This is incredibly late, but my internet wasn't working the day I wrote this and then I got slammed in terms of my schedule, so here it is:
After starting out with much controversy, including lack of snow and glitches in the Opening Ceremony, the Olympics definitely closed with a bang. The Canadian portion of the Closing Ceremony was probably the best I've ever seen in terms of a closer. It's great that a country is able to make fun of itself, and the inflated beavers and moose certainly helped, as did the makeshift bubble hockey game.
Props to Joannie Rochette for doing as well as she did, especially under her circumstances. And Kim Yu-Na may be the best figure skater since Michelle Kwan, and has already one-upped her with the gold medal.
I'm disappointed that the United States didn't keep up the pace in terms of gold medals after starting off so well, but setting the record for total medals not only in U.S. history but in Winter Games history is no small feat, so congratulations to Team USA.
Being one of those four-year observers, or one who only follows most Olympic sports once every four years during the two week period known as the Olympics, there were parts that still confused me. For example, why were Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto scored how they were, and why weren’t they better than the top three? Not much insight was given into that. Nevertheless, the performances were mesmerizing, and this gives me a new appreciation for these skaters. Not just the ice dancers, but everybody, though this may have to do with the fact that I can barely skate myself, much less do lifts, throws, spins, jumps, or even go backwards or stop.
What really got me, though, was the medal ceremony. This part is always a beautiful moment, with the athletes celebrating their accomplishments that they have worked their whole lives for, congratulating each other, getting teary-eyed hearing their anthems and watching their flags rise from the ground, and being happy in general. But it’s something even special when the athletes are singing the national anthem themselves, and not just mouthing it, but really getting into it, like Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir did last night. Add in the fact that the whole crowd was singing “O, Canada”, and it definitely sends chills up your spine. “O, Canada” really isn’t a bad anthem, and perhaps even beautiful. It’s very patriotic, smooth, and elegant. And the fact that the entire crowd at Pacific Coliseum, as well as at BC Place when moguls skier Alexandre Bilodeau received the first Canadian Olympic gold medal on home soil, and it’s incredible. Canadians are a proud people, even if they try to be humble, and these games have shown it.
On the other hand, too much pride can be a bad thing. Their “Own the Podium” campaign has fallen flat, having all but conceded the medals race to the United States in terms of total medals. Sometimes, a little humility can be a good thing, even for a people who are quite humble to begin with.
Bode Miller was known for his partying and blowing everything off in Turin in 2006, but so far this year at the age of 32, he’s won three medals in three events, including one gold. Just think, if he had been committed throughout his life like he has this year, how great could he have been? Could we be talking about the best skier of all time? I can’t help but feel some potential was wasted here, despite what he’s done so far. Also, if he had medaled in his last two events, that would have given him seven total Olympic medals, which surpasses former speedskater Bonnie Blair the former most decorated U. S. Winter Olympian in history. We could have had two athletes, including Apolo Ohno, surpass the former record in one Games. That would finally mean the U. S. is getting stronger in winter sports.
By the way, Ohno should not have been disqualified when he did. That smells of home country bias, since the Canadian Francois-Louis Tremblay fell in the 500 meters. A small piece of revenge from the Canadian judge to take away a silver, even though Ohno did not have enough force in his bracing hand to push Tremblay down. Ohno has handled himself with grace, to his great credit.
Lindsey Vonn is a competitor. I don’t know how hurt that shin was, though she seemed like she was in pain. And if she was, winning gold and bronze and being one small mistake from a medal in another is quite good.
Shaun White is probably the best snowboarder ever. The air he gets is incredible, his tricks are mind-boggling, and his competitive spirit and love of fun is high. If it were me, I probably would have just gone down the middle of the pipe if I knew I had already won the event, but of course White performed his second run, and even improved on his score. And it was worth it too, seeing that Double McTwist 1260 at the end. I have a lot of respect for the women as well, since it takes incredibly gifted athletes to compete, but it’s almost a letdown seeing the women after the men since they don’t get as much air and don’t have as many twists and turns in their tricks because of that, and that’s the reason to watch halfpipe anyway.
Short track speedskating is dizzying to watch. I wonder how they keep from getting nauseous (besides years of training, of course). It’s also quite fun, with the unpredictability and the lack of stoicism on the ice and in the standings at any given time. And it makes for some unlikely rivalries, with South Koreans for some reason despising Ohno. I know why they did in Salt Lake City in 2002, with Ohno throwing his hands up after allegedly being blocked by Kim Dong-Sung. But I don’t understand it now. Old grudges die hard, I guess?
That gold medal hockey game was amazing. Zach Parise scoring with 25 seconds left was epic, and then Sidney Crosby coming back to score in overtime against an incredible Ryan Miller was a great ending, even if it didn't go the way I would've preferred. Congratulations to the men's hockey team as well for their result, after being predicted to not medal and then going undefeated all the way up to the gold medal game.
I'm proud though that USA finally beat Canada in hockey for the first time in fifty years in round play, and what a game it was. Ryan Miller has to be one of the best goalies currently playing, surviving that barrage of shots from an incredibly talented Canadian team, and stopping most of them. Despite that, the U. S. played physically themselves, though I would caution them to work on their defense a little more. Furthermore, is it just me, or has Martin Brodeur looked a little off lately? Is his age and/or the pressure catching up to him?
Cross-country skiing and biathlon are actually quite fun to watch, especially at the end when there are often photo finishes, and a lot of passing before then. And Norway has nothing to worry about with regards to their program. They have some world-class athletes out there, and they’ve gotten their medals as well.
Stephen Colbert is funny. As is his moose. I can see how some people may think the gag is old, or not even funny in the first place, but I like when Mary Carillo interacts with it. It lightens up the mood. And a side note, how does Cris Collinsworth, a football analyst, get to cover Olympic sports and even comment about them? Granted, he’s doing a decent job for someone whose life has mostly been about football. But NBC must have known something we don’t, taking someone with a job that requires little crossover or outside knowledge and sticking him in the biggest athletic stage in the world. Tiki Barber can learn a thing or two.
And finally, a thought about the Men’s Figure Skating competition. Yevgeny Plushenko is a talented skater, and probably the best in the world. But on that night, Evan Lysacek just had a better performance. Yes, Plushenko landed a quadruple jump. But the way scoring is set up now rewards the entire program, including footwork, which in my opinion Lysacek focused on more than Plushenko and thus did better. If the sport were all about jumps, then just go out and jump and see who can turn the most before landing. But it’s figure skating, not figure jumping. It’s tough for a favorite to lose, no question, especially if he was leading after the short program and skated well enough in the long program to win. But Lysacek won, fair and square. Just saying.
