Peter Carroll’s photography blog

A wonderful thing happened to my country over the last 17 days. The Olympic cauldron lit a fire of patriotism that stretched from coast to coast to coast. Not the chest thumping – we’re better than you – type of patriotism. Canadians were proud to show the flag, proud to sing the anthem, and we showed our passion for this great land we call home. It was always there. The Olympics didn’t give birth to this national pride. The Olympics just gave it a stage on which to play out.

Stephen Brunt, a columnist for the Globe and Mail, beautifully summarized the impact the Olympics have had on this great country in two video essays (video 1 link, video 2 link) he put together for CTV.

I said it in a previous post but I’ll say it again… I love the Olympics. The stories that unfold over 17 days are not only entertaining but they are also great life lessons – hard work is the basis for results, expect the unexpected, success is a combination of preparation and belief in yourself, plan for the future but live in the moment and seize opportunity. The Olympics are 17 days that tell the story that in life you have to deal with adversity and challenges. I believe that the life of a perfectionist is one of the sadest of all. Being human means being imperfect. The Olympics showcase the capacity of the human spirit in dealing with that reality. They are a 17 day example of something I like I like to tell my kids – not every day is sunshine and roses but it’s how you respond to the tougher ones that define who you really are. Athletes don’t show up bright eyed and bushy tailed to every training session on the long road of preparation for the Games. At the moment of competition for their event they face challenges such as weather, pressure, fitness, equipment failure, noise, and occasionally life intrudes on the Games and they have to deal with personal tragedy. It’s how you deal with all of life’s challenges that defines who you are. That’s why I think Olympic athletes can be great role models. The Olympics teach us all, but especially the youth of the world, to dream big and try your best. That’s a good thing in my opinion.

I believe the legacy of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games is best summarized by Nancy Greene Raine – “Canada has hosted the world in a truly remarkable way – we have changed the way the world looks at us, and more importantly, we have a new level of pride and appreciation for the wonderful country we call home”. The Games will undoubtedly influence some of the youth of our nation to follow in the footsteps of the athletes they witnessed compete for the the past two weeks. Some will find themselves walking in their national colours at the opening ceremonies of the 2012,2014,2016… Games thanks to the efforts of those who proudly competed in Vancouver. But the greater legacy of the Games is the impact on all who believe in the ideals of the Olympics and make fair play, hard work and trying one’s best a part of our everyday lives. I’m looking forward to London in 2012…

I love the Olympics. Sure there’s an ugly side to the Olympics – drugs, cheating, money, politics etc. etc. But ya know what – that’s life. It’s the fact that a coin has two sides that makes it worth flipping. I love the ideals that the Olympics represent. If the idea of the Olympic ideals is hokey to you, well then I feel sorry for you. Cynicism is a sad quality. Not everyone lives up to the Olympic ideals but having ceremony and competition around such ideals every four years is good. It’s important if only to focus our attention on what’s right with the world. I love the stories that will unfold over the next two weeks. As that commentator for the opening sequence on ABC’s Wide World of Sports used to say, “the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition”. The Olympics are life encapsulated.

The Games are now open. I watched the Opening Ceremonies last night and as always with these types of events there were parts I liked, parts I loved and parts I could have done without. The highlight of the night for me was the tribute to the Prairies and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”. The photographer side of me was totally captivated by the power of the simple visuals – blue, gold, wheat, flight, wide open space. That’s exactly what I aim to capture when I photograph the Prairies. I guarantee you I’ll be humming Joni’s incredible song next time I’m clicking the shutter on a wheat field. What other parts of the show worked for me? I loved the sequence with the orcas. Sarah McLachlan and k.d. Lang were wonderful. I thought the video of old Olympic moments against the Canadian Rocky Mountains was very good too. It was unfortunate for all those who put so much time into planning the event that the hydraulics didn’t play nice for the torch lighting but again that’s life. Sometimes things just don’t work out. I’m being totally honest, however, when I say that even if the hydraulics had worked and Catriona LeMay Doan had been able to light along with the others my memory of the torch lighting years from now would still be the Great One carrying that torch on the back of that truck with all those people running alongside. A great moment. I’m just glad he didn’t take a header off the back. So all in all I think VANOC did a really good job. I live in a really beautiful and diverse country and I think they captured that in the Opening Ceremonies. There were moments watching when I felt like I do when I am out in the Canadian landscape alone with my camera and I look around me at the incredible beauty that is the land I call home and I think to myself – I’m proud to be Canadian.

I’ll end today with the lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”. Enjoy the Games everyone…

Bows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show
You leave ‘em laughing when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away

I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know love at all

Tear and fears and feeling proud
To say “I love you” right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way

Oh but now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I’ve changed
Well something’s lost but something’s gained
In living every day

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

“Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell