Devin's Diary: Day Five

This morning, we let the highs and lows of the Olympic weekend drift away as we explored the parks and stores around Commercial Drive just east of downtown. It was a stunningly warm and sunny day and there appeared to be as many locals on the streets as there were Olympic visitors. The atmosphere presented a surprising blend of life-as-usual for the locals combined with casual acceptance of the continuing spectacle all around them. While not everyone here intended to celebrate the Olympics, there remains a positive energy throughout the local pubs and coffee shops. If we aren’t setting Olympic sporting records, there has developed a common sense throughout the City that we are setting the standard for Olympic celebration.

We finished today with a quick drink at the Saskatchewan pavilion followed by an evening of watching ice-dance on a heated patio in Yaletown with a handful of other fans. While the atmosphere in Yaletown was not crazy-wild like Friday and Saturday evening, it was still vibrant and there remained a notable contingent of dedicated Olympic celebrants throughout the regions bars, restaurants and streets. It was a truly sanguine and satisfying way to watch a graceful young Canadian couple clutch the first gold medal in a European-dominated sport. While the others sitting on the patio were strangers to us, we were all united by the desire to see our young couple skate their best. As we sat, drank, ate, cheered and high-fived our patio neighbours tonight, it became clear that Canada’s medal count is not the only, and is perhaps the least appropariate measure of success for these games.

Guest post from U of S Alumnus Devin Dubois