Why We Owned The Podium

So, in the end, was it all really worth it?
Did the $117 million investment we made in our athletes really pay off at Vancouver 2010? Can we indeed say we 'owned the podium?'
In a word (or three) ... yes, yes and yes.
As Canadian athletes finish off their "home" Winter Olympics with a remarkable medal flourish — another two golds and a bronze have been banked today, with the Kevin Martin curling rink working on a fourth right now — all the snickering about the federal government's bold funding initiative seems to have all but disappeared.
Then again, given what's gone on in the last 72 hours, it's hard not to see why. Was it really only four days ago that Canada was stuck on 11 medals, woefully shy of the bold (some might say boastful) predictions that had been made by the Canadian Olympic Committee?
Don't look now, but the red maple leaf is poised to make its greatest showing in Winter Olympics history. No matter what Martin's foursome does against Norway (and its now-famed pants) tonight, they'll earn a medal. That'll be No. 25 of Vancouver 2010, surpassing the total Canadian athletes earned four years ago at Turin 2006.
Of course, there's one more not-so-insignificant medal to collect — Canada faces off against the United States in the hotly-anticipated men's hockey final on Sunday — which will give the host nation a third-place finish in the overall medal count (behind the U.S. and Germany). That's our highest finish ever in those standings.
We've even made history on two fronts. The 12 golds we've earned so far — snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson and the men's pursuit team in long-track speedskating added to that total today — are the most for Canada in any Olympics, winter or summer. It's also the most for a host nation in Winter Olympics history (and how many trees were killed anguised about our golden drought at home? Way too many).
Oh, and we're not done yet. If Martin's crew prevails tonight, Canada will match the Winter Games record for most golds, first set by the old Soviet Union in Innsbruck in 1976 and matched by Norway at Salt Lake City 2002. The record could be ours alone with a hockey triumph Sunday, adding further fuel to a matchup that hardly needs any.
Now, the naysayers will still stay Own The Podium targeted a No. 1 overall finish at these Games, which obviously won't happen. Unless, that is, you go by the International Olympic Committee's table, which ranks countries in terms of who wins the most golds.
While the latter point is always a subject of debate, the point is Own The Podium did do its job. Winning gold is owning the podium, and we did it more than anyone else at these Games. More importantly, we sent a team of athletes to Vancouver with a mindset that went way beyond just being happy to be there. As un-Canadian as it sounds, these athletes came to their Olympics with winning front and centre. It says here that alone is a major step forward on this huge stage.
The question now is, where do we go from here? What do we do with the incredible momentum and positive feeling that's been generated by Vancouver 2010? It is a most important query, indeed.
There is no question the extra funding provided by Own The Podium played a massive role in the gains we saw over the past two weeks. That's a tap that simply can't be shut off, if we're to continue to enjoy more success in future Olympics. Look no further than the smashing success of the U.S. at these Games — eight years after they played host to the world in Salt Lake City — for proof of what can happen if you stick to your commitment over the long haul.
Canada needs to decide once and for all if it wants to keep being a Winter Games power. And the pride alone generated by our athletes in Vancouver should make that answer a resounding yes.
Yes, it's true we didn't top the medal count at our Games. But it's much easier to believe now that it could happen someday soon.
At the very least, let's give our athletes a chance to try. That's all they really want, to be able to stay they're still right in the Games.

Raising The Flag Debate

Admittedly, it was first floated in this space a few days ago on the wings of sheer admiration ... but hardly without a sense of logic.
Now it seems there is a growing movement to have the indomitable Joannie Rochette carry the Canadian flag in Sunday's closing ceremony at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. I've seen it mentioned on Facebook, on Internet message boards and — perhaps most tellingly — even in the words of at least one former Games gold medallist.
"That was the most inspiring thing I have ever seen!" ex-Canadian women's hockey goaltender Sami Jo Small posted on Twitter shortly after Rochette earned a courageous bronze medal in women's figure skating on Thursday night. "Joannie should carry the CND Flag at the closing ceremonies. Represents the best of us!"
That's pretty much a universal sentiment after the world watched Rochette's stunning performance in the wake of the death of her mother, Therese, early Sunday morning — about 48 hours before she had to skate the short program at Pacific Coliseum. The 24-year-old from Ile-Dupas, Que., never wavered for a second in deciding to compete and reach for the dream she shared with her mom.
By the time she skated for the medals on Wednesday night, Rochette's story had reached global proportions, with one report this morning calling it "the iconic moment" of Vancouver 2010. All the more reason, it says here, to hand Rochette the red maple leaf on Sunday night.
In all likelihood, it won't happen. Freestyle skier Alex Bilodeau, who gave Canada it's first-ever Olympic medal on home soil in the men's moguls, is the logical choice in many eyes. In fact, the Canadian closing ceremony flagbearers at the past four Winter Games (Cindy Klassen, 2006; Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, 2002; Catriona Le May Doan, 1998, and Myriam Bedard, 1994) have all brought home gold.
But what a statement it would make if the panel selecting the flagbearer decided this time to pick someone who represents the true Olympic spirit. An athlete who didn't just earn a medal but showed remarkable character and courage in the face of the worst of adversity, yet refused to surrender in the face of it all. A person who authored an astounding Olympic story that will be remembered for decades after the flame is extinguished in Vancouver, in Canada and beyond.
You will find all of that, and so much more, of a little fighter from Quebec who taught us all so much with a magnificent display of heart.
Joannie Rochette did Canada so very proud this week and the world stood at her feet in awe and admiration. Amid all the Own The Podium bluster, maybe she stands for the Canada we should want them all to remember after they depart our remarkable Winter Games.

