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Well! It came, it made a big splash and now it's moving on to Russia.

Well! It came, it made a big splash and now it's moving on to Russia. The beast that is the Olympics hit us hard and now we wander around Whistler in a daze as we marvel at how quickly a beast that size can disappear after we watched its laborious approach for seven long years.

The most common analogy is that of the "Olympic hangover" and it truly does look like the day after a big party, as semi-confused faces wander around now-vacant stages in the midst of deconstruction, wondering what to do with themselves now that the fabled beast known as "2010" has come and gone.

With the possible exception of my buddy, Ken, nobody I've seen looks all that nauseous, but there is a palpable feeling of "now what?" clouding the atmosphere; fond reminiscence blended with an unseen future.

I suppose the analogy also fits in well with the most common protest about how the Olympics are "just" a two week celebration. My question to those protesters is: how is a celebration of peace, unity and the pursuit of excellence a bad thing? These are all intangible concepts, but do they truly lose any value because they can't be packaged and sold off a shelf?

Sure they cost a lot, but how much does it cost to inspire a nation or to remind a world that humans from different borders can compete without bloodshed?

We were reminded, no, we were taught, that Canadians can not only stand on the world stage with our heads held high but we can stand on the very top of the podium with the most gold medals ever won by any nation in the history of the Winter Olympics.

And one of the things I'm most proud of is the fact (belief?) that we managed to accomplish a successful Olympic Games while still maintaining our grace and our sportsmanship. We embraced all different corners of our nation in order to welcome the world into our home, and we welcomed them with open arms and bigger smiles. It may sound rather "un-Canadian" of me, but I am quite proud of how we showed off to the world for the past two weeks.

There are many legacies that are left behind by these Olympics/Paralympics, such as new housing, new athletic facilities and new infrastructure, but I hope the most lasting legacy we see all through Canada is the belief that seeking excellence is a good thing, and that we should no longer be content to just show up, while whining about how arrogant those Americans are for always trying to win everything.

We have always been known as the Great White North; I hope a new generation of Canadian kids grows up believing that the Greatness can refer to far more than just our land mass.

I know there are still many who disagree with me, and hold fast to their belief that the Olympic/Paralympic dream is a big waste of money, and I'm fine with that. Criticism helped improve our Games to what I consider to be a high level of excellence and I'm thankful for that.

The Olympics/Paralympics are definitely not for everyone. They are for the type of people who believe that the world might not be flat, that the four-minute mile can be broken, that man can play golf on the moon, that nobody is "confined to a wheelchair," that if something can be done, it can be done better, and that there is value in committing to doing something better than it has ever been done before.

And for those of you who do enjoy watching those who embrace the pursuit of excellence, be sure to check out the Paralympics which begin on March 12 th . The party may be a smaller "after party" but the athletes train just as hard as the able-bodied ones do and you're watching athletes who are not doing it for the (nearly non-existent) glory and accolades, they are truly doing it to push their bodies to achieve excellence in their sport.

If you thought it was exciting to see the Olympic skiers tearing down the downhill course at incredible speeds, wait until you see people doing it with limited vision or while riding "a bucket" at over 120km/h.

Pete Crutchfield

Whistler

 

An amazing team

Now that I have had a few days to reflect on the past few weeks, I would like to publicly thank the amazing team at the Whistler Sliding Centre - from the track crew, to the volunteers, to the management group, to the medical crew, to the plant operators, to the sport administrators, to the guest relations staff and everybody in between. I always knew this team was dedicated, passionate, and talented, but in the past few months they took their game to an entirely new level and in the face of adversity hung together and made us all remarkably proud.

So if you bump into folks wearing a WSC jacket or ball cap this summer, don't be shy, reach out with a high-five and thank them for a job well done. Great work guys!

Paul Shore

Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies

 

Leftovers could be legacies

An Olympic legacy, which would be the icing on the cake of a great Olympics, would be if VANOC would send all their sizable inventory of white tents to Haiti to aid survivors.

Similarly, General Motors would do well to try to soften their image by sending a considerable number of trucks there. After all, they were produced in part with the $80 billion of support provided by Canadian and American taxpayers.

Kudos to Sleep Country, who already committed all the thousands of Olympic beds to needy Canadian families.

