Superb!
Held at the Rogers Centre ~ called the Pan
American Dome ~ for the
Opening and Closing Ceremonies. I wept with a tissue or
two...emotionally with pride, watching the participating athletes as
they en-massed the Dome in uniform representing their countries and
waving their nation's flag...
6100
of them from 41 countries (North America, South America and the
Caribbean)...vying for medals in their individual sports. Peter
Mansbridge and Scott Russell, broadcasters with CBC, professionally
walked us through the proceedings. I
share some of my highlights from the 3-hour TV coverage.
The
ceremony kicked off with a gravity-daring stunt from Olympic gold
medallist Donovan Bailey in a pre-taped bit that depicted members of
Canada's Olympic gold medal-winning 1996 4x100 relay team trotting
the Pan American flame around Toronto and eventually to the top of
the CN Tower. Bailey was the last to receive the flame and promptly
base-jumped off the 533-metre-high structure in free-fall, then
parachuting onto the roof of the Dome. The star sprinter then
appeared live in the stadium, descending from the ceiling. WOW!
The
crowd of over 45,000 rose to its feet as Team Canada...717 of
them...led by flag-bearer and veteran paddler, Mark Oldershaw of
Burlington, marched into the stadium...whistling and cheering in a
standing ovation that lasted until the athletes themselves took their
seats.
Margarita
Caropresi, 53, who came to Canada from Mexico 17 years ago, said,
“The thrill of seeing my native country and my adopted one is
almost too much for me to bear. I haven't been able to sleep for a
week.” She brought a small Mexican flag, beaded necklaces in the
country's colours and a pendant that includes both the Canadian and
Mexican flags. “That's a big thing in Latin America. Here it's
just like another game but for us it's the PAN AM ~ so we celebrate
this as a serious thing...like the Olympics.”
Roberto
de Olivera, 39, came from Brazil to volunteer for the Games and said
the chance to support his national team was a 'dream
come true'. “Maybe
I'll cry too,” he said. “Because it's emotional to see your
country from the outside. When you live there, you don't feel the
same, but when you go outside your country, you feel proud because
they represent you outside.”
Hometown pride was also in full force...
with the crowd a sea of red and white.
The
one-hour stage presentation depicted children, who molding their
young lives, became youth of teenage with a dream; they challenge
themselves with courage and determination to become the dream's
reality...however, they face failure, injuries, disappointments and
often depression with these setbacks...then trying recover, it
becomes difficult to 'climb the ladder' to the top of their potential
abilities to performance levels...physically, psychologically and
artistically. Creatively designed by Cirque
du Soleil,
performed by them and with Toronto ballet dancers, it was superbly
set to music and represented just what it took to become competing
athletes of the caliber seen here at the Games.
After speeches and 'oaths' were taken by athletes and judges,
the
Pan American flame was transferred to the cauldron.
Pine
Cone Cauldron Forged in Hamilton
Janie
Ginsberg (Hamilton Spectator) writes: The
Pan Am cauldron is a 34-tonne multi-coloured pine cone ~ and a
Hamilton legacy. Lit at the opening ceremonies on Friday night, the
cauldron can be found burning at the Pan Am Dome at 1Blue Jays Way in
Toronto.
Designed
by Cirque du Soleil's creative team and manufactured by Arcelor
Mittal Dofasco in Hamilton, it represents the work of more than 5,400
employees. “We've had tremendous support from people being
involved in the manufacturing of the steel that went into the
cauldron,” said the steelmaker's CEO, Sean Donnelly.
Ten
types of steel went into the creation of the giant pine cone,
with
each scale laser cut with an image of a Pan Am sport.
The
project was 18 months in the making.
The
inspiration for the pine cone design was actually sketched on a
napkin, Cirque du Soleil creative director Jean Guibert said at a
news conference on Thursday. “There is a great human story around
the cauldron,” he said.
Donnelly
said the cauldron is more than a work of art; it acts as a metaphor
for Arcelor's performance.
He
stated, “The Games themselves are about presenting athletes that
strive to continue improving their performance...and we are building
the competitive fire within our organization to drive results that we
need to be a world-class performer in our industry.”
Although
the official cauldron will stay in Toronto after the Games,
a
replica...'the people's cauldron'...which is a third of the size
will
remain on Hamilton soil.
Back
in January, Arcelor and TO2015 hosted an event that brought 300
people from 30 communities together in Hamilton to take part in the
replica's creation. Each group was told to create art,
representative of their community using pine cones. The designs were
then used to inspire the creation of the scales of the cone on
cauldron, which were finally created by artists from Toronto-based
non-profit 'Steps Initiative' program.
“For
us,it's about the legacy of the cauldron itself,” said Donnelly.
“Arcelor
employees take extensive pride in seeing the fruits of their work
in
two beautiful cauldrons.”
“Our
aspirations are our possibilities” (Robert Browning)
“Dreams
are like the paints of a great artist.
Your dreams are your paints...the world is your canvas.
Believing...is the brush that converts your dreams into a masterpiece
of reality.”
(Author unknown)
(Author unknown)
Merle
Baird-Kerr...written July 11, 2015
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