I (Still) Believe

I spent a couple of hours Sunday evening watching the CTV Olympic Winter Games 2010 Anniversary special.  It was an interesting experience.

I didn't write a whole lot about the Olympics last year, but I did watch a fair bit (which is unusual for me) and I was very ... is 'moved' the right word? Perhaps 'inspired'? I'm not quite sure.  But I, like most Canadians, was most definitely something.

And it was amazing how watching the anniversary special was enough to take me right back there.  Right back to those moments, when Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada's first gold at home and when Joannie Rochette skated to her own personal vicotry (and a bronze medal) just days after her mother's death.  And, of course, perhaps the greatest moment of all, Crosbie's gold medal goal at the very end.

Sandwiched in between, of course, was the gold medal of the Canadian women's hockey team and Virtue and Moir's gold in the ice dance competition.  And who could forget Jon Montgomery's triumphant walk through thre streets ofWhistler, complete with a pitcher of beer?

But tell me, how did I miss the story of Mellisa Hollingsworth tearfully apologizing to the nation for not winning a medal in skeleton? I do remember hearing the story in passing at the time but I sadly confess that it didn't stick.  I know, no apology necessary, eh?

Know what else I realized I missed?

Hearing or seeing much coverage of the Paralympic Games which were held immediately after the Olympics last year.  I remember noticiing at the time that I wasn't hearing much on those Games and then, last night, when they showed some of the hightlights from the Paralympics, I realized how much we all  had missed.

So if you're thinking that perhaps, just perhaps, my media choice for the eveining has swept me back in time to a year ago this month, you would be absolutely correct.  Dead right on.

And it's in that spirit that I offer you my one of my all-time favourite songs, "I Believe" as sung by Nikki Yanofsky.

Unfortunately I can't share with you the version of that song I really want to.  At least, not directly on this blog.  I'm afraid you will have to go here to view that.  [Ed.. They disabled the embedding function.  The bastards.]

One other thing that was really rather neat about the anniversary special was the chance to catch up with some of those athletes now, a year later in their lives.  But one person I noticed they didn't profile was Nikki Yanofsky and I have to wonder why not.  Although not an athlete, she definitely played a large part in making the 2010 Olympics what it was for Canadians.