Showing posts with label national pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label national pride. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Words from Whistler

Canada Wins Gold in Skeleton

The atmosphere is electric at Whistler as Jon Montgomery wins gold today in skeleton. Canadians are celebrating throughout the village, flags are waving and the mood is one of pride and excitement.

In fact, all day family, friends and visitors exude a positive energy as they embrace the Olympic spirit. People everywhere are wearing their Canadian apparel and talking about the Olympics. Families boarding the plane in Ottawa wear their Canadian sweaters, passengers from Calgary are pumped about attending the Canada hockey games and amateur photographers on the bus traveling to Whistler are scrambling to take photos of the venues and magnificent west coast scenery. National pride is shining brightly.

Walking through town you feel a common bond with strangers just because they are wearing Canada proudly on their sleeves. Earlier this week, while skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, I felt the same kindred spirit with fellow skaters sporting the easily recognized "red mitts". The Olympics have given Canadians something to talk about, to unite around and to celebrate together. So let's enjoy the moment, appreciate the national passion stirring within us and keep cheering "Go Canada Go".

Keep watching for more "Words from Whistler" as our very own Debra Gassewitz, President and CEO, spends the next week at Whistler. You can find Debra at Canada House, Whistler.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Words from Whistler

O Canada,

The women continue to bring the house down. Canada won gold in women’s hockey. The game vs the USA was electric to the end and the cheers were thunderous as the Canadian women reclaimed their Olympic title.

While the Canadian anthem was playing in Vancouver tonight, it was also reverberating off the mountain walls in Whistler for the double medal ceremony for women’s bobsleigh where yesterday we won gold with the team of Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse and silver with Helen Upperton and brakeman Shelley-Ann Brown. It’s hard to describe the feelings you experience when you see your flag raised high above the others and hear the anthem echoing off the mountains. Surrounded by thousands of spectators from around the world you hear this soft rumble begin as the familiar lyrics to O Canada become audible. And then, ever so quickly, all the voices become a unified chorus as they sing out our national anthem loud and strong and you can’t help but feel overwhelmed as the singing and cheering reach their crescendo at the finale. Sport is such a wonderful vehicle to allow us to show our national pride, to unite us from coast to coast as we celebrate who we are and what we can achieve.

The Olympic Games brings the world together as we celebrate both athletic triumphs and the strength of human spirit. Tonight the world cheered as Joannie Rochette skated with determination and beauty as she completed her long freeskate. She demonstrated not only exceptional athletic ability in completing a technically and artistically challenging program but also the incredible strength of her inner will power to skate after experiencing personal tragedy earlier in the week. We are all part of a global sport community and regardless of the nationality; everyone wanted to see Joannie skate well. Congratulations Joannie, not only did you skate very well, you won the Olympic bronze medal!