It might be accurate to say that every Canadian was hoping to see Canada win all 3 gold medals in the hockey events. After the conclusion of the Olympic Games, all was good, but since Thursday those dreams were shattered. Canada's sledge hockey team lost 3-1 to Japan, of all countries, in the semi-finals which knocked them out of running. Today they played for bronze, and I know I thought it was a sure win, but I guess I was wrong. Canada lost 2-1 to Norway. Although the sledge team may not have done as well as us Canadians wanted, they did have a great tournament. I think Canadian expectations were too high.
Unfortunately I did not get to see Canada play live, but I did watch their games on TV. I will say Canada played amazingly in all of their games. They are aggressive, they were fast, they could stick handle and pass like a team. I don't think it was for lack of effort that we did not medal, and there's no chance in my mind that it was due to lack of talent. The 2010 Canadian sledge hockey team was talented, and hard working, but I just think Canada doesn't dominate this sport as much as regular ice hockey. I think some teams in this tournament have really proven themselves and came out to be shockingly good. The Japanese and Korean for example.
I kind of feel bad for the poor team. Canada put so much pressure on them, expecting the third gold in hockey. The team played well and tried their best, and that's all we could ask for. I hope they don't feel like they've let down our country because they played amazing and tried so hard, and that's all we could have asked for. We are proud of you boys! And Sochi 2014 will be our time to shine.
Showing posts with label Paralympic Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paralympic Games. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Comparing and Contrasting
Liquid sunshine would sum up the weather today, but minus the weather, it was a wonderful day! It was the first event I have attended at Whistler, in fact any mountain event for that matter, and a great event it was.
Driving along the sea-to-sky highway on our way to Creekside, we were talking about how different the atmosphere is at the Paralympic Games compared to the Olympic Games. We talked about how at the Olympic Games, when Canada won a medal, the entire country knew about it with seconds, people were texting eachother "Did you hear about our gold?" And now at the Paralympic Games people barely even get excited over it.
An example of this is after the Women's Giant Slalom Visually Impaired, Canada came in third place which is amazing considering Canada's Viviane Forest fell in both of her races but managed to be fast enough to make up for it. Anyways, the commentator kind of announced who was in first, second and third, but they didn't really emphasize that these were the medal winners, and it wasn't until the next event started that we realized we had won a Paralympic medal. The crowd was obviously cheering, but it wasn't the same as at the Olympics where everyone would be whipping out their phones to update their friends.
Another difference we noticed with the Paralympics is that the crowd isn't so predominantly Canadian, there is much more diversity with the fans. We were trying to figure out why this might be; maybe because Canadians are partied out from the Olympic Games. or because there are less fans watching, then the groups from other countries stand out more? What are your thoughts?
Chris Williamson of Canada was 0.4 seconds away from medaling, which is super close for Paralympic Alpine Races, because another thing we noticed is the difference in racers in the Paralympics is a matter of a few seconds, and in the Olympics it was a matter of just milliseconds. For instance Canada's Viviane Forest was 9 seconds slower than the silver medalist who was 6 seconds behind first, where as in the Olympic Games it was a matter of 0.8 seconds between first and eleventh places.
Another difference between the two Games has been the security, I'm sure you heard about the huge amounts of security for the Olympic Games and now for the Paralympic Games there is absolutely none, you simply walk right into the venue. But besides from the actually venue security, even the athletes protection is much less. After these Paralympians raced they just came out into the public accessibility areas and talked with people, and they have no security or anything, you would have never seen that in the Olympic Games. Also the athletes seem more willing to talk to people, and it seems like they are enjoying the attention a little bit more than we saw with the Olympic athletes.
So as you have read there are plenty of differences between the two segments of the 2010 Winter Games, however there are many similarities as well. Something I learned the other day was that Paralympic means "parallel" as in parallel to the Olympic Games. So these games are related however they have their differences, and I think between the two of them, Vancouver 2010 will cater to everyone's interests and will be a huge success!
Driving along the sea-to-sky highway on our way to Creekside, we were talking about how different the atmosphere is at the Paralympic Games compared to the Olympic Games. We talked about how at the Olympic Games, when Canada won a medal, the entire country knew about it with seconds, people were texting eachother "Did you hear about our gold?" And now at the Paralympic Games people barely even get excited over it.
