The Olympic Party’s Over. Now what?

The party’s over. The people are gone.  So is the joyful, exuberant cheering of the crowds, the red and white colours everywhere the flags, the toques, the hockey jerseys, the red mittens  What do we do now?

Today, riding the buses and skytrains, they seemed oddly empty, quiet, bereft of life and certainly lacking enthusiasm.  Everything dark and drab.  Have we suddenly lost or spirit?  Or are we all suffering from a serious Olympics hangover?

This has been the biggest party Vancouver has ever seen, surpassing Expo ’86 which I missed because I was living in Greece at the time, but talked about constantly up until now.  Sure, there have been opponents and I, myself, have been opposed to the expense at the cost of cutting other necessities such as child care, the Arts, and especially the need for low-cost housing for our many homeless.  But once we got into the spirit of the Games, nobody can deny that we enjoyed it.  It was like being caught in a whirlwind, carried away to new heights of joy and National pride. 

We were horrified at the tragic death of the Georgian luger, wept along with ice skater Joannie Rouchet when her mother died so suddenly, and felt the disappointment and agony of those who strove so hard to win but didn’t quite make the podium.

And then there was our golden moment on Sunday when our boy Sid scored the winning goal for Canada’s hockey team.  Everyone, even those of us who were not hockey fans,  cheered as loud as we could.  (Even my cockatiel Cheeky watched the game with me. He seems to like the word ‘hockey’!)  And Canada really did ‘own’ the podium with the most gold medals ever won by a country in a Winter Olympic Game.  We are all so proud of our athletes.  And we give our accolades to those who came from other countries to participate too.  Well done, to all of you!  You made the last two weeks of our lives the most exciting ever!

I wonder if we’ll ever be the same again?  I wondered that when I rode the quiet, sombre sky-train today, already missing the excitement and fun of the past two weeks.  Most of all, I’ll miss hearing that beautiful inspiring song, “I Believe” that was played constantly during the Games.  I hope we will retain that spirit. Believe, and strive for the Gold.  We do have something more to cheer for:  The Paralympic Winter Games start in two weeks, and we must all be ready to cheer on our disabled athletes who have so bravely overcome their disabilities to participate in this great event.  So don’t forget, folks,  get those colours out again.  Wave those flags and cheer as loud as you can!  Go, Canada Go!  We can do it again, eh?

The 2010 Paralympic Games

March 3, the torch relay starts in Ottawa.  Approximately 600 torchbearers will carry the torch across Canada.

March 12  The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony, BC Place

March 20 Gold medal ice sledge hockey game, UBC Thunderbird Arena

Where to Party:

LiveCity Downtown (Georgia Street, between Beatty and Cambie Streets)

Robson Square – GE Ice Palace (Robson Street, between Hornby and Howe Streets)

PHOTOS by W. Ruth Kozak