Believe

So the 2010 Vancouver Olympics are over.



For 17 awesome days, Canada united as a country and believed. We kind of had to, brainwashed by the media into listening to that song over and over again.

There were so many firsts for Canadians in this Olympics. First gold on home soil, first ice dance gold, first ski cross gold, first time we heard O Canada officially played 14 times and unofficially sang hundreds more.

And there was a first for me too. For the first time in my life I fully grasped the emotions that these athletes go through during the course of competition. Ok, hardly on the same scale of world grandeur, but somewhat comparable on a personal level.

Take what happened to Cheryl Bernard. During the very last moments of the gold medal game in Women's Curling, she missed a shot that every single Canadian knew she could have made in her sleep. A shot she has made a thousand times before.



"Pretty routine double," Bernard said. "Rubbed it, missed it by a millimeter. Couldn't ask for an easier shot."


Bernard runs out of magic



While the rest of the country sat in disbelief at what they had just witnessed, I thought, 'I know how that feels'. Then I realized, wait a second, I do know how that feels. Lola and I, in the past, have run a flawless jumpers course only to have her dash right by the very last obstacle; the tire, hoop, that horrible burning ring of fire, which is how I saw it that day.
Yup, we know what's like to be in second place when you wanted that gold so badly. But we also know what's it like to have friends and family rally around you and declare what a great run that was, point out your exceptional footwork, and say you'll get it next time.

I have to believe that Canadians will rally around Cheryl Bernard, declare what a great tournament that was, point out all those stones she amazingly curled, and say you'll get it next time.