There was too much material for one post, so you can view my pre-ceremonies post by clicking here. This is the beginning of the ceremonies.
I decided to video the beginning of the Opening Ceremonies, so with one hand I had my video camera and with my other I lifted by tambourine during the countdown.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
It's such a fine line between being able to truly be present in a moment and wanting to have a photograph or video as a memento. A small disappointment for me was because we weren't told where to look, I am looking all over wondering how the ceremony would begin. I got distracted by seeing someone emerge from the floor in the centre. I couldn't tell at the time that it was a camera man. I should have figured it out with the ramp beside me, but hindsight is 20/20...so with the camera rolling, I catch the snowboarder after he has come through the rings and lands on the ramp beside me.
Whether to take photos or not also caught me in a very uncharacteristic moment. I rarely move during our national anthem. Often even if I'm alone at home, I will stand during the national anthem, but this time...I couldn't resist videotaping the national anthem...which isn't too bad, but then half way through, put it down to take photos. It was so beautiful, with the flag on the screen, the flag just raised, the Olympic rings and Nikki Yanofski in a red dress on the stage.
I love so many things about Canada, but one of the things I love the most about Canada is the seasons. Although I love summer the most...loving the heat and sunshine, I probably wouldn't appreciate it so much without the other seasons. I love the beauty of the fall colours. Almost every fall I am out taking photos of the leaves turning colours and it was one of the first paintings I did when I took a painting class last year. I love the pureness and beauty of the snow. I love the crunching sound on a very cold day after a snowstorm. I love the hope of buds growing on trees in the spring.
With my love of seasons, it was perfect when the seasons were so prominent in the opening ceremonies. When they first came walking out with the snow falling, I thought it was SO beautiful. Later when the emphasis was on the maple leaves during the fiddling segment and leaves were falling in the audience, I was in awe.
"We Are More", the poem by Shane Koycsan was also a highlight. Although there was too much for me to absorb in the moment, some lines definitely resonated with me. I especially loved when my daughter i.m.'d me saying "please and thank you lol".
The standing ovation that the Georgian team received as they entered the stadium was very emotional.
Being married to a Brit, I was excited when Great Britain entered the stadium led by the Skeleton athlete Shelly Rudman (and I didn't know it at the time, but my favourite Brit winter Olympian David Murdoch is in the photo).
When the United States of America entered led by luger Mark Grimmette, it was the largest cheer up to that point. There were a lot of American flags in the crowd.
The big highlight has to be when Canada entered the stadium. The crowd was thunderous. The flags were waving everywhere. I don't think I had ever heard cheering like that.
I thought the musical performances represented Canada well. Bryan Adams, Nelly Furtado, Joni Mitchell and Sarah McLachlan are very well known (and loved) outside of Canada so they were great choices. k.d. lang was incredible, but that Leonard Cohen song (that she covered on her 2004 album Hymns of the 49th Parallel) has been so overplayed on American and Canadian Idol (and X Factor) since that I'm almost tired of it. The fact that she does it so incredibly well and with such passion made it a musical highlight for most I think.
When the Olympic flag came out, I forgot that some of our great Canadians would be carrying it. So the announcement of these flag bearers was very exciting for me. I had really tried not to think about who would be bringing the Olympic torch into the stadium, so most of these great Canadians (except for Terry Fox's mother) hadn't come to my mind, until the announcement.
Carrying the Olympic flag, Betty Fox, Bobby Orr, Jacques Villeneuve, Anne Murray, Donald Sutherland, Roméo Dallaire, Barbara Ann Scott and Julie Payette.
It was SO exciting when Rick Hansen wheeled the Olympic flame in. A few days before, I was asked by a television reporter in Victoria who I thought would light the cauldron (or who I wanted to). I hadn't really wanted to think about it because I was hoping to be surprised. I answered Terry Fox's mother Betty as one choice. I said Simon Whitfield. I said it would have been great for Rick Hansen and Steve Nash but they had already carried the torch a few days before. My final answer was that I could name 20 people or 100 people that I would be happy to see light the cauldron. It was too difficult to choose just one.
I guess the organizers felt that way too choosing to have 4 people light the cauldron. Catriona Le May Doan, Steve Nash, Nancy Green and Wayne Gretzky.
When I heard the french announcer say MVP...I couldn't believe that Steve Nash was there. I thought I had read in the newspaper that after he carried the torch in the relay the day before he had left to go to the NBA All Star weekend. I was SO excited to see him carry the torch in the stadium.
With the problems with the hydraulics, there was a delay, so I took the opportunity to stop videotaping and took photos of the torchbearers waiting.
I didn't realize that there was a problem, so when I saw the multiple pillars, I was so excited to see that they were all going to light the cauldron. I can see now when I watch my video (after having seen it on tv) that there is a hole where the fourth pillar was to come up, but at the time I didn't notice it. I wondered why Catriona was just standing there, but still didn't think anything was wrong. I thought perhaps she had another role to play. I was to later learn of the problems. I wish she had gone over to one of the other three or taken over Wayne Gretzky's since he would light the one outdoors. I just read that she considered joining Nash but was instructed not to...bummer. They were also on a timeline because the torches would only stay alight for so long. I saw an interview with Catriona that said that they extinguished the minute they walked out. This is also the reason that they replaced Rick Hansen's torch when he arrived and gave Wayne Gretzky a new one when he left the venue.
Once the ceremony was over, we were told that we could stay to watch Wayne Gretzky light the cauldron on the big screen, but I was really concerned about how long it would take to get everyone out of the stadium. If I missed my bus to the ferry, my hosts would have to make some calls to their friends to find me a place to sleep in Vancouver. I really didn't want to inconvenience anyone, even if they did say that it was no problem.
So I gathered my mementos and my cameras and headed to the door (where we were sucked out because of the higher pressure inside that holds the roof up) and walked out in the pouring rain. Considering that it was supposed to rain the whole time I was there, this was one of the few times that I was caught in the rain during my entire trip. I was on such a high that really, I didn't mind the rain. I arrived at the bus terminal 45 minutes before it was scheduled to leave...enough time to recharge my iPhone a bit for the 4 hour commute back to Victoria.
There was very little traffic so we did arrive at the ferry early. We got off the bus once it was on the ferry and I went up to the 6th deck (or was it the 5th?) where I found a television showing the ski jumping and then the beginning of the Opening Ceremonies. I never thought that I would think this, but the ferry ride went way too quick. The nations were about to enter the stadium when we were instructed to go back to the bus :-(
It was wonderful to see the beginning of the Opening Ceremonies on television and see what it looked like to the rest of the world. I look forward to seeing the rest...maybe once the Olympics are over and I'm back to my regular television viewing hours, I'll make the time.
Stay tuned for my recount of Canada's first gold medal on Canadian soil...next post: Men's Moguls.
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