Monsoon Journal

The 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver have now come to an end. It’s very inspiring for us to watch the athletes com- pete and perform with such grace and passion. Olympic games are always a momentous occasion in that they come once every four years. We don’t get the benefit of watching them on a yearly basis like the traditional sports such as football, basketball, and hockey. Neither do the athletes get the added benefit of coming back year after year to compete. Perhaps it’s these factors that make the Olympic games the spe- cial occasion that it is. These ath- letes train long and hard for years leading up to the events. While training for the Games, it takes a lot of hard work, mental focus, and determination.

They are con- stantly pushing themselves and making great strides to become the best that they can be and it’s all worth it once they make their mark at the Olympic Games. We can’t help but notice the look of hope and victory in the eyes of the athletes leading up to the Games. In their mind, they are already victorious for simply having the opportunity to com- pete in Vancouver. These athletes started with a dream and a vision. They could have easily settled for mediocrity and thought, “Well, what person doesn’t want to com- pete in the Olympics. What are the chances that I would even make it?”

They didn’t accept those negative thoughts of defeat, they pushed beyond the odds and the fear and because of this, their passion took them a long way. These Olympic athletes are no different then us. They started out at the same place we did, they applied themselves and took the extraordinary measures to accom- plish the level of success in which they’ve arrived, something we all should be inspired to follow. A wise man once said, “The sky is the limit to what you can have.” The Monsoon Journal joins in the call that ushers the Olympic Inspiration; to turn that inspira- tion into motivation that will push and propel yourself forward into your journey of success. - By Shiyam Loganathan

Statement from Prime Minister Harper on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of Canada’s National Flag on February 15th. STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement on the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of Canada’s National Flag on February 15:

“Since it first appeared in 1965, our distinctive maple leaf flag has become a national icon. It is recognized both at home and abroad as a symbol of peace, democracy, freedom and courage. “On this date 45 years ago, the flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill, in commu- nities across Canada and at our embassies and missions around the world.

“Just a few days ago, accom- panied by our country’s top ath- letes, Canada ’s Olympic flag- bearer Clara Hughes carried our national flag during the opening of the Olympic Winter Games. It was an electrifying moment of intense pride for the entire coun- try. “I invite Canadians across the country to take a moment and proudly reflect on our flag and what it means to live in such a rich, diverse and blessed country.”

By Kane Farabaugh As the world focused on the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, an athlete-based, inter- national humanitarian organiza- tion used the spotlight to help promote sports in the poorest parts of the planet. The organiza- tion, called Right To Play, helps more than one million children around the world. When U.S. Olympic skier Nikki Stone won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, it led her on a path that would take her half way around the world to Sierra Leone. “Once you go to the field and you see these children playing and you see what an impact it has on their lives and the smiles on their faces and how excited they are just to be able to play,” she noted. “In the United States, it’s a luxury; for them, it’s changing their lives. They are playing games to teach about HIV.

They are playing games to wash their hands. They have red light, green light to learn to wash their hands.” Johann Olav Koss of Norway is the president and CEO of Right To Play and a four-time Olympic speed skating gold medal winner. His organization uses sport to promote a positive life for chil- dren. “Every child in the world has a right to play, and we want to go out into the most disadvantaged areas in the world and provide sport and play programs for their basic life skills training,” he said. To complete that mission, Right To Play draws on the expe- rience and popularity of Stone and other athletes. And as ambassadors they visit disadvantaged youth in some of the poorest areas on the planet. Right To Play is active in 23 coun- tries, including 15 in Africa.

“It could be in refugee camps, it could be in communities or slums of the cities. We know that many of the challenges that they are overcoming could be of pre- ventable diseases like infectious diseases and we are teaching the children about how they can pro- tect themselves,” added Koss. The Olympics provide an opportunity for Right To Play to recruit new athletes into the movement, but the organization is made up of more than just medal winners. Stars from the National Football League in the United States, worldwide rugby and soccer teams and various other prominent sports all con- tribute to Right To Play’s global outreach. Stone has traveled to Africa twice on field assignments, and says she gets as much as she gives through the experience.

