Olympic Kickoff!!!

On My Mind

I was going to write an article this week about the main teams competing in the Olympics this year but I've seen so many columns written about it and so many shows on TV that when I saw Alexandre Bilodeau win Gold last night during the Men's Mogul Final I figured that he deserved this to be dedicated to him. I am fully aware that this is a hockey site, however, watching Bilodeau last night not only showed me how exciting other sports can be but also that there is so much more to life. If watching everything unfold during this event didn't pull at your heart strings and bring tears to your eyes, I'm not sure what will. Bilodeau winning the first Gold ever on Canadian soil during the Olympics was the perfect story. It had the Hero (Bilodeau), the villain (Dale Begg-Smith) and the feel good story (Alexandre's brother Frederic who suffers from cerebral palsy).

There is still a alot of mystery surrounding Begg-Smith who was born in Canada, but left after having a 'falling out' with the Canadian Government. He moved to Australia and now competes for them. He was unwilling to do any interviews with Canadian media making him appear even more ominous. Begg-Smith showed so much disrespect after the fact, that I am ashamed that he was ever associated with Canada. Winning Silver is nothing to be upset about, especially when the Bronze medal winner had a smile on his face nearly as big as Bilodeaus! He could have cared less and it definitely showed his lack of character.

After having 2 Canadians sit in 1st and 2nd place for the majority of the event, Bryon Wilson from the U.S. knocked the Canadians out. He was followed by Begg-Smith performing a nearless flawless run to take over top spot. While watching I was nearly heartbroken to see my least favoured competitor take the lead. However, like any great story the hero came in to save the day. Watching Bilodeau stand at the top of the ski hill (the 2nd last skier to perform) waiting for his run to begin gritting his teeth with his white mouthguard provided an eerie feeling in me that something great was about to happen. In fact, the second he completed the race I knew that he had won and for some strange reason, wasn't even worried about the last skier from France. I knew that this was meant to be.

Finally, the feel good story. I'm not sure how many people saw it played earlier in the day but there was a segment about Bilodeau before his event started. It talked about Bilodeau's heart and determination, but what it discussed, which was even greater, was how his older brother Frederic affected his life in such a positive and profound way. They told a story about how Alexandre, like most Canadian youth, wanted to be a professional hockey player. There was one problem. He wanted to participate in a sport where his brother could as well. Hockey was not a possibility, however, skiing definitely was. It led to him competing at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, where he finished eleventh. His motivation grew when that older brother who got him into skiing told him how proud he was of him for his performance. He never mentioned his position and that led to Alexandre promising Frederic that he would win Gold in Canada in 2010 for him.

This is dedicated to the Mr.Bilodeaus (both Alexandre and Frederic). An inspiration to everyone showing what heart really is, both in sport and in life. Congtatulations!

Thanks for reading...and hey, whatever became of Canada not winning Gold on home soil?..Oh, wait...