Ken Herar

Friday, February 26, 2010

Canadian pride has never been hotter..

Winter Games heat national pride

Kulwinder Herar, The Times

Published: Friday, February 26, 2010

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be wrapping up this weekend. What an amazing sporting competition it has been for Canadians. The patriotic climate has never been hotter in the mighty north. As athletes and fans get ready to head back to their respective countries and communities, the lasting legacy that has been seeded for Canadians is our unconditional love for Canada. Over the past two weeks, Canadians have stopped being humble for a moment and demonstrated just how proud we are of our nation and flag, while being exceptional hosts.

We might not flash the Maple Leaf in your face often, but never underestimate our gritty determination and passion when put to the ultimate test.

When Canadians get together they are a force to be reckoned with. Canadian athletes have truly made us proud whether they made the podium or not. Let's not forget to continuing cheering "Go Canada Go" over the next few days until the final whistle blows.

We have been extremely fortunate to have hosted this diverse sporting event exposing our beautiful region to our wonderful guests. Many are already commenting that these could be the best Games ever. I believe it.

Despite the long line-ups at venues, many shared positive experiences. We don't have to remind ourselves that we live in the best place on the planet. Canada is a vast country of small communities consisting of a diverse, vibrant population. You can go almost anywhere and get involved in almost anything at anytime.

This is the beauty of our nation. It's our small towns that makes Canada thrive as a nation with glowing hearts. Here are just a few quick examples from my hometown.

After almost a year of planning, the Mission Community Archives' newest exhibit, Dreams of Glory: Mission's Sports History, opened Feb. 14 as part of local celebrations to mark Heritage Week in B.C. With more than 100 people attending, the event was a great success. Officiated by Steve Sharpe, 2000 Sports Volunteer of the Year, the opening ceremony featured Eden Donatelli, an Olympic and world champion speed skater, as the keynote speaker and demonstrations by members of the Mission Karate Club led by Peter and Tracy Motut and the Mission Boxing Club featuring Cody and Jessy Brown. The exhibit is on display in the community archives until the end of April during its regular hours on Thursdays (9 a.m. to noon; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and Fridays (9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.). For more, contact the archives at mca@missionarchives.com or at 604-820-2621.

- Kulwinder Herar is a columnist for the Abbotsford & Mission TImes. Contact him at KenHerar@gmail.com

Friday, February 19, 2010

Did the Olympics Opening Ceremonies fail to capture the image of Canada's diverse population?

Not quite multicultural

Opening ceremonies were great, but did not reflect all of Canada's diversity

Kulwinder Herar, The Times

Published: Friday, February 19, 2010

It's hard to believe the Olympic Games are almost half over. Time flies when you're having fun. Go Canada Go.

Many of the people I have spoken to said they had a wonderful time visiting the various Olympic venues in Vancouver. Well, you never get a second chance to make a first impression and the opening ceremonies last week did just that.

The audience of 60,000 strong at BC Place and 3.5 billion viewers from around the globe watched possibly the show of their lifetime. Some broadcasters referred to as the best Winter Olympics opening ceremony ever.

There hasn't been a more proud moment in our nation's history to wave our mighty flag as Canada hosts its third Olympic Games.

The promising day was filled with tragedy when an Olympian lost his life earlier in the day at Whistler, but the sense of hope and spirit was felt throughout the opening.

There were many special moments. For example, Yellowknife's Shane Koyczan's poem 'We Are More' captured the hearts and souls of Canadians as he read: "We are young; we are cultures strung together then woven into a tapestry. And the design is what makes us more than the sum totals of our history. We are an experiment going right for a change."

A commentator also noted during the show that Canada could be one of the most diverse nations to hold such Games. Diversity is Canada's strength and we have collectively proven not only to ourselves, but to other lands that everyone has a place. Until I came across this. Reading an article by Alden E. Habacon in the Georgia Straight, he said it fails short of being multicultural.

To tell you the truth, I was a bit surprised myself.

After the ceremonies, I was wondering where were the Bhangra dancers? Did I miss something? Everyone loves Bhangra.

Some of the French-Canadians were also muttering about the lack of their culture in the program. It would have been nice to see more Chinese, French and South Asian content to bring an accurate cross- representation of Canada's and B.C.'s population.

Don't get me wrong. First Nations, along with the many other performers, did a first-class job. Just equal partnership would of been multicultural.

Keith and Kelley Chalmers of Mission attended the opening and shared these words: " The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony was sensational, we felt very blessed to be at B.C. Place for such a moving event. Perhaps the best part was the Four Nations Aboriginal dancers that performed throughout the 82 Country introductions. The crowd at B.C. Place enthusiastically took part by wearing white smocks to allow the audience to be painted by lights creating various visual effects while they were also beating drums and shining special flashlights to create thunder storms, and the Northern Lights."

We should all be proud of what we have accomplished. We showcased ourselves to the world and our family, along with many others will never forget this event, said Chalmers.

- Kulwinder Herar is a columnist for the Abbotsfor & Mission TImes. Contact him at KenHerar@gmail.com