« Vancouver 2010
That's why the Olympics are awesome
While I could probably go on for hours about why I love the Olympics, most of my arguments were summed up last night when Canadian Jon Montgomery won his gold medal in skeleton. The look of pure excitement and joy on his face, when the final slider, Lativia's Martins Dukurs, posted a time that was only good enough for second place, was enough to bring a smile to the face of even the most cynical sports fan.
Even better than Montgomery's initial reaction was the reception he received when he got down the mountain, into Whistler village. Hoards of screaming Canadians were there to greet him, giving him high-fives, hugs, and even a free pitcher of beer.
That whole scene, from Montgomery's fist pump that put Tiger Woods to shame, to the spontaneous singing of Oh Canada, that erupted while TSN's Jennifer Hedger was trying to interview him, really symbolized what's so great about the Olympics. I know it sounds almost painfully cliche, but it's sport in it's purest form.
These athletes aren't prima donna millionaires, they're down to earth people, as Montgomery showed last night with his permanent smile, and the way he pretty much chugging the pitcher that a fan gave him. Olympians don't compete for ridiculous salaries and endorsement deals, they compete for pride, and that shows in the celebrations like that of Montgomery's. (Sidenote: how cool is it that he works as an auctioneer?)
This purity that exists amongst Olympic athletes also spills over into the spectators. Half of the crowd that greeted Montgomery in Whistler probably had no idea what skeleton was, but they were there to celebrate their pride in our nation. And I have to say, I can't think of anything besides a war that can rally the degree of patriotism that we saw last night in Whistler, and that we've really been seeing throughout this Olympic Games.