This is the first year I haven't been glued to the TV watching the Olympics in all my recollection.. We gave up TV for 2010 as a cost saving and personal growth measure and it's kinda funny that I don't miss it at all... except for the Olympic coverage, so I've been scouring my hometown newspaper online reading up on the Canadian personalities, the hopes and dreams, triumphs and tears and also finding commentary online, around the blogosphere, around facebook and twitter and in phone conversations with my family.
The story that has touched my heart the most, is probably the same one touching all Canadians, and that's both the tragedy and triumph of Joannie Rochette, the wonderful Canadian figure skater who skated to a Bronze Medal last night, despite losing her mother to a massive heart attack on Sunday as she was preparing to watch her daughter compete in Vancouver. To have had the grace and fortitude to grieve in public and still hold it together to both skate and compete on an international level is inspiring!
I'm also so proud of all the medal winners and really, all of the athletes who made it to the Olympics! That's a huge accomplishment in itself and I think the metallic haze sometimes overshadows the awe inspiring accomplishment of just competing at that level at all!
My heart and wishes go out to the family and teammates of Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian luger whose tragic death in a training run cast a shadow over the start of the Olympics.
As the final events culminate this Olympic Games... I look to the future and 2012 games and wonder if we'll continue our no tv experiment or we'll be back, glued to the screen to watch the Canadians compete in London!