Straight From The Heart

Put your heart on your sleeve and you never know who'll touch it.
You've got to love the story of Canadian skeleton racer Mellisa Hollingsworth, who couldn't hide her devastation a few nights back when an almost certain medal dissolved into a fifth-place finish with a crushing mistake near the end of her final run.
In an emotional post-race interview, a teary-eyed Hollingsworth told CTV she felt like she "let the entire country down" and all kinds of people who had supported her drive for Vancouver 2010.
Such brutal honesty is both rare and astonishing in an era in which far too many athletes want to point fingers elsewhere when something doesn't go their way instead of taking a hard look in the mirror. But this was a moment that was important to Hollingsworth and she also was very aware of how much Canadians crave success at their home Olympics (the boastful Own the Podium pre-Olympic medal proclamations notwithstanding).
There's a familiar saying that goes something like this: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Hollingsworth's from-the-heart reaction to her setback has touched a nerve with Canadians from coast to coast, and the Albertan has been overwhelmed by the positive reaction she's received from people who want her to know she did them all proud.
All of this has Hollingsworth, an Olympic bronze medallist four years ago in Turin, now contemplating a run at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. And if it comes to pass, she'll no doubt thank the many people who lifted her up exactly when she needed it. Further proof that while talent is a wonderful thing, Canadians value those who show heart more than just about anything. Hollingsworth surely has plenty of that.
*****
Sometimes, it's fun to dig back into the archives of your past.
Like earlier tonight, when something about watching Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir take command in the ice dance event reminded me about a cover story I wrote about them in International Figure Skating Magazine back in the summer of 2008.
This was shortly after Virtue and Moir had earned a silver medal at the '08 world figure skating championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, in only their second crack at the global event. It was a clear statement that it was only a matter of time before they ruled the planet.
Their time appears ready to arrive. Virtue and Moir hold a 2.60-point lead over Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, their training partners in Canton, Mich. In ice dance, that's a significant margin, though Virtue and Moir will tell you the battle is far from won yet.
Anyways, take a ride along with Virtue and Moir through this story.

The Greatest Loss Of All

Another Canadian medal prospect blows up within sight of the podium but somehow, it just doesn't seem quite so important today.
The game that matters most of all to us is about to take centre stage tonight but on this evening, the excitement just escapes me.
For someone for whom the Olympics have been a life-long passion, none of this sounds normal. But normal takes a back seat when someone you know so well is going through unimaginable heartbreak.
Joannie Rochette, you no doubt have heard, suffered the most tragic of losses today. Her mother, Therese, died of an apparent heart attack just hours after she had arrived in Vancouver to watch her daughter skate in the biggest event of her life. Instead, Rochette's father, Normand — who first put her on skates in tiny Ile-Dupas, Que. — had to deliver the most terrible of news to their only child early this morning.
The story has rocked the Canadian Olympic team and Rochette's many friends, who have been filling her Facebook page all day with an endless stream of condolences. She has no doubt felt the embrace of the fellow skaters who are in Vancouver with her and are shaken by her sadness.
It was with a heavy heart that the 24-year-old Rochette took to the ice for a scheduled practice at Pacific Coliseum today. She has vowed to compete in her mother's honour starting Tuesday, when the women's short program is held at Vancouver 2010. To anyone who knows her, Rochette's response to this horrible tragedy is anything but a surprise.
I still remember the amazing courage she showed four years ago at the 2006 world figure skating championships in Calgary. A training partner and friend had died in a car accident a few weeks before the event, which upset her greatly, but Rochette not only showed up to compete at the Saddledome, she did so with her usual steely focus.
As difficult as that was, Rochette is dealing with something much greater right now. This is her mother, one of the most important people in her life. Someone she was always thrilled to have in the stands watching her skate. And now she isn't there anymore.
We have crossed paths at many events over the past decade or so and it was a question — are your parents here? — that I asked frequently, because I always knew how much it meant to her to have them there. And Rochette positively beamed whenever the answer was yes.
It will never be the easiest question to ask anymore.
She will lean more than ever on coach Manon Perron, the coach who Rochette has said "is like a second mother to me." Perron has been a guiding light who has watched her protege grow so wonderfully from a shy young girl who barely spoke English to the confident reigning world silver medallist (and six-time Canadian champion) that she is today.
But to see the pained look on Perron's face as she watched her star pupil practise today is to know that Rochette is hurting badly right now, more than we can ever know. Come Tuesday night, though, she will glide to centre ice at Pacific Coliseum, take the deepest of breaths, and live the dream that a loving and caring mother always wanted for her.
For every second she is on the ice, Therese Rochette will be with Joannie in spirit, looking over her the way she always has. And no doubt bursting with pride about the child she raised so well.
Rest in peace, Therese Rochette.
Your little girl has done so very well. And she'll keep making you proud.

Medal Rush A Bonanza For NBC

Everyone loves a winner.
And nowhere is that more true than south of the border, where Americans celebrate victories with a special kind of gusto. No wonder, then, that our neighbours are tuning into NBC's coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in increasingly huge numbers.
Yes, folks, the stars and stripes are on a serious march on Canadian soil, charging into the lead in the medals table with 21 pieces of gold, silver and bronze earned as of this writing. That's eight better than Germany — the medals champion at the 2006 Turin Games — and 11 ahead of Norway, the all-time powerhouse of the Winter Olympics.
But ever since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, the U.S. has become a much more formidable force in winter sports. American alpine skiers have racked up seven medals at Whistler, their greatest Olympic haul ever. There are even hopes for trips to the podium in sports such as Nordic combined, not exactly a traditional source of U.S. strength.
Clearly, all of this is hitting home with Americans watching back home. NBC reports some 157 viewers — half the U.S. population — have tuned into coverage on its family of networks through the first eight days of Vancouver 2010. That's five million more than four years ago in Turin.
More impressive is the nightly average of 26.2 million viewers. Not only is that up 27 per cent over Turin, it's the most-watched Winter Games in the U.S. since Lillehammer 1994 (38.3 million), which was fuelled by the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan figure skating soap opera.
Two nights ago, the Winter Olympics beat Fox's American Idol in the ratings, which is apparently a victory of epic proportions (I'd rather look at it as a whole bunch of people finally coming to their senses).
Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that the top U.S. metered markets happen to be Denver, Milwaukee (a speed skating mecca) and Salt Lake City, where all of this got started. But too many people are watching for it be limited to these winter sports havens.
Nope, Americans have definitely caught Winter Olympics fever. And, like the feats of their athletes, it doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Will CTV Pass The Olympian Test?

For anyone watching from the comfort of their homes, it is the question of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

How will CTV deal with presenting the biggest sports event of our generation (at least) to the millions of viewers for whom they'll be the window to these Games of ice and snow?

Already, the cynics are out in force about that essential query.

(more on than in a bit).

Longtime Olympic watchers now doubt remember the last time CTV was front and centre at the five-ring circus. The network's coverage of Barcelona 1992 was widely panned and while the reviews were slightly better for Lillehammer 1994, I can still hear the widespread cheering that ensued when the CBC got back into the Games in Atlanta in 1996 (with TSN's help — and extra available airtime — it should be noted).

Flash forward to today and CTV is again the Canadian network of record at the Olympics. And not just any Olympics, but our Games. The first ones to be held on Canadian soil since Calgary 1988 (also a CTV production, if memory serves me well).

For a country used to seeing a certain standard from the CBC (which always set the bar high in that area), there was great apprehension about what CTV might give us at a time when we might care about the Olympics more than ever. And if you saw the MuchMusic style hot-tub schlock that was included as part of an "Olympic preview," that only increased your fears.
There has also been more than a fair amount of criticism with the way the network handled the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvilii in the hours preceding the opening ceremony.

Given that CTV seemingly can't help itself when it comes to celebrity worship and so-called "entertainment news," we'll have to grit our teeth at times — and be judicious about how much time we spend watching Olympic Morning, when the action hasn't really started in Vancouver.

The good news is, these really aren't solely a CTV Olympics. The broadcast consortium that is bringing us these Games happens to include TSN and Rogers Sportsnet, two networks that do sports for a living. And very well, it should be added.

Now this is very early, but we've noticed a distinct change for the good since the games (and Games) have truly begun. TSN is full-bore on ski jumping right now (a spectacular sight at any Olympics) and over on CTV, we've been treated to a bit of that action and some interesting features and scene-setters about events to come (and lots of James Duthie, which is never, ever a bad thing). In other words, we're watching the Olympic story as it was meant to be told.
The Olympics will surely seem like the Olympics later on tonight, when the venerable Brian Williams, the dean of Olympic TV coverage in Canada, takes his familiar prime-time anchor seat for the first time since Turin 2006 (when he worked from a Toronto studio, not on site).

So there is reason for hope, and plenty of it. Let's hope they give us plenty more of it over the next 15 days — and keep the hot tubbers and the like as far away as possible.