We Are Canadian

So my kids and I were at men's Snowboard Cross last week. This is the sport where snowboarders come down the course four by four, sometimes gently nudging one another, sometimes spectacularly wiping out across one another; one minute a boarder is leading, the next minute he's fallen into fourth place. I digress. My point is that we are on the bleachers and there are twenty American fans behind us. Every time an American comes down, the chanting for U S A, U S A begins, and the flag waving and the screaming, and it's loud and overt and part of me thinks, yes I cringe to admit it, those Americans are so obnoxious.  Talk about stereotypes.  If they are obtuse and obnoxious, what the heck are we?

In the last week I have witnessed the loudest, reddest, most uninhibited display of spectator enthusiasm as I have ever witnessed at any event, in any country, ever.  Really.  The Dutch and their drums, the Americans and their flags, the Germans with their spontaneous song - they got nothing on us red cladden, flag carrying Canadians.  Yes, we have officially become the loudest, biggest, maybe even most obnoxious, fans in the world.  It's a fact.

Some are calling this our coming out party and you know, maybe it is. Maybe we have finally figured out just how amazing this country really is, what an incredible privilege it is to be born here or to choose it as our home. Maybe we have finally figured out we have allot to be proud of and it is time to drop the humble, ah shucks attitude. Our athletes are good, and yes we love that they are winning. As my coach Mike Spracklen used to say, "let's have fun, let's have fun winning."  It's fun to be good, and it's fun to win, and none of us should be self conscious that we are cheering. Sometimes we fall a little short. This is sport, the stakes are high and the difference between fourth and gold is less than a decimal.  Mellisa Hollingsworth has nothing to be ashamed of, she trained well and competed well, but she made a few mistakes.  In our country we have room for being human, in fact it is the humanity of our athletes that instil the greatest pride.  Joannie Rochette competing despite the devastating news of her mom's death; you bet we will be watching and cheering her on regardless of her performance.  It is Alexandre Bilodeau's performance and story that make us crazy with pride.

Canada has turned forty.  Every woman in her forties knows exactly what I mean.  We have dropped any pretence of what we should be and become who we really are. Go Canada. --Silken