Vancouver Olympic Glowing Hearts

Vancouver Olympic Glowing Hearts...an assessment of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Vancouver Sea to Sky City, city by the bay, city by the mountains, city of diversity, city of gold, the city of splendorous glass upon a stage of supernatural beauty...a quiet pride explodes into euphoria city.

The flame came, saw...and conquered. Vancouver happily wed wearing its Olympic rings and boldly proclaiming the maple leaf. We are touched by heart swelling stories perhaps exemplified by the graceful and heroic Joannie Rochette along with breathe holding moments of the men’s gold medal hockey game.

Vancouver has proven to be the gem that all who know it understand it to be. Now the athlete’s parade is over and the flame extinguished the day after is upon us, we own the legacy and have arrived. What is the legacy and where have we arrived?

I have been neither an Olympics denier or Olympics evangelist and now as I reflect upon this spectacle and weigh all the pros and cons I feel some discomfiture.

I am a humbly proud Canadian, British Columbian and Vancouverite. Perhaps that is what configures my mixture of emotions, I love the sports and a good time yet I abhor waste and find repulsive proclamations that are inherently simplistic and ludicrous, declarations that imply sports has a transcending power to save the world...add to that money that could have been spent more sensibly and I am in a quandary. Certainly many in Metro Vancouver would be repulsed by my lack of lustrous hyperbole glorifying the events of our Games.

I loved the rampant patriotism of our Premier Campbell, I have enjoyed the passion, dedication and skill of the athletes, I appreciate the volunteers and work that went into representing my home and native land...I value the labour of the security personnel and our generous guests that spent loads of money to help us pay for this enormous event.

Was this spectacle worth it? We finally within my lifetime received back some of the money we have sent to Eastern Canada for our own infrastructure...but then again...

...my heart is glowing I just hope it isn’t heart burn...