How is Canada doing?

[Captain Awesome]

Is it actually possible for Canada to beat last Olympics 23 medals?

Go Canada Go!

[Jo]

Let's keep this thread about the medals, there are lots of other threads about the cost.

[LoneWolf_53]

A gold medal for Jon Montgomery in skeleton. WTG

[SpaceAddict]

Excellent race. See that pitcher of beer being hand delivered ? Vancouver Rocks right now.

[quietlywatching84]

Just saw this on a fellows twitter:

Olympic medals by population:

US =.06,

China = .003,

Germany = .13,

Canada = .23;

Norway = 1.7

(per million ppl)

[SpaceAddict]

I already pointed that out to people already. Per population we are doing way better than anyone so far.

[LoneWolf_53]

I already pointed that out to people already. Per population we are doing way better than anyone so far.

Except for Norway.

Truly though that's a much better way to assess how a country's athletes are doing because the US for example has ten times the population to draw from that we do so when factoring that in we're kicking their butts.

[steven lloyd]

Has Canada Blown the Podium?
http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2010/02/has ... odium.html

The first week of the Olympics are over but given the sheer amount of highs (Bilodeau! Ricker! Others!) and lows (Luge death. Flame fence. Weather.) it feels like a month. This halfway point seems a fitting time to evauluate how far Canada has gone to reach its often-stated, much-hyped Own the Podium goals, which has been a 10-times daily tradition in Canadian media.

In today's Toronto Star, Dave Feschuk wrote a bang-on piece taking the Canadian Olympic Committee to task for its arrogant approach to improving Canada's Olympic results. He calls the brash win-or-bust message not only unbecoming of an up-and-comer, but bad strategy, saying, "every Games is a head game, and it's Sports Psychology 101 that you don't give your opponent a reason to hate you... there's a huge difference between setting a target and placing one on the backs of Canadian athletes."

By no means does Feschuk think it was a mistake to invest more money in our athletes and athletic programs, he disagrees with the loudmouth way of crowing about it. And he's right. The US and Australia, for example, spend buckets more on their programs but don't go marching around bragging about it. Instead of saying they're going to Own the Podium, they simply spend the cash and let their athletes go out and actually do it.

Now many have had a laugh at how un-Canadian Own the Podium is, leaning on the age-old polite Canuck cliche. As Stephen Colbert said, our previous motto might as well have been "Pardon, would it trouble you if we won a medal or two? It would? OK, never mind."

Sure it's a joke, but this country's attitude and commitment to winning didn't have to go from "Please and thank you" straight to "hey, #$%! you." There's a fine line between cool confidence and obnoxious arrogance, and the whole vibe around Own the Podium seems to have a little too much of the latter for its own good. Athletes should feel the pressure, get solid funding and aim for gold, but the COC shouldn't have to be an a$$hole about it

[LoneWolf_53]

I actually agree with what that writer says.

That slogan does tend to come off as arrogant and it seems to me that these athletes have enough pressure put on them without the COC being blatantly obvious about it.

I also have to wonder if these folks at the COC grasp that our athletes are doing pretty good actually when you factor in each country's population so thinking Canada has a chance to go much higher up the rankings than we do is just plain unrealistic and defies the laws of basic mathematics.

[damngrumpy]

What a joke, we are losing at hockey, curling, speed skating, and some of the ski events. For the
money we spent we should have more medals and especially more gold. For what Canadians are
paying I expected a better showing than the hockey game tonight, that was pathetic.
The women's curling, a loss to china, our speed skaters they came up with nothing yesterday.
Not only is the party a waste of money, the effort we expected is not there in my opinion.

[LoneWolf_53]

Awesome job by Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue in winning the first ever gold medal in North America for ice dance. WTG

[daedalus]

Gold #6 for Canada, won in ski cross by a person who wrote an essay to have the sport included in the first place. Ashleigh McIvor wins gold, and Kelowna resident Kelsey Serwa got 5th after missing a spot in the finals by mere inches

[hellomynameis]

Clara Hughes, bronze medal in Ladies' 5000m Speed Skating!

[LoneWolf_53]

Way to go Clara Hughes.

[hellomynameis]

Bronze for Clara!

Silver for The Canadians in womens short track relay!

Guaranteed medal and good chance for two (one being a gold) in ladies' bobsleigh!

In men's hockey we slaughtered the Russian Bear!


WOOHOO!!!