“I think it’s valuable for them,” she said. “Once you start giving back, you start to learn the values of teamwork, you start realizing how commitment will make a dif- ference. And it is something that if thet put the time in it’s just going to pay back to them.” Right To Play says each week more than one million children take part in its activities, adminis- tered through a network of more than 15,000 coaches, teachers and leaders. [VOA News]

The teams of athletes gath- ered in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics have trained and honed their skills to win medals. But another team - from the Royal Canadian Mint - has used all of its skills and training to make the medals the athletes are trying to capture. Outside a former Bank of Montreal building in downtown Vancouver, two long lines snake their way up Granville Street. Some of the people in line have been waiting several hours to see, feel and hold Olympic medals. The Royal Canadian Mint has taken over the building - now Simon Fraser University’s School of Business - for a special exhibit of the Olympic medals to be awarded in Vancouver.

The medals for the Olympics and Paralympics are on display on the second floor of the building, where Project Manager Dan Mallett tells tour groups about how the medals were designed and made. Dressed in a charcoal gray athletic outfit, Mallet wears spe- cial white cotton gloves - gloves that every visitor receives before entering the exhibit. He explains that each medal is unique - none of the 615 Olympic and 339 Paralympic medals is identical. This is the first time the Olympic medals are not flat. Their surfaces undulate to simu- late Canada’s terrain. The medals are adorned with Native Canadian icons and designs of killer whales. The Paralympic medals have a native symbol of a raven that rep- resents overcoming obstacles.

Like a jigsaw puzzle, each medal is a piece of the master design. If all of the medals were placed together, they would form a complete picture. Medal win- ners receive a scarf with the over- all design, so they can see where their medal fits. Deanna Scott of White Rock, Surrey in British Columbia is one of the people listening to Mallett’s presentation. Wearing a Canada team sweatshirt, a woolen cap and sunglasses, she picked up the gold medal, snapped a photo- graph and turned over the prize to see the back. Scott says that waiting in line for three hours was worth it to hold one of the medals. “That’s pretty cool, especially after we just won one yesterday,” she said. “I am extremely proud of all our Canadian athletes.

I was in line at 9:00 this morning. But it was worth it, definitely worth it.” The Royal Canadian Mint was tasked with bringing the vision of local artists Corrine Hunt and Omer Arbel to life in a way that uniquely represents Canada. Mint Communications Director Christine Aquino says that when the final products emerged, it was a very special day. “I can tell you it was quite an emotional day at the Mint. There were approxi- mately 34 people who worked directly on those medals. They got quite attached over two-and- a-half years. And now that we see them being awarded to ath- letes from all over the world, we are very proud about that,” she said. Creating the medals is an arduous process. Each one weighs more than 500 grams and took more than 30 steps to man- ufacture. Because of their unique surface, each medal is struck with 12 dies - nine times with 1,900 tons of pressure, the weight of more than 700 automobiles.

The native designs were laser- engraved on each medal. The gold medals are mostly silver. But each is plated with six grams of gold. The silver medals are almost entirely made of silver. The bronze medals are largely copper because burnished bronze and gold are similar in color, and the mint did not want any confu- sion as to which medal an athlete receives. The Mint’s Christine Aquino says people don’t mind the lengthy wait to see, hold and pho- tograph the medals. She says most visitors are shocked by their weight and are thrilled to touch something that only a few people will ever possess. “They are meant to represent the feat that an athlete has to accomplish to win that sport. And we’re just thrilled.

We knew we had something great to come to Vancouver with, and we’re quite proud of it,” said Aquino. Outside at the head of the line, Luca and Andre Bucci of Hamilton, Ontario are almost to the door. The two men attended the women’s moguls event on February 13, where Canadian Jennifer Heil won a silver medal. They say that even though Heil’s medal wasn’t gold, they are proud a Canadian made the podium. The hundreds of fans who visit the Mint pavilion get to hold the medals and take photographs. The thousands of athletes com- peting in Vancouver are striving for the same privilege. But only a few will possess the coveted prizes. The artists and craftspeo- ple who made the medals say that the winners will take a spe- cial piece of Canada with them when the Games are over.