Ceremonies place, but don’t win gold
I may have had some stern words for the challenges faced by the city of Vancouver and its Olympic organizers last week, but I must admit I was rather impressed by the opening ceremonies of the 21st Winter Olympics, not to mention some of our early success, including Alexandre Bilodeau’s gold medal-winning performance on Valentine’s Day.
I watched the opening ceremonies, a mandatory event for anyone with more than an ounce of national pride with the same wise panel of judges I try to congregate with for any major sporting event. There were a lot of positive aspects, but of course we also had some criticisms
First off, I think the placement of uncovered steel beams around the ‘fastest luge track in Olympic history’ was rather foolish. But, I thought the somber nature of the ceremonies and moment of silence  for Nodar Kumaritashvili, the young Georgian luger who tragically died on a training run on Friday, were appropriate.
Vancouver had a tough act to follow, coming on the heels of Beijing in 2008, but despite having less people or financial capital, I think they succeeded in creating a spectacle that showcased the diverseness of Canada in a way that audiences watching from around the world could enjoy. Starting with a pan-Native display involving four huge totem poles and an enormous drum, and moving on to a show-stopping east coast hoedown were smart choices, as those are two important aspects of Canada to show off.
As I watched the kilted east coast punks let loose on their fiddles, I had to wonder if people from the American Bluegrass states were witnessing Canada’s own unique and vibrant style of fiddle music for the first time. I also want to point out the visual effects behind the ice drifts, the falling leaves, blowhole-spouting whales, and Northern Lights, which were all quite stunning.
We began to hypothesize what would be Ontario’s contribution to the opening ceremonies. Perhaps a group of kids and old-time hockey greats would come out for an impromptu game of pond hockey. Maybe they’d drop down a rink and some boards and the Maple Leafs and Senators would come out for a quick period of play. Instead, Ontario was given the slip, and KD Lang gave a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” while a weird sort of wire dance took place over a vast field of wheat. An equally weird dance under a huge Sequoia followed, one that struck me as kind of an Avatar-knockoff.
While I might lament that Ontario was under represented in the ceremonies, the night was not about celebrating individual provinces, but celebrating greatness from the whole country.
Still, you better believe I was on my feet the moment I saw Wayne Gretzky down on the field, alongside Bobby Orr, Steve Nash, Catriona Le May Doan, Donald Sutherland, and Anne Murray to usher in the Winter Olympics. Hopefully the best is yet to come for Canada.