What an experience. I am so lucky to have been able to attend this. At 8:15 all of the Canadians staying in the Olympic Village gathered for a little pep rally by our Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury; he reflected on is past moments and experiences as an Olympian. It was a great pump up speech and by the time the Canadians made our way outside everyone seemed to be pretty hyper- afterall this was the Opening Ceremonies for London 2012 Olympic Games.
On our walk over to the main stadium there was lots of fans from local schools lining the roads cheering for every country that walked by. The ceremonies had started by the time we arrived, so we didn't get to much of what happened before the countries were marched in. On our walk over, I got to know some other athletes pretty well and had a chance to talk to Ian Miller and others who have competed in more than one Olympics. It was an opportunity to hear their stories and what they endured on the way to their dream.
Once we got closer to the stadium you could feel the energy coming out of there. The cheering, the music, and the closer you got the more anxious I got. Finally as we came down the tunnel and turned the corner to the stadium you could see all the lights and the people. The stadium was full, each seat had blue lights on them, and the crowd was loud! All you could see was constant flashes from cameras. Before we walked in, they asked that we not be on our cameras for the first 200m so that we could take in the moment of walking in as an Olympian and to let all of our fans from home see us (not our cameras). Standing there, waiting for "CANADA" to be announced was emotional. To think that I have realised my dreams, i'm living my dream right now! I'm walking in as an Olympian, representing my country. I can't really explain the feeling in words of what it feels like to be walking in there.
We saw lots of Canadians in the stands, waved and smiled the whole time. This was a time to enjoy the moment. The lighting of the torch was a highlight, it was in lit in the middle of all the athletes and coaches who marched in.
Now that I'm in Germany, this is a chance to settle down and get away from all the hype in the village. Here in Germany, all we get to do is focus on our training, recovery, and getting some down time.
It's almost go time!!!
Melissa
That post made me smile! Khadija in Windsor, and I in London, were watching you walk into the stadium on the TV! I was sooo happy for you.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of the post for me was:
"To think that I have realized my dreams, I'm living my dream right now!"
Go get em tiger!