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Thursday 20 February 2014

Olympics Part 2

So, what a great game today! Again, as I said earlier, if anyone really thinks that women's hockey is not worth watching, they should have seen today's exciting, come-from-behind gold medal win by Canada's women's team.

On another note, those human interest stories...One of the most widely covered was the decision by Canadian speed skater Gilmore Junio to give up his place to fellow team member Denny Morrison. Although I agree with a lot of the praise that has been lavished on Junio, I also feel for him and his family. I wrote the following letter which appeared in last Saturday's Ottawa Citizen.


When I first heard that Gilmore Junio gave up his spot in the men's 1000m race to Denny Morrison, I, like most people was touched by his generosity. All media reports have proclaimed him an Olympic hero who put Canada's team ahead of his personal goals. Yes, it's a great story with a heck of an ending, as Morrison won a silver medal.


However, I now feel differently about this episode. It was not a spontaneous gesture. Team Canada coaches approached Junio with the idea and met for 20 minutes to discuss it. I feel sorry for the kid. He worked hard and earned his spot in that race. This all goes back to Canada's new focus on winning medals rather than feeling satisfied with athletes performing to the best of their ability. Am I happy that Canada is having such a successful Olympics? For sure. However, I would feel just as happy with fewer medals. I like the human interest stories as much as the numbers and times achieved. Now because of Own the Podium, we have coaches saying to this athlete something like, "We don't really care if you go out there and do your best. It's more important for us to have a medal, so step aside and give your spot to this other guy." 


I feel sorry for Junio's family and friends sitting at the rink, hoping to see him race. I cannot imagine how much of their time and money was invested in his training and on their personal journeys to Russia. The ticket to that event alone cost $300.00. Personally I would have been happier to know that every person who qualified to go to Sochi was allowed to enter their event and perform to the best of their ability. 


In that spirit, let's take a moment to celebrate Larisa Yurkiw, one of our downhill skiers. Canada's medal-focused ski team dropped her, as she struggled to recover from a serious knee injury, last year. She wanted to compete so badly that she raised $150 000 so that she could hire coaches and trainers  and travel to Sochi. Today she came in 20th. Good for her! Hers is a story of determination, strength and courage. Her completion of the race, after all she has been through, is just as valuable as Morrison's silver medal.


Coincidentally, Jian Gomeshi's Monday commentary was on the emphasis on winning gold, after Patrick Chan won silver last weekend.

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