As the Winter Olympics winds down in Vancouver, I’ll be watching (I guess) the hockey final. For true athletics, though, you should pay attention to the 50km men’s cross-country ski event, which takes place a little earlier.

That’s 50km, people — more than a marathon. And cross-country skiing is hard. I know, I used to coach it.

One of the things I’ve loved over the past couple of weeks has been reading all the stories out of Vancouver from foreign journalists. Sure, a lot of them are sports-related, but with hundreds of journalists all covering the same set of events, and everyone looking for a little local colour to differentiate their broadcasts, there’s been some interesting stuff.

Usually, if you’re reading a light feature about a faraway city, it was either written by the hometown paper, or by a travel writer who maybe spent a weekend there. For the Olympics, though, there’s been plenty of other eyes on the city.

I particularly enjoyed these four pieces:

1. “Vancouver’s secondhand stores: a real treasure trove” — The L.A. Times.

In which the writer discovers that Vancouver is not a cultural wasteland:

I packed carefully for my trip to Vancouver last autumn: my smartest New York-bought parka, layers of excellent textures, skinny cords, comfy walking shoes of real leather, and sneakers for the gym only.

Puffed with pride, I strode the chilly city until, on a corner in the Kitsilano neighborhood, the zipper on my parka broke and I faced an Angeleno’s dilemma: spending a fortune on a replacement I might wear a few times a year versus getting something blah and forsaking my fashion-plate look.

2. “Narrating Canada’s Quest for Gold in Men’s Hockey” — The New York Times.

In which the Canadian television play-by-play broadcasters are profiled in the New York Times, to their apparent disbelief:

In both delivery and demeanor, Cuthbert and Miller are pleasantly unpretentious, each cut from a much plainer cloth than the colorful Don Cherry. Speaking separately, each said his first reaction to an interview request was that it must be a practical joke.

3. “Leaving behind a thank-you note” — MSNBC

In which an American anchor comes to grips with all the Canadian-ness he’s about to leave behind:

Thank you, Canada … For your unique TV commercials — for companies like Tim Hortons — which made us laugh and cry. For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon. For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games — you’ve made wearing your name a cool thing to do.

4. “Will London be as British as Vancouver is Canadian?” — BBC

In which a Brit just cannot seem to come to grips with all the Canadian-ness he’s seeing:

This is a country so secure in its patriotism, so comfortable with its international reputation for “nice”, that when the American women appeared close to tears collecting their silver medals, Canadian fans thundered “U-S-A! U-S-A!” in sympathy. (Would English football fans do that for players from a rival team?)

Any other favourites you’ve seen?

Well, it’s time to gear up for the Olympics. And, if you squint real hard past all the advertising and sponsorship and naked ambition, you can still find that there’s evidence of the joy of sport in there, somewhere. That’s what I’ll watch it for (except I don’t have TV).

Still, it’s hard to forget that this isn’t just competition between athletes, it’s a competition between nations. And sometimes, that competition stirs up some pretty powerful emotions. Exhibit A: This video, which I’ve seen a couple people post on Facebook the last few days:

While I appreciate the “Heritage Moments” homages (no, really, I do!) I just can’t quite get with this video. Hey, I’m Canadian, and I’m glad that I am. But one of the things I have always liked about Canada is that we get by without all this chest-thumping, in-your-face patriotism.

Okay, yes, instead we have to put up with neurotic insecurities about our place on the globe, but I’m secure enough in myself that that’s never bothered me — and I would rather not be identified with a mob of Maple-Leaf-wearing hooligans.

Not so the rest of the country, according to this video, which features Canada’s Eminem rapping the same tired homilies (“we invented the telephone!” — except, no we didn’t*) over samples of the national anthem. I’m glad that some people can get this stirred up over their country. But to me, it smells an awful lot like primitive tribalism. And the Maple Leaf fetish has to be a triumph of inspired branding — the iconic one on the flag is less than 50 years old as a symbol of the country, but athletes are getting them tattooed on their bodies.

I’m not trying to be dour. I will enjoy the Olympics, I promise! But I’m much more looking forward to the individual athletic achievement of underdogs — no matter what their country — than of Owning The Podium.

__________
(*Alexander Graham Bell was from Scotland, emigrated to Canada when he was 23, and invented the telephone while working in Boston a few years later, having spent less than two years in Canada.)