An example of this is after the Women's Giant Slalom Visually Impaired, Canada came in third place which is amazing considering Canada's Viviane Forest fell in both of her races but managed to be fast enough to make up for it. Anyways, the commentator kind of announced who was in first, second and third, but they didn't really emphasize that these were the medal winners, and it wasn't until the next event started that we realized we had won a Paralympic medal. The crowd was obviously cheering, but it wasn't the same as at the Olympics where everyone would be whipping out their phones to update their friends.
Another difference we noticed with the Paralympics is that the crowd isn't so predominantly Canadian, there is much more diversity with the fans. We were trying to figure out why this might be; maybe because Canadians are partied out from the Olympic Games. or because there are less fans watching, then the groups from other countries stand out more? What are your thoughts?
Chris Williamson of Canada was 0.4 seconds away from medaling, which is super close for Paralympic Alpine Races, because another thing we noticed is the difference in racers in the Paralympics is a matter of a few seconds, and in the Olympics it was a matter of just milliseconds. For instance Canada's Viviane Forest was 9 seconds slower than the silver medalist who was 6 seconds behind first, where as in the Olympic Games it was a matter of 0.8 seconds between first and eleventh places.
Another difference between the two Games has been the security, I'm sure you heard about the huge amounts of security for the Olympic Games and now for the Paralympic Games there is absolutely none, you simply walk right into the venue. But besides from the actually venue security, even the athletes protection is much less. After these Paralympians raced they just came out into the public accessibility areas and talked with people, and they have no security or anything, you would have never seen that in the Olympic Games. Also the athletes seem more willing to talk to people, and it seems like they are enjoying the attention a little bit more than we saw with the Olympic athletes.
So as you have read there are plenty of differences between the two segments of the 2010 Winter Games, however there are many similarities as well. Something I learned the other day was that Paralympic means "parallel" as in parallel to the Olympic Games. So these games are related however they have their differences, and I think between the two of them, Vancouver 2010 will cater to everyone's interests and will be a huge success!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Some Remarkable Stories
I have now been to 2 Wheelchair Curling Games courtesy of VANOC and I now have a better sense of how the sport works.
What might be even more interesting than the sport itself is the stories behind each and every athlete. After seeing our four Canadian curlers for the second time and seeing how amazing they are at what they do, I decided to look further into their histories.
Our women:
Ina Forrest and Sonja Gaudet
Ina Forrest is the teams "Second" and is from Armstrong, BC. Being a mother of 3 and owning her own business, Ina says the hardest thing about being an elite athlete is the time commitment. "Life is a journey so plan a great trip" is Ina's life motto, I think this says something about the drive and perseverance she has. When Ina was 21 years old she was hit by a car driven by an impaired driver which left her a paraplegic. It was in a Costco where a man approached Ina and stated that she should consider taking up wheelchair curling. She admitted that the sport didn't excite her all that much until she tried it for herself, then 2 weeks later she was hooked. Ina and teammate Sonja Gaudet curl in the same club in Vernon against able-bodied curlers.
Sonja Gaudet was on the Paralympic team in 2006 when Wheelchair Curling made its Paralympic debut, and Canada brought home the gold. Sonja is a North Vancouver baby, but now lives in Vernon, BC. She continues to row, bike, swim, play basketball and tennis even after her accident which claimed the use of her legs. Sonja was paralyzed after a fall from a horse which left her with severe spinal cord injuries. It wasn't until after the accident that Sonja got involved with curling, and almost the first time on the ice Sonja knew this was the sport for her. Sonja is an ambassador with the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. She also has a strong interest in accessibility issues. Sonja is currently a mother of two teenagers and she always says how her family comes first; her curling schedule must revolve around the lives of her family members.
Our Men:
Darryl Neighbour and Jim Armstrong
Darryl Neighbour is team Canada's "third", and is a paraplegic after falling from a roof in 2000. He is an ambassador of the Rick Hansen foundation and curls with two clubs: the Richmond Curling Club, and the Marpole Curling Club in Vancouver. Darryl is also a spokesperson for BC Wheelchair Sports, which makes his one very busy man. To top it all off, Darryl comes from a family of 7 girls and 7 boys. It was just 6 years ago that Darryl took up the sport and now he is hoping for a gold here in Vancouver with the help of his teammate Jim Armstrong who he says has lots of knowledge and experience in the game. At the age of 61, Darryl is probably one of the oldest athletes competing in these Games.
