I will begin this 14-day countdown with a couple of inspirational quotes from Baron Pierre de Coubertin, known to historians as the instigator or the father of the modern Olympic movement.
He states that in the Olympic Games, "the most important thing is not to win but to take part!" He then continues: "the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."Comments? Thoughts? Feel free to express your opinion - I want your participation!
Moving on, I finally received some updated transportation information today from the Event Services team. And... it's all good news! They were able to add one more departure hub for Cypress Mountain. This hub is actually located downtown Vancouver and will help me get to 4 out of my 6 early-morning shifts on time. Woohoo! For the rest, I was able to arrange some carpooling options with fellow volunteers (the power of Google Groups!). I will be taking public transit to all other shifts, which is complementary for volunteers throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Also, I got a confirmation today that my Rehearsal ticket will be ready for pick-up next week... This is all happening, I guess! This journey that I embarked on 2 years ago is about to culminate in 14 days... and I'm thrilled and excited to connect you to the Games the best I can via this blog.
So, stay tuned and let's start the countdown!
The two photos attached to today's post are from Ottawa (from Jan. 16)
I think Canadian athletes have for far too long taken the Baron's quotes literally. We are no longer in an era of competition where winning simply means bragging rights. It means money for further development and the potential to see a sport breakthrough where it never has before.
ReplyDeleteI for one would like to see more Canadians stop saying they were just honoured to be there and start taking it seriously, being disapointed, when they don't win medals. I think Own the Podium is a great initiative and I hope we DO OWN IT in the end!
The Games are not an elementary school gym class... where it is just good enough to try and in the end everyone is a winner, right? It's important to give your all, in every single stride or push, to aim for gold each and every time you compete. On the other hand, it's time to really look into how much we're investing in our elite athletes... Hopefully Own the Podium does yield some results in Vancouver.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your perspective, Shawn!