{"id":762,"date":"2010-02-28T20:53:13","date_gmt":"2010-03-01T03:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.hotpepper.ca\/?p=762"},"modified":"2010-02-28T20:53:13","modified_gmt":"2010-03-01T03:53:13","slug":"my-thoughts-on-the-2010-winter-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2010\/02\/28\/my-thoughts-on-the-2010-winter-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"My thoughts on the 2010 Winter Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Raymond Parade by Kim Siever, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kmsiever\/720425129\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Raymond Parade\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1148\/720425129_29b7ad1688_m.jpg?resize=240%2C160\" width=\"240\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Five years ago, the Vancouver Organizing Committee announced the \u201cOwn the Podium\u201d programme, designed to create world-class olympians ready to compete in Vancouver\u2019s 2010 Winter Olympics, a process that normally takes a decade.<\/p>\n<p>The idea was that if we create many such athletes, we could dominate the olympics in total medal count, which would of course been a record-breaking event for Canada.<\/p>\n<p>The bad news is we didn\u2019t succeed.<\/p>\n<p>But wait. There\u2019s good news.<\/p>\n<p>It was still a record-breaking olympics for Canada:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The first time we won a gold medal as host country<\/li>\n<li>The first country to reach double-digit gold medals in these games<\/li>\n<li>The highest number of gold medals in these games<\/li>\n<li>The highest number of gold medals of any country in any Winter Olympics<\/li>\n<li>The first time we have had a three-gold-medal day<\/li>\n<li>The first time in nearly 50 years we beat the Russians at men\u2019s hockey at the Olympics<\/li>\n<li>The highest number of total medals we have ever won at any Winter Olympics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, of the top 10 countries these games, Canada was one of only 2 countries to have more than half of their medals as golds.<\/p>\n<p>Well done, Team Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five years ago, the Vancouver Organizing Committee announced the \u201cOwn the Podium\u201d programme, designed to create world-class olympians ready to compete in Vancouver\u2019s 2010 Winter Olympics, a process that normally takes a decade. The idea was that if we create many such athletes, we could dominate the olympics in total medal count, which would of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4NkW7-ci","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4557,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2020\/04\/10\/alberta-lost-a-record-117000-jobs-in-march\/","url_meta":{"origin":762,"position":0},"title":"Alberta lost a record 117,000 jobs in March","author":"Kim Siever","date":"10 April 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Alberta government released their March 2020 job numbers yesterday, and\u2014unsurprisingly\u2014they don\u2019t look good. Last month, Alberta lost over 117,000 jobs: 73,600 part-time jobs and 43,500 full-time jobs. Since Jason Kenney introduced his so-called Job Creation Tax Cut in July 2019, we\u2019ve had 4 months with drops in full-time jobs,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/person-1821413_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/person-1821413_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/person-1821413_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/person-1821413_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/person-1821413_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3929,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2019\/10\/22\/gun-ownership-isnt-the-problem\/","url_meta":{"origin":762,"position":1},"title":"Gun ownership isn\u2019t the problem","author":"Kim Siever","date":"22 October 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If gun ownership breeds higher gun violence, then countries with higher gun ownership should have higher gun violence, right?","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/gun-4127187_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/gun-4127187_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/gun-4127187_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/gun-4127187_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/10\/gun-4127187_1920.jpg?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3770,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2019\/09\/16\/debunked-4-myths-about-undocumented-residents\/","url_meta":{"origin":762,"position":2},"title":"Debunked: 4 myths about undocumented residents","author":"Kim Siever","date":"16 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I believe in open borders. And by that, I mean that people should be free to enter into any country they want. Governments seem intent on advocating for free trade, which gives inanimate objects more freedom than people have. As you can imagine, a lot of people disagree with me.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/shutterstock_423295780.jpg?fit=1000%2C609&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/shutterstock_423295780.jpg?fit=1000%2C609&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/shutterstock_423295780.jpg?fit=1000%2C609&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/shutterstock_423295780.jpg?fit=1000%2C609&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":739,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2010\/02\/08\/winter-in-lethbridge\/","url_meta":{"origin":762,"position":3},"title":"Winter in Lethbridge","author":"Kim Siever","date":"8 February 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the great things about living in Lethbridge is the variable weather. A common saying in Southern Alberta is, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like the weather, wait five minutes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. While that may be hyperbolic, it does aptly illustrate our very volatile weather pattern. What this means is that we get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lethbridge&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lethbridge","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/lethbridge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunrise","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2765\/4331148049_73578b6f2b_t.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3068,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2011\/10\/09\/st-valentines-trap\/","url_meta":{"origin":762,"position":4},"title":"St. Valentine\u2019s Trap?","author":"Kim Siever","date":"9 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Today\u2019s the day when husbands fret And wonder what their wives to get To show their love with costly things Hearts of red and golden strings. Florists rake in quite the cash Bakers make the chocolate dash Stuffers stuff some record bears Jewellers cut more diamonds rare. Men run wild\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Poetry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/poetry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3834,"url":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/2019\/09\/30\/rhetoric-around-indigenous-people-hindering-progress\/","url_meta":{"origin":762,"position":5},"title":"Rhetoric around Indigenous people hindering progress","author":"Kim Siever","date":"30 September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This sort of language is a continuation of centuries-old rhetoric of Indigenous people hindering settler progress.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Politics&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/category\/politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/Seton_blockade-e1569841356617.jpg?fit=1039%2C781&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/Seton_blockade-e1569841356617.jpg?fit=1039%2C781&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/Seton_blockade-e1569841356617.jpg?fit=1039%2C781&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/Seton_blockade-e1569841356617.jpg?fit=1039%2C781&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siever.ca\/kim\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}