Jim Armstrong is known as a gentle giant and is the "skip" for our Canadian Wheelchair Curling team. To him, it doesn't seem like long ago that he was competing in the Brier, but things suddenly changed after a brutal car accident in 2003. After the accident Jim said he had no need or no interest in going to the rink, and it left a huge hole in his life. Jim missed the sport and the rink, but mostly the people, he said the social aspect was the hardest to get used to. Armstrong thought the rest of his life would be curling-free, and it wasn't until a former teammate suggested the sport that it even crossed his mind. Although Jim is happy to be competing in the Paralympic Games, it isn't all easy; he was in another car accident recently and is still recovering from a shoulder injury, and to top it all off, Jim just recently lost his wife to cancer. Armstrong says he wants to win the gold for his wife who has been so supportive, and just last year she stated that she only wanted one more thing from her life, and that was to see him compete in the 2010 Paralympic Games.
After this team of remarkable athletes played an amazing game against the Norwegians I had the chance to talk to Sonja Gaudet.
What might be even more interesting than the sport itself is the stories behind each and every athlete. After seeing our four Canadian curlers for the second time and seeing how amazing they are at what they do, I decided to look further into their histories.
Our women:
Ina Forrest and Sonja Gaudet
Ina Forrest is the teams "Second" and is from Armstrong, BC. Being a mother of 3 and owning her own business, Ina says the hardest thing about being an elite athlete is the time commitment. "Life is a journey so plan a great trip" is Ina's life motto, I think this says something about the drive and perseverance she has. When Ina was 21 years old she was hit by a car driven by an impaired driver which left her a paraplegic. It was in a Costco where a man approached Ina and stated that she should consider taking up wheelchair curling. She admitted that the sport didn't excite her all that much until she tried it for herself, then 2 weeks later she was hooked. Ina and teammate Sonja Gaudet curl in the same club in Vernon against able-bodied curlers.
Sonja Gaudet was on the Paralympic team in 2006 when Wheelchair Curling made its Paralympic debut, and Canada brought home the gold. Sonja is a North Vancouver baby, but now lives in Vernon, BC. She continues to row, bike, swim, play basketball and tennis even after her accident which claimed the use of her legs. Sonja was paralyzed after a fall from a horse which left her with severe spinal cord injuries. It wasn't until after the accident that Sonja got involved with curling, and almost the first time on the ice Sonja knew this was the sport for her. Sonja is an ambassador with the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. She also has a strong interest in accessibility issues. Sonja is currently a mother of two teenagers and she always says how her family comes first; her curling schedule must revolve around the lives of her family members.
Our Men:
Darryl Neighbour and Jim Armstrong
Darryl Neighbour is team Canada's "third", and is a paraplegic after falling from a roof in 2000. He is an ambassador of the Rick Hansen foundation and curls with two clubs: the Richmond Curling Club, and the Marpole Curling Club in Vancouver. Darryl is also a spokesperson for BC Wheelchair Sports, which makes his one very busy man. To top it all off, Darryl comes from a family of 7 girls and 7 boys. It was just 6 years ago that Darryl took up the sport and now he is hoping for a gold here in Vancouver with the help of his teammate Jim Armstrong who he says has lots of knowledge and experience in the game. At the age of 61, Darryl is probably one of the oldest athletes competing in these Games.
Jim Armstrong is known as a gentle giant and is the "skip" for our Canadian Wheelchair Curling team. To him, it doesn't seem like long ago that he was competing in the Brier, but things suddenly changed after a brutal car accident in 2003. After the accident Jim said he had no need or no interest in going to the rink, and it left a huge hole in his life. Jim missed the sport and the rink, but mostly the people, he said the social aspect was the hardest to get used to. Armstrong thought the rest of his life would be curling-free, and it wasn't until a former teammate suggested the sport that it even crossed his mind. Although Jim is happy to be competing in the Paralympic Games, it isn't all easy; he was in another car accident recently and is still recovering from a shoulder injury, and to top it all off, Jim just recently lost his wife to cancer. Armstrong says he wants to win the gold for his wife who has been so supportive, and just last year she stated that she only wanted one more thing from her life, and that was to see him compete in the 2010 Paralympic Games.
