Defining Moment Day 13

 

It was Ladies Day in Vancouver.

And the best day for Canada at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Gold. Two silvers and a bronze and they all came from some great Canadian women who love to drive fast.

The Golden moment came in the two-man I mean two-woman bobsleigh where Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse slid down the icey roller-coaster in Whistler to slip by their teammates Helen Upperton and Shelley-Anne Brown on the last run of the day. Heather Moyse is one of my favorite athletes. I had a chance to spend some time with her at an Olympic event a few months ago and she had one of the most frank and candid assessments of why she does what she does.  When asked what goes through her mind before she gets in the sleigh. Moyse said two words. “Haul ass”.

It was a medal haul day. .

Gold and silver in sleds. Silver in short track. Bronze on the long track.

All the ladies in the house say Yeah….

The womens’ short track team brought true meaning to the phrase silver lining when the Korean team was disqualified. The Koreans were celebrating a gold medal after racing to the line in the 3000 metre relay, China was second and Canada – third but as the young Koreans were skating around the rink with their flag in the air and tears in their eyes, officials ruled that  Korea had committed a track violation and were DQ’d. That’s when the second celebration began – China suddenly had the gold, Canada the silver and the United States bronze. The Chinese women were so happy, they leaped onto the padded boards to hug their coach and one of their razor sharp skates nicked the chin of a teammate and opened up a nasty gash. She quickly went backstage, got stitched and bandaged up and later came out with her teammates to accept her flowers and the applause of the Pacific Coliseum. The Canadian women -equally exuberant – started hopping up and down on the podium when they were announced and then jumped down and  took off running down the ice in their street shoes to throw their flowers out to family members. A Kodak moment with a caption that read – who needs flowers? We want our medals!

And while the Canadian short trackers turned a bronze to silver, Clara Hughes captured a bronze medal that must have seemed like gold. The 37 year old became the second oldest speed skater to win a medal in Winter Olympic history when she finished third in the womens 5000 metre race, her final race as an Olympian. The medal, her sixth in a glorious career, was the perfect way to cap an incredible career that has seen her win medals in both speed skating in the Winter Games and cycling in the Summer Olympics.

If there is a better Olympian – someone who demonstrates what the Olympics truly are about – than I haven’t met her. Over the years, every time Clara met a bump in the road, she always skated right over it. From a car accident a few years ago to a hiking mishap last year to the doubt that always creeps into an athlete’s mind once father time starts to take over, Hughes has never lost sight of why she does what she does. And through it all has found time to be a terrific ambassador for Right to Play , an organization which helps gives impoverished kids from around the world – a chance to play.

Clara has skated thousands of laps during her celebrated career but no lap may have felt as sweet as the one she took in her runners after winning bronze. That famous Hughes smile, the same one we saw when she carried the Canadian flag into the opening ceremonies was radiant again as she ran – and ran – and ran – arms in the air – carrying a Maple Leaf again. The final moments of her swan song written to near perfection.

And while these fabulous athletes brought pride to a nation again. Dare I say, a lot of people only saw them do it on an Olympic replay or on the highlights.

That’s because it was another Hockey Day in Canada and all eyes were on on the mens quarterfinal

Nothing stirs our collective soul more than our game and two words – Canada – Russia. 

Walking the streets in the morning getting ready to go to work – I bumped into Crosby – Iginla and Luongo – about a thousand times. Everyone decked out in a Team Canada jersey with their favorite star’s name emblazoned on the back. You can’t tail-gate party in Canada but who needs one when you do a city gate.

What a sight. Red and white everywhere. Hockey jersey heaven. 

My wife and two oldest boys arrived the other day and one of the first things we HAD to do was make sure they had their Canadian gear. We stopped at the bustling Nike store on Robson Street and my boys went crazy. They didn’t have the right size for the little guys but that didn’t matter. A Crosby and a couple of Iginlas later and they were set. Off they went to the biggest game of the tournament, swimming in their red jerseys – proud to wear the Maple Leaf – and dreaming that they someday would have their own names on the back of a jersey and playing for Team Canada at the Olympics.

I only saw the game on television since I was in another rink – but I saw all the pictures that my wife took later – and heard all the stories from my boys about each goal and every move  - and of course of how much they celebrated when as my oldest son Tyler told me “Dad, we smoked the Russians”.

Smoked and stoked. The Russian bear slayed. On to the semi-finals.

What a great day to be a Canadian. What a great day to be a kid.