Lennox McNeely

Whistler

 

A moving Olympic experience

My wife and I have returned to our hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, after having spent almost five weeks in your glorious part of the world. We were part of the 250 or so bus drivers from across Canada who had the privilege of being part of the Olympic experience. I think I can say for most drivers that it was overall a positive, uplifting experience that had its share of challenges.

The first week was difficult as all of us had 2 1/2 days to try and learn new routes in two cities we weren't familiar with. Some of us struggled more than others but for the most part, things went smoothly. We are most thankful to the people of Whistler and Squamish who went out of their way to help us and give us much needed directions when required.

The overwhelming majority of people we met were great ambassadors for your area. They were polite, helpful, informative and a pleasure to deal with.

An event of this size is going to have some logistical problems and there were a fair share of them. I believe that most of them were dealt with and resolved in a timely order.

There are, of course, some negatives we could dwell on. But after being home for almost a week, it seems so irrelevant that they don't even deserve mention.

Again, thanks to your communities, all the VANOC volunteers and anyone else involved in this spectacle. We have memories and pictures to last a lifetime. Our hats off and kudos to you all.

Can't wait to come back on vacation and admire your spectacular landscape and people.

Ron and Debbie Hebert

Thunder Bay, Ont.

 

Where are the morals...

Like so many residents and business owners, I looked with great anticipation to the Olympics. Propaganda made me believe that the Olympic Games were going to be good for our community, so I wholeheartedly supported the process. How exciting it would be!

Then misinformation, conflicting news reports, along with four years of enduring road construction that discouraged travel, that taxpayers are not permitted to drive. Our parking lots virtually empty, residents and travelers denied parking.

Well, it worked. Our life-sustaining winter traffic was truly discouraged. Here we sit with Creekside businesses behind fences, hotels undersold and a majority of other businesses suffering huge financial losses because of these irresponsible acts. Intrawest, due to its size, is able to achieve compensation, but what about the small business owner? Where is the justice for the hub of the Canadian economy? There have been serious errors in decision-making, but any accountability? It appears that anything is possible if it means smooth running Games; even if it denies our community the ability to support and sustain itself.

Don't get me wrong, I still cheer, but it is bittersweet.

Adele M Anderson

Whistler business owner

 

Reflections on the Games

Oh Canada. How you make me smile in knowing you are my home. Sure am glad I hung around in Whistler to watch these last few weeks unfold! Whatever your take on the general ethics of the IOC - or for that matter VANOC - the story told to the world of our wondrous nation is one that made many of us so very proud.

Whether emanated through the brilliance of the athletes, messaged through one of the ceremonies, or conveyed through simple gestures while walking down the Village Stroll, this was a celebration of unity, of multiculturalism, determination and openness. Janice McKenzie you are right - we live in one of the warmest and most welcoming places in the World. If 2010's Olympic spectators didn't get that before they sure as hell are telling that story now!

The opening ceremony had me gripped. Spectacular performances incorporating totem poles, dance and chants depicting our first inheritors, to captivating images of prized virtues mother earth so freely gives - the grace of the orca and benevolent might of the spirit bear, from the vigor and splendor of the immigrant's tap, to the dreamy flight of a Saskatchewan boy reflecting the journey of his soul's lament... the entire ceremony was simply bursting with messages communicating all that Canada now is.

Something John Furlong said really hit the mark. For this is in part a land that unites so many - both a people born of the land who carry lanterns of tradition and culture rooted in a wisdom that lies deep within, and those who are born of - or come as Canada's new immigrants from around the world choosing to make it their home.

To speak of the latter (for I am one), as conveyed through the words of John Vancouver - whether immigrants cast from where we came, or simply unable to resist the magical allure that is Canada, we are drawn together to this amazing place - exploration and creativity living and breathing deep within our core. Perhaps particularly blessed here in British Columbia - with each passing day, inspiration from unfathomable beauty feeds our spirits energizing action from the simple theories they would otherwise be.

To me, the real legacy of the Games is the connections we make.

The very fact that we feel such pride at being seen in this light of unity and open embrace, and the fact that others around the globe share how rich indeed this is gives me great hope for the future - for the collaboration and peace the entire world must find.

For when we can stand as one world supporting each other's virtues in each and every way, all will be empowered and much needed change will come.

Hold on though - with the Paralympics in our wake we're far from done yet! Consider the story they tell. To me it's one of unrivaled perseverance - never giving up no matter what life throws our way. May the athletes inspire us to consider how we keep the flame alive - far beyond the torch itself. How can we as individuals, as a community, as an entire nation stoke a fire so bright, that the smiles created throughout these last two weeks continue to spread from cheek to cheek - on every brow, on every face wherever and on whoever they may be.

Caroline Smalley

Canadian Citizen!

 

Thanks for the memories

Wow! Was that not the best 17 days we've ever seen? Can you believe that we were in the centre of it all; our name was on everyone's lips, people are taking a piece of us home with them, that they might come back because it was such an incredible time here. We really shared ourselves with the world!

On Feb. 13, Day One of the Games, walking through the village you could feel it in the air that something had changed. There was no feeling of gloom, no feeling of doubt, no underlying sense of "what have we gotten ourselves into?" Everyone was smiling, there were all kinds of people walking around in team/country jackets and children from all over the world were enjoying themselves on the new playground at Celebration Plaza.

My daughter is almost two years old. She probably won't remember this moment in her life. But she has a Team Canada jersey with pins from all over the world adorning the front, she has photos of herself at events, she has her Olympic mascots, she has her mommy and daddy who are dreaming that maybe she's one of those next-generation athletes who could compete on the world stage.

Certainly, we can acknowledge that a button-hole amount of money was spent on hosting these Games. Certainly, we can acknowledge that that money could've been better spent on solving some problems. Certainly, we can acknowledge that an opportunity to be greedy resulted in many getting the short end of the stick (I would argue that that greed was already an underlying factor to begin with).

Certainly, though, we can agree that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has changed our community and dare I say, our country, in a way that only hosting the Games can. From coast to coast to coast we have been united in celebrating our athletes and the joy of their achievement in sport and can-do attitudes. There has to be something healthy and "worth it" that comes from that; let's make sure of it.

Yes, Own the Podium was a far-reaching goal. Heck, we came darn close, though. We've won more gold medals as host country of the Winter Olympics than any other host country before us. We saw our first home-turf gold medal, we saw our first three-gold medals in one day and some of us get to say "I was at the finish line/in the arena/on the course" for those moments.

We watched hometown heroes achieve their dreams and we were devastated to see some not quite make it. We celebrated the wins of other countries like good sportsmen and women do and then were exuberant in our own. Our team spirit grew by the medal and, yes, winning isn't everything but golly if isn't nice to see our country's flag raised and our national anthem sung in our house. That's "owning" something if you ask me.

Thanks need to be given and forgive me if I miss someone, I'm only going from the experiences I had during these Games.

To the volunteers in their blue coats and toques with their endless smiles and "how's your day," even though many of you aren't from Whistler you sure as heck made me feel even more welcome in my own town than I've ever felt before. Thank you for that.

To the bus drivers who came on board a week out and had to put up with the frustrated people who expected you to know it all on your first day, thank you for being here and making it so easy to leave the car at home - riding the bus is now our daughter's favourite thing to do!

Thank you to the RCMP officers for being here and making us feel safe, even if some felt that we were "too" safe.

Thank you to the visitors from other countries who asked us to be in your photos and wanted to take pictures with us, how fun to know that we're a part of your memories of Whistler and the 2010 Olympics.

To the athletes, from every country, for being strong and inspiring and playing your best and being humble and gracious in your victories - you make me well up when I think about watching you in your collective moments. Be proud of yourselves, for a long time.

And finally, thank you to my fellow Whistlerites. We sure know how to host the party, eh?

P.S. What are we supposed to wear now?

Aimee Decaigny

Whistler

 

Salmon threatened

How about that game, eh?

OK, let's get down to business. Our noble governments are facilitating the demise of our wild salmon stocks. Anyone who disagrees with that statement is either delusional or blissfully unaware. Go ahead and please prove me wrong.

Don't take my word for it. Checkout the website for Alexandra Morton (alexandramorton.typepad.com). I suggest an effort to nominate Alexandra for a Governor General Award. Any takers?

If you insist on "fair and balanced" see the Goebbels school of information dissemination website salmonfarmers.org.

Now lets see if anyone rises to that fly pattern.

Bruce Kay

Whistler

 

True community service

Could you express our gratitude to the Re-Use-It Centre group for their service to our community? The store is well organized and staff go out of their way to help consumers. As golden age citizens we are grateful for their service.

Nora and Tom Mares

Whistler