Winter Wonder Olympics
March 11, 2010
Filed under Sports, Top Stories
It seems that the entire world was attached to either their television or computer screens, as the competition for glory and medals raged on during this year’s Winter Olympics. The event took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in which over 2,000 athletes attended, representing over 82 nations, in order to compete in over 86 athletic events. Some the most popular of these events included figure skating, snow boarding, speed skating, and ice hockey. The Winter Olympics even included some more obscure sports such as curling.
Nevertheless there are moments that seem to strike a cord for every person following the event. While some moments had us cheering at the top of our lungs, others brought tears to our eyes. Some of the most memorable events included that of the lovable, flamboyant figure skater, Johnny Weir, who proudly represented the United States and earned 6th place over all.
Probably one of the most talked about athletes of this year’s winter Olympics was that of American snow border Sean White. The “Flying Tomato”, as White’s fans so endearingly dub him, received a gold medal for incredible performance on the half pipe. The only thing that seemed to surpass the magnitude of his immediate 1st place was his victory run in which he unleashed his long anticipated new trick, the Double McTwist 1260 which he named the Tomahawk.
Even through all these great victories for the United States, there were several tragedies that occurred within the Olympic circle. One triumph over tragedy in particular that seemed to really touch the hearts of many viewers was the case of Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette. Rochette’s mother passed away two days before the biggest competition of her life. While a tragedy such as this would stymie many athletes ability to compete, Rochette continued with her pursuit to skate in the Winter Olympics, as it was something she worked for her entire life and she knew that her mother would want her to skate.
While watching her stunning performance, it was difficult to believe the loss she had suffered so recently. But as her performance came to an end, so did the illusion that she was emotionally sound. It was a scene that brought almost all of America to tears as they watched Rochette break down at the end of her best performance ever and proved to be an example of strength, endurance and love. In the end, Jaonnie Rochette earned 3rd place in the competition but 1st first in many hearts.
The Olympics is not about winning or losing, but exemplifying the concept of world unity through friendly competition where different cultures come together to share an experience that will be attached to the hearts of people around the world.