Whether you are a sports fan or not, I think everyone at some point has watched an opening ceremonies to the Olympics or some other major games. It is one of those things that seems to fascinate people. I was always in awe of the spectacle, watching the athletes march in, the pomp and circumstance around the entire stadium.
Last night, the team and I had the chance to live what will probably be one of those events that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. The evening was long as the logistics of moving 11,000+ individuals from the village to the stadium hosting the ceremonies was quite an undertaken. Once off the bus, we had to walk through a maze of parking lots, tunnels and ramps to bring us right to the main entrance of the stadium. We could hear the noise inside as it gradually built up. Suddenly , there was a light show with loud music but again we couldn't quite see what was going on although the cheering in the stadium was overwhleming.... suddenly the wall in front of us seemed to part (it was like 12 stories high) and suddenly we got our first glimpse into the stadium, all light up, 40,000+ people cheering , music blaring and one by one the team entered the stadium as we have seem time after time at Olypmics. When Canada's turn came, we were led down the ramp between a row of dancing volunteers (poor kids I think there had to do the same dance moves for 90 minutes as all the team filtered in). Suddenly you are engulfed in the middle of the stadium ! I don't think anything I write could fully capture the atmosphere at that moment. I was trying to videotape and hopefully I will be able to load it on this site (having trouble getting picture on here also) For 3 + hours, we were had music, dancers, cheering all around us non stop. I can honestly say that the feeling at those first moments are hard to rival and to explain. The term goosebumps might not be enough to truly describe the tingling. One great experience was getting to see our athletes , my players experience it and see it through their eyes. I can understand how Olympic athletes share a a bond once they have gotten the chance to go through an event like this. For a few moments, you are TEAM CANADA, representing the country in the eyes of the world. The team is enjoying some quiet time now as we wait for our game briefing and pregame meal.. tonight will be a huge test as we face China, at home, in a 40,000 seat
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AuthorAfter many years of coaching at various levels and with different teams, I thought I would share some of my experiences and thoughts about coaching. Archives
January 2023
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