Thursday, March 6, 2014

Synopses of 22nd Olympic Winter Games



10.....10.....5

Yeah!   That is what Canada won:
10 Gold Medals...10 Silver Medals...5 Bronze Medals.
We ranked 3rd among 88 competing countries!

For 17 days, it is certain millions of viewers were glued to their televisions.  Selectively, I watched several events.  The coverage by CBC was superb with camera presentations, commentaries, those who “called the games”, and interviewers.  Geographically, we were given pictorial views of Sochie's location beside the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains (a few miles away...home to snow events).

Although not an avid hockey fan, the event exciting me the most was our Canadian Women's Hockey Team game versus U.S in the semi-final round…it was a “cliff-hanger”, then winning the Gold Medal Game versus Sweden. A parallel event was our Canadian Men’s Hockey Team winning the Gold Medal. Our teams were relentless with their speed, their skills and their team-effort determination from the first drop of the puck to the final bell.  .
Mike Babcock, coach of the Men's Team stated:
“When the opportunity was the greatest, the best players delivered.
Team Canada had to be equal to this great opportunity!”

Locally, we were fortunate to  have about half-dozen athletes
 from The Golden Horseshoe competing in the Winter Games!

Several new sports were added to the usual agenda...the Team Ice Skating event with 10 countries participating and Snowboarding events that were not only thrilling, but full of dare, gymnastics and expertise while soaring through the air.  WOW !

Advertisements from Sponsors & Supporters

These were well worth watching (as in the American Super Bowl).  Most were philosophically motivating  with positive values for us at home.  The 10 largest Corporate Sponsors were:  Coca-Cola, McDonald's, GE, Proctor & Gamble, Visa, Samsung, Panasonic, Omega, Dow Chemical and a French company Atos. Only four of these did I see here on Canadian Television.  Here are those that captured my attention.

RBC:  Anything is possible.  Your sometime...is here!  Proud supporter of Canada's Olympic Teams since 1947.

Petro-Canada:  Fueling the Dream!  A relentless passion to break new ground to define possibilities.

Canadian Tire:  We Play for Canada!  (Delightfully and excitingly  sung by  children’s choir)

Sport Check:  What IT Takes!  Better Starts Here.

Chevrolet:  Find NEW Roads!

Air Canada:  The Official Airline of the Canadian Olympic and Para-Olympic Games.

McDonald's: We know the importance of togetherness.

Home Depot:  The First Step?  Believing!

Visa:  Everywhere You Want to Be.

Other brief ads by:  Samsung, Coca-Cola, Government of Canada, Bell, Tide.

Profound messages from a few  other sponsors whose company names I didn't catch:
The Pursuit of Excellence…is Universal.
The Power of Achievement...is INFINITE.
Staying on Top means you have to make Tough Choices!

The Closing Ceremonies

Impressive Comments and Facts

“Peace, Tolerance and Respect was exhibited among all the Athletes”

“This is my Russia…our New Russia with a New Face to t he World.”

Steve Podborski ~ “Chef de Mission” for Canada’s 221 competing athletes stated,
“When any of  our competitors get broken... they get fixed…and they get back up!”

Of Interest:  Steve Podborski, born in Toronto, Ontario started skiing at age 2 ½ at Craigleith, near Collingwood.  He won 8 World cup downhill races.  He retired following the 1984 season at age 26.  In 1982, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985, Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1988 and Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.  Steve was on the bid committee for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia…responsible for international relations.

Four athletes were honoured for multiple medals at the Olympic Winter Games.
Haley Wickenheiser, Canadian Women’s Hockey Team,
has won 4 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal.
She was named twice as MVP.
On February 20, 2014, Haley was elected to
The International Olympic Committee’s Athlete Commission.

Tribute was paid to Russia’s classical arts: music, dance and opera.

Four flag poles stood tall in the vast arena.  One was flag-masted with the Olympic five rings. The second was Russia’s flag of horizontal blue, red and white stripes.  The third pole displayed the flag of Greece ~  honouring the First Olympic Games held in 1896.  The fourth flag was that of South Korea where the Olympic Winter Games will be held in 2018 (February 9-25).  The Olympic flag was passed from Sochi, Russia to the Mayor of Pyeongchang, South Korea…a city of approximately 44,000 people and located in the Taebaek Mountains.  The theme for these Olympics is…New Horizons.

The Olympic Flame

You may recall the three Russian mascots:  the snow leopard (an endangered specie)…the Arctic (or mountain) hare…and the polar beareach possessing characteristics of speed, strength and agility (along with wintery aspects).  These loveable mascots bade “farewell" with the waving of their paws and with tears spilling from their eyes).  The giant polar bear…blew out the flame.  Fireworks exploded in an enormous display, including  bursts of the 5 Olympic rings…while millions of people around the world watched.  The night view of Sochi beside the Black Sea became an enticing “fairyland resort” of twinkling colourful lights, dramatic fireworks and stars in the midnight sky.

Scott Russell of CBC commented, “Both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies have been Grandiose!
It’s been the Disneyland of the Olympics!”

There is no such thing as an “unassisted goal”.
Parents, grand parents, car -pool drivers, trainers, coaches,
numerous competitions, sports psychologists and funding ~
all play “an assist” in the game of sport.
(Message from Canadian Tire)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr…February 24. 2014
To comment, e-mail to…inezkate@gmail.com  or  mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca

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