O Canada! Three cheers! Any country willing to take on the Winter or Summer Games deserves a Gold Medal! It's an job of Olympic proportion! I heard a commentator dissing Vancouver for all the bloopers but "all's well that ends well" & I think our Vancouver Hosts did a great job! Many glitches were weather related problems; things beyond their control!
In full disclosure I was even happy to see the Canadian Hockey Team win on Sunday! Hockey is Canada's "thing!" Losing would be like someone from Japan winning Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest on Coney Island!
I read an interesting article in a psychology magazine a few years ago claiming Olympic athletes are happier winning bronze than silver! Their research consistently showed the 2nd place winner less happy with their prize than the 3rd place winner!
These findings seem to be the result of the comparisons made by the athletes. The silver medalist compares him or herself to the gold medal winner. But the bronze medal winner compares him or herself to those people who did not win a medal.
Often a silver medalist was so close they fixate on their near miss while bronze feels grateful to be on the podium at all! A second place finisher tends to look upward acutely aware that their medal is not the gold. But with the bronze, a finisher is more inclined to look downward, more aware of everyone who did not make the medal stand!
Psychologists refer to it as counterfactual thinking. And it makes sense to me. Personally, I'd be thrilled to ever be AT the Olympics as a competitor!
But for spectators, competitors, and medalists: we all have 2 long years to wait until our next Olympics (or 4 years for Winter Games)!
London 2012! God Save the Queen!