After this team of remarkable athletes played an amazing game against the Norwegians I had the chance to talk to Sonja Gaudet.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
An Exciting Encounter
Today as I was trekking down the slopes of Whistler, I spotted a group of skiers all with matching jackets, as I got closer I noticed they were Russia jackets, and as I got even closer I noticed that many of them were missing a leg. This is when I got really excited, I realized that I had spotted the Russian Paralympic Ski Team!
Trying to be as subtle as possible I followed one of them down the run. This lady was on one leg, and had two poles with mini-skis on the ends of them for balance. I was amazed at how graceful she looked racing down the hill, on one leg I can't even imagine how hard that would be. And she was going so fast too, I found it hard to keep up. Eventually I gave up following her, as I was falling behind, and I thought I was beginning to be a little creepy.
Then, a few hours down the road, I saw two more Russian jackets, but this time they both had a full pair of legs. I thought they were just some random Russians but it turns out they were also on the Paralympic team. One of these ladies was blind and the other was her guide. I could see the microphone on the guide so that she can call out commands to her athlete; briefing her of turns, bumps, and obsticles. It was so interesting to see how someone who is visually impaired can dodge all these people skiing down the hill. And it just got me thinking, what would happen if someone comes flying out infront of the skier, and her guide doesn't have time to tell her to stop, or if someone falls right infront of her. Thinking about it, there is so many things that could go wrong, but I find it amazing that you don't hear about more accidents. It was such a cool thing to watch the team in action and it is really a fascinating concept!
Trying to be as subtle as possible I followed one of them down the run. This lady was on one leg, and had two poles with mini-skis on the ends of them for balance. I was amazed at how graceful she looked racing down the hill, on one leg I can't even imagine how hard that would be. And she was going so fast too, I found it hard to keep up. Eventually I gave up following her, as I was falling behind, and I thought I was beginning to be a little creepy.
Then, a few hours down the road, I saw two more Russian jackets, but this time they both had a full pair of legs. I thought they were just some random Russians but it turns out they were also on the Paralympic team. One of these ladies was blind and the other was her guide. I could see the microphone on the guide so that she can call out commands to her athlete; briefing her of turns, bumps, and obsticles. It was so interesting to see how someone who is visually impaired can dodge all these people skiing down the hill. And it just got me thinking, what would happen if someone comes flying out infront of the skier, and her guide doesn't have time to tell her to stop, or if someone falls right infront of her. Thinking about it, there is so many things that could go wrong, but I find it amazing that you don't hear about more accidents. It was such a cool thing to watch the team in action and it is really a fascinating concept!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Paralympic Torch Relay
Very exciting day!
The 2010 Paralympic torch relay began today in Ottawa. This relay will be a 10-day journey with over 600 torchbearers, and will visit 11 communities.
If you can look back to before those 17 crazy days, you'd remember that the Olympic torch relay was a 106-day journey with 12,000 torchbearers and visited 1,000 communities.
In a perfect world I would love to see the Paralympic Games to be just as big and recognized as the Olympic Games, however in reality, I don't think that's going to happen. But I do think it is a little ridiculous that the Paralympic Torch Relay is 96 days shorter, has 20 times less torchbearers and visits about one hundredth of the communities. What kind of message is that conveying to people? Do you think that this is part of the problem?
I realize that Canada has done the most out of any of the host countries to try to include the Paralympic Games, and prove that they are just as worth-while as the Olympic Games. As much as Vancouver has done though, I believe they could do a little more, and whether people would buy it, is out of anyone's control, but the effort would be nice to see. What do you think?
On a lighter note, the opening day of the Paralympic torch relay was a great one! Every one of the 13 provinces and territories sent one honourable citizen to carry the torch on the opening day.
