Sochi Olympics

Finally the Award is granted. Proud.

Feb 2017 – Something started over 3 years ago is coming to fruition.   Sochi Olympics. 2014. If you were Canadian, you remember. A young man named Gilmore Junio gave up his spot in speedskating so his teammate Denny Morrison could have a crack at making the final. Denny did and won a silver medal. An OLYMPIC SILVER MEDAL. Incredible story.   His act made my heart sing. I immediately went into action and thought up an award – The Spirit in Sport award. A generous donor gave $5000 to the award. Well, my heart is going to sing again… Read more →

CURATED: Olympian Charles Hamelin in a ~2 min interview post-Olympics

Three-time Olympic short track speed skating gold medallist Charles Hamelin made a special announcement in an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos: he intends to compete at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. “I love short track,” he says. “And when you love something you don’t see it as work, as difficult. I wake up every morning and I’m just pleased to go to the rink and have pain in my legs.” Charles Hamelin on CBC with George Stroumboulopoulos     Read more →

CURATED: Sport is alive and well. Hayley Wickenheiser (Canadian Hockey legend) named to IOC.

“Canadian women’s hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser has been elected to the International Olympic Committee’s athletes commission. Two new athletes are elected to the 12-member board at every Winter Games, succeeding those who are ending eight-year terms. Four athletes are elected at each Summer Olympics.” ~ Feb 23, 2014 Global News Coverage on Hayley Wickenheiser Hayley Wickenheiser meets Teemu Selane CTV News coverage on Hayley Wickenheiser Read more →

BLOG: The essence of sport is the individual battles but doing it collectively as a team. Finland shows us how…

The essence of sport demonstrated by the Finnish Men’s Hockey Team   Great comment about sport and Finland from Hockey commentator Craig Simpson @hnicsimmer. He made this comment at the close of the 5-0 Finnish-US Men’s Hockey game at the Olympics from this morning. “The essence of sport is the individual battles but doing it collectively as a team and I think this Finnish team is such a great example of the power of that and they showed it here tonight” ~ Craig Simpson.  With that Finland wins the bronze!   Of note… Teemu Selänne of Finland and the these Games team… Read more →

CURATED: The Spirit of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games

The Spirit of the Games Actions, athletes, and officials showing us the spirit of the Games. These articles capture the true Olympic spirit!   Feb 22 – Ashes of late skier Sarah Burke spread in Sochi halfpipe – the snowboarder who pioneered the women’s event  Feb 20 – Roz Groenewoud of Calgary finishes seventh in ski halfpipe’s Olympic debut – despite having double knee surgery less than 2 months prior Feb 17 – Gold Medalist Waits At The Finish Line For 28 Minutes To Shake Hands With The Guy Who Came In Last The Denny Morrison & Gilmore Junio story Canadian coach’s act of kindness… Read more →

CURATED: Denny Morrison wins Silver. Gilmore Junio is golden. Sochi Olympics – speed skating.

By now the world knows that Canadian Gilmore Junio gave up his speed skating spot to Denny Morrison. All I can say is thank you. Trying to keep up with the flood of stories, here are a few.   Gilmore Junio and the race he did not skate, Maclean’s, Ken MacQueen,  Feb 12 2014 Should Gilmore Junio be Canada’s closing ceremony flag-bearer? – CBC – Dean Campbell, Feb 12 2014 Junio gives up spot, Morrison wins Olympic silver for Canada, Toronto Sun, Steve Simmons, Feb 12 2014 Canada’s self-congratulation complex is downright un-Olympic, Toronto Star, Rosie DiManno, Feb 13 2014 WATCH: Denny Morrison and… Read more →

CURATED: Offering a cross-country ski during competition

“Canadian coach’s act of kindness in cross country skiing at Sochi Olympics reflects all of us” from The Toronto Star. “In a race typically decided by tenths-of-a-second, Gafarov was three minutes behind the pack. He was trying to make it the last couple of hundred metres down the 1.7 km course. Wadsworth grabbed a spare ski he’d brought for Canadian racer Alex Harvey and ran onto the track. Gafarov stopped. Wadsworth kneeled beside him. No words passed between them. Gafarov only nodded. Wadsworth pulled off the broken equipment and replaced it. Gafarov set off again. “I wanted him to have… Read more →

BLOG & VIDEO: Charles Hamelin, Short Track Speed Skating. Gold Medalist.

Charles Hamelin. Short track speedskater. It’s a high energy, precise, high risk sport.   Someone said it’s ‘skating on razor blades.’ I notice some of the competitors wear neck guards. Many wipe out after losing a blade or being nudge while skating at what seems like light speed within centimetres of one another. Here are some home-made video clips taken of the TV screen (7 seconds each). Here is the Globe & Mail’s video. Read more →

CURATED: What is means to be a team player at the Olympics – Skating’s Kevin Reynolds of Vancouver

Local Vancouver man, Kevin Reynolds, supports the Canadian Figure Skating team in winning silver. Click here for the article in the Province by Ian Austin.   “The North Vancouver figure skater filled in for Patrick Chan — Canada’s leading contender for solo gold — in the team figure skating event so Chan would be rested for his individual men’s skating event. But what makes it so selfless is that the 23-year-old will also be skating in that men’s event, but took time away from his preparations to further his team’s potential medal haul.” The takeaway: the quality of being a… Read more →