I remember in July of 2003, waking up one morning at 5am, to hear the live broadcast of who would become the host city of the 2010 Olympics. I was thrilled then, to find out that Vancouver was selected.
Fast forward 7 years - and numerous articles, announcements, discussions, and arguments in between, both for and against the Olympics - here we are, 6 days into the Olympics, and I'm completely addicted. It seems that for me, in terms of a sporting event, the only sporting event that generates more enthusiasm and excitement, is the World Cup.
There's something about the Olympics, and particularly the Winter Olympics, that makes me just want to sit down and take them in. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's the competitive aspect, maybe it's watching how the athletes who've spent the better part of the past 4 years preparing for this event react to their successes and failures, their joys and their sorrows, maybe it's the media hype that comes along with an event of such large proportions, or maybe it's all of these, I don't know, but whatever it is, the draw is there and it's real.
And it seems that I'm not the only one. The big whigs at work installed a large projector in the lunchroom, with the Olympic channel streaming all day long, and on breaks, the room's completely packed with people.
And Vancouver itself, seems to have been transformed into a city of fun. There are people everywhere, it's busy no matter where you go, there's vibrancy, there's life. The buses and the skytrains are full, and on the streets there are reminders of the Olympics everywhere: advertising signs, official event vehicles, stores, and of course, the fireworks that I can hear clearly from my bedroom window every night at 11pm. It's really quite refreshing, to be in such a dynamic city.
And patriotism - my goodness - there's red and white everywhere: buildings are adorned with the maple leaf flag, windows are draped in red and white, and people are also wearing their national pride on their sleeves: if not the ever-popular red mittens, then white "Canada" sweatshirts, or some other national symbol. Frankly, I had no idea we were so patriotic.
So far, though, the enthusiasm in our hearts has been more prevalent than the results on the score sheets, because as of now we only have 7 medals. Hopefully this will change.
Fast forward 7 years - and numerous articles, announcements, discussions, and arguments in between, both for and against the Olympics - here we are, 6 days into the Olympics, and I'm completely addicted. It seems that for me, in terms of a sporting event, the only sporting event that generates more enthusiasm and excitement, is the World Cup.
There's something about the Olympics, and particularly the Winter Olympics, that makes me just want to sit down and take them in. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's the competitive aspect, maybe it's watching how the athletes who've spent the better part of the past 4 years preparing for this event react to their successes and failures, their joys and their sorrows, maybe it's the media hype that comes along with an event of such large proportions, or maybe it's all of these, I don't know, but whatever it is, the draw is there and it's real.
And it seems that I'm not the only one. The big whigs at work installed a large projector in the lunchroom, with the Olympic channel streaming all day long, and on breaks, the room's completely packed with people.
And Vancouver itself, seems to have been transformed into a city of fun. There are people everywhere, it's busy no matter where you go, there's vibrancy, there's life. The buses and the skytrains are full, and on the streets there are reminders of the Olympics everywhere: advertising signs, official event vehicles, stores, and of course, the fireworks that I can hear clearly from my bedroom window every night at 11pm. It's really quite refreshing, to be in such a dynamic city.
And patriotism - my goodness - there's red and white everywhere: buildings are adorned with the maple leaf flag, windows are draped in red and white, and people are also wearing their national pride on their sleeves: if not the ever-popular red mittens, then white "Canada" sweatshirts, or some other national symbol. Frankly, I had no idea we were so patriotic.
So far, though, the enthusiasm in our hearts has been more prevalent than the results on the score sheets, because as of now we only have 7 medals. Hopefully this will change.
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