British Columbia Rick Mercer; comedian
Alberta Dr. Robert Steadward; Founding president of the International Paralympic Committee
Saskatchewan Jasmine Gerein; daughter of seven-time Paralympian Clayton Gerein
Manitoba Jared Funk; medal-winning Paralympian
Ontario Justin Hines; singer-songwriter
Quebec Dean Bergeron; Paralympic wheelchair racer
Newfoundland and Labrador Erica Noonan; swimmmer
New Brunswick Sabrina Pettinicchi Durepos; four-time Paralympian and wheelchair basketball player
Nova Scotia Chelsea Gotell; swimmer
Prince Edward Island Colin MacLeod; ice sledge hockey player
Yukon Rick Goodfellow; advocate for the rights of people with disabilities
Northwest Territories Katherine Elkin; para-swimmer
Nunavut Simon Koomak; golfer
The Cauldron will be lit at BC Place on March 12th, tune into the Opening Ceremonies at 6:00pm to see the legacy being born.
Here is a comparison of the Paralympic and Olympic torch and uniform. They are identical, except for the colour and logos.
The 2010 Paralympic torch relay began today in Ottawa. This relay will be a 10-day journey with over 600 torchbearers, and will visit 11 communities.
If you can look back to before those 17 crazy days, you'd remember that the Olympic torch relay was a 106-day journey with 12,000 torchbearers and visited 1,000 communities.
In a perfect world I would love to see the Paralympic Games to be just as big and recognized as the Olympic Games, however in reality, I don't think that's going to happen. But I do think it is a little ridiculous that the Paralympic Torch Relay is 96 days shorter, has 20 times less torchbearers and visits about one hundredth of the communities. What kind of message is that conveying to people? Do you think that this is part of the problem?
I realize that Canada has done the most out of any of the host countries to try to include the Paralympic Games, and prove that they are just as worth-while as the Olympic Games. As much as Vancouver has done though, I believe they could do a little more, and whether people would buy it, is out of anyone's control, but the effort would be nice to see. What do you think?
On a lighter note, the opening day of the Paralympic torch relay was a great one! Every one of the 13 provinces and territories sent one honourable citizen to carry the torch on the opening day.
British Columbia Rick Mercer; comedian
Alberta Dr. Robert Steadward; Founding president of the International Paralympic Committee
Saskatchewan Jasmine Gerein; daughter of seven-time Paralympian Clayton Gerein
Manitoba Jared Funk; medal-winning Paralympian
Ontario Justin Hines; singer-songwriter
Quebec Dean Bergeron; Paralympic wheelchair racer
Newfoundland and Labrador Erica Noonan; swimmmer
New Brunswick Sabrina Pettinicchi Durepos; four-time Paralympian and wheelchair basketball player
Nova Scotia Chelsea Gotell; swimmer
Prince Edward Island Colin MacLeod; ice sledge hockey player
Yukon Rick Goodfellow; advocate for the rights of people with disabilities
Northwest Territories Katherine Elkin; para-swimmer
Nunavut Simon Koomak; golfer
The Cauldron will be lit at BC Place on March 12th, tune into the Opening Ceremonies at 6:00pm to see the legacy being born.
Here is a comparison of the Paralympic and Olympic torch and uniform. They are identical, except for the colour and logos.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Don't Fret
The other day at a hockey game, one of those guys with the drums who pumps up the crowd said something that made me sad.
His words were "Come on guys, before you know it the Olympics are going to be over, so lets have some fun, show some energy."
This made me so sad to think that these weeks we have been waiting for for 7 years, will be over before we know it. It's been so much fun, and I don't want it to end.
But you know what, the best is still to come; the gold medal hockey games!
And no need to fret, after the Olympic Games are over, we will be heading into the Paralympic Games, which will be just as amazing, if not more. A lot of people forget about the Paralympic Games, or just don't think anything of them, but be sure to check them out. The party will still be going after the Olympic Games are over!
His words were "Come on guys, before you know it the Olympics are going to be over, so lets have some fun, show some energy."
This made me so sad to think that these weeks we have been waiting for for 7 years, will be over before we know it. It's been so much fun, and I don't want it to end.
But you know what, the best is still to come; the gold medal hockey games!
And no need to fret, after the Olympic Games are over, we will be heading into the Paralympic Games, which will be just as amazing, if not more. A lot of people forget about the Paralympic Games, or just don't think anything of them, but be sure to check them out. The party will still be going after the Olympic Games are over!
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