Throwback to the 2010 Olympics – Canada’s Golden Goal

5 years ago today, Canada celebrated it’s winningest Olympics.  Here’s my post-Olympics post, written as Reporter!Smurf on Sportysmurf’s blog. I hope reading it will bring you the same rush of emotion I felt when I watched the game.

Sporty here, it’s taken a wee bit to come down from the clouds, but I’m back with my second to final report on the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

A whirlwind final 2 days  saw so many things happen in Canadian Olympic history.  Edging up on our best ever medal total, we also set our eyes on the best gold medal haul in Winter Olympics history.  With just two days left two of our favourite winter sports as well as gold medal favourites were in the spotlight. Men’s curling and Men’s Hockey.

Kevin Martin saw his sparkling Olympic tournament out in fine style, unbeaten on his road to gold.  A valiant effort by the Norwegians (and their fancy pants) was stymied by a very workmanlike, efficient match from the Canadians.  Buoyed by another impromptu rendition of O’ Canada from the crowd, Martin’s rink was spurred to a solid win. Gold medal #13 and a bit of redemption for Mr. Martin, who fell to the Norwegians back in the final of the 2002 Olympics. Congratulations Kevin Martin, Marc Kennedy, John Morris, Ben Hebert and Adam Enright!
Then all eyes turned to the gold medal match between the USA and Canada on the final Sunday of the Games. No more hype could surround a game. A gold medal game in the Olympics between two intense rivals, one on home soil. Mirroring the 2002 Olympics held in Salt Lake City, the rivals were determined to knock off the hosts at home.

Their roads to gold took very different routes. The young American team was looking to win gold after going without a loss throughout the tournament. Riding the absolutely stellar goaltending of Ryan Miller, Team USA was looking for their 1st Olympic hockey gold medal since the Miracle on Ice. The team few picked to win gold, let alone a medal, was poised for the chance to ruin the party for their northern neighbours.

The hosts, had been viewed as favourites coming into the Olympic tournament, but had fallen 5-3 in a round-robin game to the Americans earlier in the tournament. Nerves were frayed, fingers were pointed and the many naysayers became apparent.  Changing their goalie from perennial all-star Martin Brodeur to the home-town favourite Roberto Luongo, Team Canada improved through the playoff round to again reach finals.  Still questions abounded: ‘Was Luongo good enough?’ ‘Was our D strong enough, based on squeaking past the Slovakians in the semi-final?’  In a country where life seems defined by one sport alone, a country stood nervously by, awaiting the outcome of one final game.

I myself, decked out in my Team Canada jersey, hat and scarf, sipped nervously at my bottle and nibbled my fingers at the bar, 40 minutes prior to puck drop. All around me were similarly-garbed friends and strangers alike, all waiting for the drama to begin. Although the quarter-final match up against the Russians provided some electricity in the beginning, this was the game everyone had been waiting for.  It seemed the perfect matchup – young and speedy USA against a big, skilled Canadian squad.

Canada struck first with a rebound goal from Jonathan Toews, the young captain of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, who just may have had his coming out party.  The pro-Canadian crowd erupted and some weight was lifted from the entire Canadian bench. A tight, hard-fought period and Canada led 1-0 going into the 1st intermission.

Entering the second period, a second goal by Corey Perry, bounced off a leg in front and was whipped into the net past Miller. No chance for the goalie and the crowd roared its approval. Ryan Kesler subdued the crowd somewhat when he beat his Vancouver Canucks’ teammate to put the USA on the board. 2-1 after two periods of play.

The atmosphere was electric as Team Canada rang two shots off the post early in the third period. Defending under pressure, Canada was just 24.4s from a regulation win and the gold medal when, with star goalie Ryan Miller on the bench, Zach Parise, son of JP Parise, member of the 72 Series Team Canada, tied the game. Fans across the country experienced heart palpitations as visions of gold suddenly vanished.  The arena was stunned.  Sudden death overtime loomed against a team that seemed to be playing with nothing to lose.

The overtime period saw Team Canada come out with energy that seemed to have been lacking in the final few minutes of regulation time. In an all-out effort to win the game, Canada pressed with every shift. Canadian fans however, had their hearts in their hands every time an American rush reached our blue line. Throughout the tournament, the Canadian coaching staff had contended with the apparent need for the players on the ice to over-pass the puck. In what seemed like a quest to provide the prettiest goal, the concept of just putting the puck on net and crashing away for a rebound seemed to have disappeared.

