It was electrifying, it was stunning, it was graphically without flaw, but without doubt, it was truly Canadian.
As me and my fellow volunteers sat in awe of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies we all felt different emotions but the one single strand common to all of us was that we suddenly felt fiercely Canadian.
The opening ceremonies of the XXI Olympics were, by far, a true testament of what it meant to grow up in Canada. The iconic images of Canada that we have all taken for granted; the vast prairie fields, the ice flows of the north, our true native heritage and the mountains of the west were front and centre Friday night as the world watched on in awe with us.
The performances illustrated how a unique and talented nation we are; dancers beautifully choreographed showed the world how gentle we are, the suspended skiers and snowboarders embodied our true north spirit of competition and the performances of Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams and KD Lang highlighted how diverse and gifted our nation is.
The true magnitude of the games came to me as the competing countries made their way into the stadium. From countries that had one athlete competing (such as Iran, Bermuda and Nepal) to the powerhouses of United States, Russia, Germany and of course Canada, what brought us together was the power of sport...and the desire to go “Un Peu Plus Haut, Un Peu Plus Loin".
As Paralympic gold medallist and humanitarian Rick Hansen brought the Olympic flame into the stadium, my heart began to swell with pride, and then as the flame was passed to two-time Olympic gold medallist Catriona Le May Doan to British Columbia-born basketball player Steve Nash to "Canada's Female Athlete of the 20th Century," former Olympic skier Nancy Greene, who then passed it to Canadian hockey superstar Wayne Gretzky, there was nothing I could do to hold in my tears.
I wasn’t the only one; there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, at this point many of us stood with honour and sang our national anthem again.
“Inspire the world” has been a common Olympic phrase heard many times over the last few days, and I have to admit, that is exactly what The Republic of Georgia athletes did when they wore black arm-bands and entered the stadium solemnly in honour of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died tragically in an accident on the luge track during practice just hours before the ceremony.
Not only did the audience at BC Place respond with a standing ovation, but those of us at Whistler stood and observed a moment of silence for an athlete who passed far before his time.
Every day that I enter the Whistler Sliding Centre I will forever remember this athlete for his passion and dedication and for the proud feeling he must have brought to his family and home town. For him and his love of the sport, the athletes have decided to carry on.
Finally, I found an interesting take on Canada that I thought I would share; in an off-the-cuff comment during the ceremony, NBC commentator Bob Costas gave his personal take on the attitude and outlook of the Canadian people.
He noted that Canadians are, "as a group, among the friendliest, most welcoming people on Earth" before going on to state that this attitude did not prohibit them from also being highly competitive about the Olympic Games themselves.
Let the medal count begin.
Tanya Vesely was a Meaford Dragons' Den participant and is owner of The Travellin' Scrapper on Trowbridge St. in Meaford. You can find out more about her business by visiting her website: www.travellinscrapper.com
