Dear Reader
February is a month for dreaming, as our front page might
indicate to you: I certainly am dreaming of Easter, of spring
and apple blossoms. The rest of the country dreamed of gold, the
Olympic kind, and I got caught up in it too. Our
Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics was a highlight not just for
those cities and the athletes of the world; it was also an
important event for our country.
At the beginning of the Olympic coverage the hype about our
athletes and how they have to fulfill the nation’s expectations
was over the top, so much so, that I felt there was undue
pressure put onto the athletes, and it probably was because they
did not do as well as expected by the majority and themselves. I
thought that they are the best we have and that they did not go
to Vancouver to lose, that they were there because they wanted
to win and do their best. They did not need prompting and
reminding every two minutes by an overzealous media machine.
Half way through, when it became clear that even under the best
of circumstances Canada could not win as many medals as was
predicted as possible, only then when it was physically
impossible, only then the media stopped pressuring the athletes,
and VOILA, the medals stated to pop up. The coverage was less
controversial and became more supportive, despite problems
attached to the games. They were all handled properly and in the
end we could take a bow for the best Winter Olympics ever.
I watched largely the official carrier of the games, CTV, and
enjoyed it for the most part, but there was one team of young
 reporters we could have done without. They found things to make
fun of and only succeeded in looking silly and in bad taste
themselves, especially when they emulated the faces of skaters
in their most grueling moments. I have to say it: making fun of
people like that is not funny. It is not only in bad taste, it
also hurtful to the athletes and shows lack of substance on the
part of the reporters.
I found Donald Sutherland’s story of the Cherokee Elder a
fitting analogy: He speaks of two wolfs living inside of him.
One is mean and hateful and nasty and the other is loving,
compassionate, kind and forgiving. A youngster asks: “Which one
is winning?” The answer is: “The one we feed!”
I have never spent so much time glued to the TV as in those 17
days, but on the last day, on the day of the all important
hockey game, we had to go to review an opera in the afternoon.
When we drove home via downtown, not knowing how the game went,
we suddenly became aware of a buzz in the universe - that is
what we called it. I cannot describe it any other way. We felt
it physically and wondered what it was, this vibration all
around us. And then it came to me: We must have won the gold
medal in the game against the USA. Only at home did we find out
that it was true. The sensations occurred as we were close to
Dundas and Yonge Street in Toronto, where thousands of people
had congregated. We were driving home on Jarvis Street. Imagine
the energies all over the country set free by this event! What a
climax!
The evening was spent watching highlights and then the closing
ceremony. Like the opening it was spectacular and a fitting
ending to these wonderful Olympic Winter Games that could get
the entire country so excited and united.
And while we congratulate all athletes of the world to their
achievements, we are especially happy about the record braking
Gold Medal success of our Canadian athletes and of British
Columbia and all the people involved in the creation of this
marvel of organization that welcomed the world. I fully
understand why Canadians are filled with pride just now more
than ever before. Whoever said that we have no identity? That
was when? It certainly is not now!
 Let us hope that these feelings of harmony and pride last and
last. In the meantime, we can dream of spring.
Happy Easter!
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
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