Olympic Wrap Up

So after years of preparation and anticipation, the Olympics have now come and gone, leaving Whistler and its residents in its whirlwind wake. As an avid reader of our local magazine The Pique I have come across a variety of opinions on the Olympics, people who hated the idea, people who loved it, others ambivalent, others who changed their mind etc. I must admit to being one of the lovers, and I feel that the atmosphere in the village and around the world reflected a united view that these games are something to be proud of.

One of the most overpowering things for me is the dedication of the athletes to their chosen sports and also their supporters. The athletes must go through the wringer physically and mentally to compete in such events, I mean how on earth do you get into sports like the skeleton? This places g forces, that even astronauts do not feel on take off, each time they go down the track. I watched reporters ask brutal questions to athletes that didn’t meet their own or others expectations and marvelled at their ability to shrug them off. It puts things into perspective as I go through my very ordinary feeling life two weeks later.

For those spectators that cheered although being beaten with wind and rain, stamping feet against the cold, it must have been amazing to see your faces and hear those cheers when coming to the finish line. Those family members who must have travelled thousands of miles to watch their dads, moms, sons, daughters, sisters and brothers compete, good on you.

Favourite Points of the Winter 2010