Likewise, much-heralded Sidney Crosby had, throughout the tournament, been invisible.  Not for lack of effort, perhaps from the immense pressure of being Canada’s ‘Next One’ or the intense scrutiny he was paid by every team he played against, but Sid ‘the Kid’ was not leading as much by example as we were used to seeing. 7:40 into overtime, Sid erased those thoughts with one shift and one shot.

Driving the net, he pushed the puck towards Miller, who swept it into the corner.  Following up the play, Crosby gathered up the puck off the referee and passed it back to Jarome Iginla coming up the boards from the corner, and headed for the net. Receiving a soft pass from the falling Iginla, Crosby had a direct line to the goal and slipped a quick shot through a surprised Miller’s legs. Mobbed by his teammates, Crosby remarked that he hadn’t even seen the puck go in, but had reacted when the siren and the fans did.

Not the best player at the tournament, not an all-star, that honour went to teammate Jonathan Toews, but a hockey hero nonetheless.  Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal that sent the entire country into a frenzy. Words can barely express how much joy and excitement was expressed for hours after that goal was scored, from coast to coast in Canada. Roads were closed, impromptu parades staged and a whole country rejoiced in the moment that brought them hockey supremacy once again.

I cheered myself hoarse, nibbled fingers to the nub, pounded the tables and waved flags. I couldn’t have been prouder to be a Canadian at the moment when our team won that gold medal. Our 14th gold medal of our Winter Olympic Games couldn’t have been provided by a more exciting event in our sporting history.

Cheers Canada! Hockey is ours. If only for the next four years, because the world will always be waiting to take us down.

Kudos to Team USA for providing all the competition we could ever desire. Ryan Miller deserved better.

Toronto Star

 

ctvolympics.ca

Hockey Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s hoping there are many more games like this in the future!

Even if this smurf’s heart could barely take this one 🙂

Reporter!Smurf signing off…

If Only the West Were Cheaper (I’d move there)

Its been a while. I haven’t had a lot to talk about that I thought would interest anyone else. I haven’t DONE anything (or so I’ve thought). Well, recently, I did something that I feel is worth sharing.

My first (and to date, only) hike in Washington State was amazing. Maybe it was because I was out in the greater outdoors for the first time in ages. Maybe it was the fresh, clean air. Maybe it was just being in the forest, on a mountain, feeling the old backbone of rock beneath my feet.

I’ve always loved the outdoors. I have photos from almost everywhere I’ve been. But I’ve always felt my photos have never conveyed what I felt at the moment I first saw the subject. That may be due to my short-comings as a photographer, but I like to believe it is because some things have to be experienced.

I knew that there would be something on this hike – it was impossible to feel so at peace in a place without finding something to represent it all.  Halfway up (down?) Mount Si, on the Talus Loop back down to the trailhead, I found such a thing. We hadn’t made it to the summit due to the amount of time we didn’t allow to reach it, but the different route we took to get back down was well worth the trip.

Slightly less steep than the main route, I was just wondering where the ‘talus’ of the Talus Loop was, when my lead companion stopped short slightly ahead of me. Paying careful attention to where I was putting my feet, I nearly bumped into her as she waved us on, saying “You have got to see this!” Her voice was filled with so much wonder, that I pulled up short and looked ahead.

 

Hmm, I thought. Well here’s the talus – there was a great old rockslide in front of us. Not too intimidating once I took a closer look, as it was old and pretty much stable. Nothing to write home about. Then I turned my eyes outward, off the mountain and trail. And saw this.

Perhaps the view from the summit would have been better somehow, because of the sense of achievement one feels from reaching a summit. But I’m convinced that nothing will beat this view for providing that certain thing that makes the effort worthwhile. This is what I came for, what I felt in amongst the trees.  This is what rocks and trees and water mean to me.

I can’t wait to go back and see more. And I’m so happy I had 3 tremendous people (yes, Winston, you are a people) with me to share it with. And even though I can’t afford to live there right now – I really need to make sure I visit it as often as I can.  For now, at least our Christmas tree makes the house smell like the woods.

 

 

 

The World Pride Experience

Its been two weeks since I participated in the World Pride parade in Toronto and I’m still marvelling about the experience.  While I’ve been to many Pride celebrations in the past and have participated in a few, this experience outshone anything I’ve ever done.  I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough to the ladies of RAW (Raging Asian Women) taiko drummers for allowing us to participate with them.

