I haven’t competed in a gymnastics event in thirteen or fourteen years, and when I did compete, it was certainly never at this level. Marching in with my fellow competitors, the stands packed, flags waving, the crowd cheering… I started to cry. It was so powerful and so moving. I was completely overwhelmed by it. And even though there wasn’t a single Canadian flag in the mix, I still felt like they were cheering for me too. And that is one of the most beautiful things in this sport. Because there are so few people and because you can compete for such a long time, most people know each other and everyone is supportive of each other. You can really feel the vibe is more familial than cutthroat. When Canada was announced, the people cheered. They cheered!
It’s amazing to me, and an incredible honour to be competing next to athletes of this calibre. More amazing to me is that I have the level to compete next to them! At least in straight lines.
We marched out and went back to our seats to watch the remainder of the opening ceremonies, which were exactly as you would expect an opening ceremony to be: too long. Although there were a few things there were pretty cool. Like the group wheel act at the beginning! I’m sure for everyone else it was old hat, but I’ve never seen something like that before.
And the local club did a mini tribute for each country accompanied by said country’s national anthem! It was really sweet. And afterwards, the little girls who performed it gave each nation a signed card wishing them luck with a Swiss chocolate Swiss army knife! Fantastic!
Oh, and did I mention the techno yodel polka extravaganza? And the skipping rope? No? There’s a reason for that.
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