It’s not even MY national anthem!
I don’t usually get into the winter Olympics, but this year, I’m totally hooked. I have the “Today” show on the TV most mornings while I work, and since NBC is handling all the Olympic coverage, there’s a lot of morning show content about the games, the athletes and the backstories involved. I found myself concerned for Lindsey Vonn and her shin injury. I caught myself cheering for the highly-favored Chinese pairs skating team. I watched Seth Wescott’s unlikely come-from-behind win at snowboard cross last night (damn, that was one great race). But the most emotional moment for me so far has been Alexandre Bilodeau’s gold medal win, the first time a Canadian athlete has won gold on home soil.
I didn’t actually see Bilodeau’s run on the moguls. I saw clips of it, and I heard that the long Canadian gold drought was over. But last night, I saw the medal ceremony. I was moved. I might have cried a little bit as “O Canada” started to play and that maple leaf flag started to rise. And it’s not even MY anthem or MY flag! I was just so happy for Bilodeau, and for Canada.
Bilodeau is a young, attractive guy who draws inspiration from Frederic, his brother who has cerebal palsy. It was pretty wonderful to see clips of the two of them together, hugging and celebrating. Bilodeau even admits that he had been a hockey nut at heart, but he gave up hockey for skiing as a kid because skiing was something that Frederic could do along with him. Bilodeau is a young man who is truly devoted to his family, and that makes him more than just an Olympian; it makes him a good guy. And we love to see a good guy win gold.
Canada is a country that seems to attract gentle mockery and general indifference, so for these Vancouver Olympic games, it’s great to see the home team representing, in both athleticism and national pride. And now this morning, “O Canada” is stuck in my head. I don’t know all the words, but I know enough to fake the parts I don’t know. I really dig it as a national anthem; in fact, I like it more than ours, although I freely admit that I might not love it as much if I’d grown up with it the way I grew up with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” I love hearing both songs at hockey games (love me some HOCKEY!). And as these Olympics continue to unfold, I look forward to hearing both songs frequently as both Canadian and American athletes take to the podium, receive the gold and watch their flags rise up before them.
My only minor whine: Alexandre Bilodeau didn’t cry during the medal ceremony. Seriously, dude?? Yours is the first gold your country has ever earned on home soil, and you’re watching your flag and hearing your national anthem as you stand there with that gold medal around your neck, and you don’t muster a single tear? He looked happy, delighted, moved and a little dazed, but he didn’t cry. Oh, well… I guess they can’t all be emotional wrecks. Besides, I cried enough for the both of us.
