensuring that the USA will get no medals. Any takers?

Morning Glory

I must say I was in my glory this morning. After the oppressive heat and humidity of yesterday, I was thrilled to wake to an overcast sky and a slight rain falling to cool the warm earth. I was thrilled and knew I would have a good day at work. Feeling human again, I even got out to shoot a few new photos, but this Morning Glory shot is not one of them.

I have not had a chance to catch any Olympic Games viewing for a few days now and because of this, I have come to the conclusion that the Canadian athletes have now found the secret to success. I am the key. Keep me away from the TV and just like magic, the medals start falling around the necks of the Canadians. The Canadian Olympic Committee stated at the beginning of the games that their goal was to place 17th in the medal standings. Two days ago they were 53rd. Today they are 15th. Go Canada. My proof of loyalty is in the fact that I did not watch tonight either. And guess what? I just now heard that Simon Whitfield of Victoria won silver in the triathlon. Do we need more proof of my theory?

OOps!

Spain's Olympic Basketball Team is seen in an ad running in Spanish newspapers, using their fingers to slant their eyes in an attempt at endearment and identifying with their Chinese hosts at the the games. They saw nothing wrong with it and did not give it a second thought. I do not know where Spain is in the scale of political correctness, but they are getting a rude awakening at this minute as to the insecurities and sensitivities that mark our generation. It seems everyone is demanding an apology and is offended and incensed that anyone would do this. I think everyone should just lighten up and perhaps the Chinese Basketball Team could publish a photo of themselves pushing the corners of their eyes inward to make them appear more round. Don't you think everyone would then be even and they could get on with competing?

Lattice

For someone who watches very little television, I have been caught up in watching every evening these days. It is the Olympics, of course. I have been wondering why it is that there are no Canadians on the podium. I have no theories about this but I do have one observation. After watching many interviews of various athletes, I have noticed that many of them are just happy to be there competing in the worlds' greatest sporting event. I have to surmise that once the goal of being in the Olympics was achieved, the focus and determination required to excel is no longer there. Not winning a medal seems to be OK because just getting to Beijing was such an incredible accomplishment on its own.

And then there is the American swimmer, Phelps! His goal was not to just get to the Olympics, but it was to achieve a new world record in the amount of Gold medals by one athlete in one games. And what does this extraordinary goal result in? Not only is he on track to do it, but he is setting Olympic and World records in the process. Is Canada settling for under achievement? It almost seems that way. Let's hope that in 2010 when the Winter Olympics come not only to Canada, but to Vancouver, that we will put in a much better effort. The way the world is watching China today is the way the world will be watching Canada then.

When Plants Do Time

For many years I watched Sophie grow up in the shadow of her brother, who was a soccer player destined for great things, and actually did end up going to an American University on a full soccer scholarship. They practiced endlessly in the field at the end of the street or in their back yard right next to my patio. She is a very pretty, bright, and determined girl who also happens to be quite intelligent and personable. So it was quite a thrill to watch her and her team mates on the Canadian Olympic Women's Soccer team tie China in a match I was able to watch yesterday. After two games they are undefeated and did look very strong. Who would have thought, when she was a young girl, that it would be her that was destined for great things.

My only other connection to the Beijing Olympics is that I like Chinese food.

Hydrangea

The Hydrangeas are beautiful this year. It is unusual to see the blossoms blend from lime green, to pink, to mauve, to blue, all in one cluster because these are levels of maturity and indicators of differing soil conditions.


It turns out that I was right about the football game last night. It was great! The Air show is a bust for today because of the rain. And the Olympics? I made a concerted effort last night to watch the coverage from Beijing and came away with a few observations. Off and on, I watched for maybe two hours and saw maybe 15 minutes of actual competition. The commercials were coming thick and fast and repetitively. There was coverage of some background of a few of our Canadian Olympians, some snippets of the opening ceremonies, a painfully long review of the march of the Olympians into the 'Bird's Nest' stadium, some interesting Chinese cultural videos, and so much coverage of the heat, humidity, and bad air that I literally gagged. If last night was any indication of things to come, then sifting through all this peripheral nonsense to find some riveting sports battles featuring Canadian athletes will be an Olympian task.

Rose, Beautiful Rose.

No, this is not the same rose as yesterday. Can one have too many photos of roses? I think not. For those who are tired of the same old, same old, there is the Abbotsford Airshow this weekend. But just a minute. The Abbotsford Airshow is the same old, same old. I am not against it but I must say that I have not been in many years. It seems to me to be one of those things that when you've seen one, you've seen them all. It is too much to endure for a 20 minute thrill at the end to see the 'big boys' in all their glory doing everything but dropping bombs on the Blueberry fields.

So we will try the Olympics. They are fresh and new only because many of the athletes are there for the first time. I find them mildly interesting, however all the hoopla and blown money for the opening and closing ceremonies seems an incredible waste to me.

Last but not least is the BC Lions attempt tonight to redeem themselves against the Edmonton Eskimos. In my opinion, this is the best bet for getting away from the same old, same old this weekend.

The Rose

The Beijing Summer Olympics are on the verge of starting and I say it is about time. I forget from one time to the next how much hype surrounds the Olympics, but it seems to me that this time it is very much over the top. After listening to the coverage the last few months, I think we all know more about the torch run, the human rights issues, and the air quality concerns than we do about the athletes. The timing seems to be perfect for China as they are exploding on the world economic scene and now all eyes will be on them for the next few weeks to an even greater degree. This really was an ideal opportunity for the free democratic nations of the world to put pressure on China regarding human rights issues. But, in the end, it will be the Chinese people themselves that will initiate change as they are becoming more confident in their new found wealth and in the fact that the world seems to be watching closely what happens there.