Katy and I had intended to skip World Pride even though it was in my hometown and likely the closest we’ll ever geographically be to the event. The hotel prices were ridiculously high near the village and the crowds were going to be insane. Even the lure of Melissa Etheridge and various other great LGBT performers wasn’t swaying us to fork out a huge amount of money for one weekend. The opportunity to BE in the parade was another thing altogether.

By chance, I happened to stumble across a posting from RAW on their Facebook page, looking for volunteers to be flagbearers with them in the parade. Having heard them perform a number of times in the past, it sounded interesting. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that it would be a tremendous opportunity.  I inquired further, as it was an old post (from April, and this was late May), and also because my partner is not Asian and I wasn’t sure how that would work out.

Fortunately, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, RAW were more than happy to accept us both as flagbearers. Instead of skipping the festivities entirely, we would be immersed in them! I was so excited that I couldn’t wait until I got home from work to let Katy know.  All we had to do was make ourselves available for weekend rehearsals. In Toronto. So much for saving some money by not going to World Pride – we found ourselves travelling to Toronto every weekend in June!

Katy found us a reasonably priced hotel in downtown Toronto and we booked train tickets for every weekend. On our first trip in for rehearsal, we were a little nervous as we were not sure where the venue was (despite GoogleMaps) nor were we sure of what to expect. Happily, we found ourselves in the middle of Chinatown with lots of time to spare and relaxed with a huge plate of what amounts to Chinese ‘fast food’. I have no idea how Chinese people stay thin if these are the amounts of food they typically eat for a meal – there was enough on the one plate to fill both Katy and I.

We finished up and wandered over to the community centre, looking around for the rest of the group.  Did we look out of place? Possibly just confused, as a member of the troupe picked us out immediately and invited us into the gymnasium.  Although Katy couldn’t help but stand out, being the only non-Asian in the room, we couldn’t have expected a warmer welcome than we received that night.

It turned out that the flagbearer gig was more of a concept than anything at that point and the flagbearers tried to spin bamboo flagstaffs in time to the different beats of the drums.  One of the things I love about taiko is that the deep, low frequency beats really resonate in your body, even if you aren’t playing. In a small room, they resonate right up through the floor. Its kind of amazing.

The flagbearers were sent homework for the next rehearsal in order to learn the beats, sounds and lack of sounds that we would have to be aware of for the parade.  Suddenly, the idea that it was going to be some ‘simple’ movements and choreography seemed a little more complex. Its a lot harder than it sounds – the only thing I really took in was that we were to ‘holster’ the flag when the  O-Daiko (big drum) was played and move to the back of the float at that time.

What I did take home from the first rehearsal was something more amazing. Not only was my appreciation for taiko drummers increased, but I learned that I had been missing something integral in my life.  I had one of those moments when you say ‘I never even knew what I was missing.’ I had never been amidst a large group of Asian women who were not primarily family members. And the feeling was kind of awesome.

Here was a group of people that I fit in with in all sorts of ways, instead of being the different one. I have found myself to be a minority within a minority more often than not.  A female engineer amongst the majority of men, an Asian lesbian in (at least here) a primarily caucasian community. While being unique is great, being the part of a group is also important.

To not have to explain things because you share some common background. These people just know. And you’re not even aware how comfortable that is, until you experience it.  The only thing was, I felt a little sad for my partner, because she couldn’t feel what I felt and has yet to find the group of peers that can make her feel that sameness. In fact, if I totally overlooked how you felt because of how amazingly in-tune I felt, I’m sorry.  Being overwhelmed is not an excuse for making you feel how I have unknowingly felt.

Despite the extra travel and the cost of hotel etc. for the weekend of the parade, I will forever be changed by this experience and regret none of the money or time involved. Even though it took forever to get the parade marshalled and ready to go, despite the heat and the length of the march – I will never forget the exhilaration of marching proudly with and for the Raging Asian Women taiko drummers. You may not understand how much this meant to me, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me find one of the parts of me that I have been missing without even knowing I was missing it.

EDIT: August 19, 2014 – RAW was awarded Best Overall Contingent at the World Pride Parade! Yay us!

What Will The World Be Like in the Future?

Sorry if this post leaves the normal beaten path for my blog. Its been a while since I posted about anything. With the turn of the new year and many things happening in my life, I have been a bit overwhelmed. This is written while I sit at home, feeling a bit ill both physically and mentally.

I’m a thinker.  And a worrier. And quite possibly one of the most over-thinking people I know. I try to prepare for everything (not possible, I know) and think through as many possibilities as I can. This is about as far-reaching a thought as I can get.

Yesterday, like many other people in North America and beyond – I got together with a few friends and watched the Super Bowl. Not the greatest game, unless you’re fond of blow-outs, which I’m not. Unless it happens to be the Leafs vs the Habs and even then it gets boring when the Leafs stop all over the Habs once in a while. (That’s for my now ex-colleague Fred, the huge Habs fan who I sat beside for a good chunk of the last 5 months).

Aside from the score, the next most important thing people seem to view the Super Bowl for, is the commercials. For one event every year, many people tune in just to see them. Now in Canada, we’re not permitted to see them during the game, so we check them out online afterwards.  Typically one or more causes a ruckus. This year was no different, but this year’s ruckus is so frightening in its depiction of society that I am truly worried about where ours is going.

The beautiful and talented Queen Latifah opened the festivities with a terrific rendition of ‘America the Beautiful’. I’m not American, but I love this song. I have fond memories of a young lady who sang it at one of the sporting events I participated in many years ago. Amber, if you’re out there somewhere, I still remember you getting teased about the ‘amber waves of grain,’ line.

Coca-Cola followed this rendition up with one of their own during this tv spot. That’s when all the ruckus began. For some reason, this beautifully done, multi-lingual version caused some members of society to forget their beginnings. Or perhaps, they just felt this was a good time to voice their desires for the future.

One line I found to bother me a lot (and again, I’m not American) was ‘This is America – speak English, damnit.’ Several of these languages are more native to the US than English is. I won’t even go into the comments regarding terrorists etc. due to the participation of Muslim-Americans.  The impression I got from these commenters, was that no-one is welcome in the US unless they A) speak English and B) look like ‘an American’ ie. Caucasian.

The vocal minority here, in the comment sections, want to tell you that their future of their country is one that is truly the ‘melting pot’ of which I was taught in elementary school. Where everyone who wishes to live in the US must be exactly the same and think exactly the same way. I believe this would stunt one of the largest countries in the world.

I know that not all Americans think this way, because some of you elected an African-American president. Some of you whom I speak to on a fairly regular basis, albeit electronically, are not white and do not speak only English. Others are and do. All of these people are proud Americans. Why would you want to be an exclusionary society?

Here in Canada, its not all roses. There are people here who would like us to follow our neighbours’ lead and become a melting pot as well, only a Canadian one. I’m not sure what exactly they mean. I have been taught and read more about the history of our great land. This includes some native lore and the history of my culture (Japanese-Canadian) in this country as well as the French and English, Dutch, German and various other influences.

I like to think that every culture has added subtleties to our Canadian society. Every time we learn a little bit more about another culture, it adds to our ability to relate to it. To shut them all out, including the ones that were here before our ancestors were, is to turn our backs on the founders of our country.

One day, the world won’t be as divided by race/colour/language/religion/sexual orientation. We needn’t all speak one language, be the same colour, or worship the same way (or at all). We are not now, nor will be, clones of each other. We will be ourselves, kind to one another, accepting of who we all are and open to learning about other cultures.  #FairyTaleOrTruth

Ask yourself, which future would you want to live in?

Today’s Reminder – I Didn’t Always Hate Snow

This afternoon I looked at the weather report and groaned. More snow east and west of the city. Anticipating more snow shovelling and misery, I managed to cadge a lift home from work.

Whilst waiting for my lift, a group of our customers exited to find … snow. Instead of the groan I issued, these big guys (who come from a country with much less snow than here), started smiling and laughing and taking photos of themselves with snow falling in the background. Videos of themselves chucking snow around and generally enjoying themselves.

All I could do was smile.  I wanted to thank them for reminding me of what snow used to mean to me. It used to mean ‘ WHEE! Its Snowing!’ Snow used to mean snowball fights, snow angels, tobogganing and snowmen.

I’m not sure when winter and snow began to mean and cold and shovelling, salting and groaning.  Somewhere amid the plowed-in driveways, late buses, and slush splashes, I lost my admiration for snowfall.

Tonight, I got home, shovelled out my walk and driveway – and enjoyed it. I looked at my cleared driveway and my first thought was – this would be a great space for hockey.  I looked at the lights on my house (the first year I’ve had lights on my own house) and felt the warm and fuzzies.  Thanks guys, for reminding me I do actually like winter and the snow it brings.