# A Canadian flames the whole Canadian Olympic Mess! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 14, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922 "2010-02-14T03:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/141 "2010-02-15T04:11:12Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > On behalf of our nation, thank you, Johnny. I really do believe that Canadians are among the world’s “best sports;” I have competed at very high levels of sport, and when I lost an Olympic spot to somebody else, I congratulated that person. And I cheered that person on when I watched the event on TV at the 1984 LA Olympics. I believe that’s sportsmanship. And, that person won a gold for us. > > But I digress. Again, thanks, Johnny. Means a lot. I heard stories that when the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams were playing at the Salt Lake City, the Canadian men’s team (made up of highly-paid professional athletes) would go and cheer on the women’s team (which not every men’s team did, apparently). ETA: I forgot, YAY CANADA! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/142 "2010-02-15T04:21:06Z")
Olympic qualifiers? That’s one heck of an accomplishment. A belated congratulations to you! I suppose you could mount a campaign to be awarded a letter retroactively, but I expect that you would be reported to CSIS. The last I heard, the university closed down the Hart House range two or three years ago, simply because they didn’t like guns, despite the sport thriving. The folks from the University Rifle Corps would be rolling in their graves. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/143 "2010-02-15T04:34:31Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > Congratulations Alex Bilodeau. One Gold at least. Ya done good! You were watching, weren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/144 "2010-02-15T04:47:47Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > Okay, so I can say it! Why would anyone give a shit about what a loser on a couch like you has to say? ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/145 "2010-02-15T04:52:30Z")
We Australians only have 3 Winter Gold medals (last I looked). Stop complaining. \*Summer \*medals on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/146 "2010-02-15T04:55:07Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > Trouble is, at your place, they could drown in bullshit. [QUOTE=Valteron] Or as they say, an enraged monkey’s last resort is to hurl shit. [/QUOTE] I think you could easily be talking about yourself. In fact, if you ask nicely, you could probably get the modes to change your username to **Enraged Monkey.** ---
**Author:** ![BMada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BMada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMada)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/147 "2010-02-15T04:58:12Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > We Australians only have 3 Winter Gold medals (last I looked). > > Stop complaining. > > \*Summer \*medals on the other hand… that’s his whole point. Canada being a “nordic” country. We should be raking in those Winter Olympic medals. We’re rich, we’re “nordic”, we should have tons of golds, silvers, bronzes. Yet our shitty mentality that “just competing in the Olympics” is good enough for us. “You dont’ have to do us proud, all you really have to do is show up.” attitude. I’m all for competing hard but results to me are secondary. It’s a goal but not so high up there that it’s the sole purpose of competing. Lawrence Lemieux is the epitome of Canadian competitive and sportsmanship spirit. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/148 "2010-02-15T05:06:38Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > I suppose you could mount a campaign to be awarded a letter retroactively, but I expect that you would be reported to CSIS. The last I heard, the university closed down the Hart House range two or three years ago, simply because they didn’t like guns, despite the sport thriving. The folks from the University Rifle Corps would be rolling in their graves. Meh. CSIS can know who I am easily enough–up the half-flight of stairs from the porter’s desk, and to the Committee Member’s boards. Pull the ones for Rifle Association from the early 80s, and I’m easy enought to spot. Still, as best I can spot from return trips to Toronto that always include a trip to Hart House, the University discontinued the use of the Hart House range for firearms. Yucky-poo, guns are icky, and so on. :rolleyes: I guess today’s students do not know the history of the House, and how Canadian soldiers trained there (with guns) prior to WWI. Regardless, I still believe in the Founder’s Prayer, which if interpreted correctly, might see the resurgence of firearms sports at Hart House again. But CSIS probably knows who I am already. My college of record was Scarborough (home of Paul Bernardo and Col. Williams), my major was Russian, and I was there in the early 1980s, when cruise missile testing occured in Alberta and the USSR was deploying SS-20s throughout eastern Europe. Believe me, because of all that, I had enough trouble with the RCMP, CSIS, and other officials. Studying Russian and shooting rifles? At Scarborough? Yeah, that’ll get you a second look. In fact, I was investigated by the RCMP. 'Nuff said on that for now, but I would be happy to share info with you, Muffin, via PM. I still just want my athletic “T.” Not much to ask, given all I went through, is it? ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/149 "2010-02-15T05:23:51Z")
T It’s all I have, but here ya’ go. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/150 "2010-02-15T05:38:01Z")
The Feds investigated you? That puts you in good company, right along side of Tommy Douglas and Rita MacNeil. Yes, I’d like to hear about what happened, although I suppose they would then have to investigate me. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/151 "2010-02-15T05:44:10Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > The Feds investigated you? That puts you in good company, right along side of Tommy Douglas and Rita MacNeil. Yes, I’d like to hear about what happened, although I suppose they would then have to investigate me. Watch for a PM in the next little while. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/152 "2010-02-15T07:55:36Z")
Woot! Go Canada! Go Canada! [Get yer gold medal on](http://sports.espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/freestyleskiing/news/story?id=4914790)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/153 "2010-02-15T10:50:10Z")
Oh, and incidentally: > [@Valteron](#): > > Look, we are one of the richest and most developed nordic countries in the world. [The official website of the Nordic Council.](http://www.norden.org/en) Is your country involved in these projects? No? Then sorry, you weren’t invited to the party. It’s hard enough trying to reclaim the term “Nordic” from the white supremacist assholes without this nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/154 "2010-02-15T13:32:37Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I heard stories that when the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams were playing at the Salt Lake City, the Canadian men’s team (made up of highly-paid professional athletes) would go and cheer on the women’s team (which not every men’s team did, apparently). Well, heck it wasn’t just stories, they made a point of showing them in the crowd shots. As to the new gold medal, here are my thoughts on competition, which I don’t want to retype (or even bother to copy): [Olympics Day Two](http://rickthegreat.wordpress.com) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/155 "2010-02-15T15:45:52Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > From K.D. Lang looking like a drag-king dyke who had to use her big brother’s suit k.d. lang ALWAYS looks like that! If she hadn’t shown up looking like that no one would have recognized her. > [@](#): > > to the fiasco of the non-functioning apparatus at the lighting of the cauldron-like whatever-it-was, the opening night was an embrarassment. Oh, please - there have been malfunctions at other Olympic opening ceremonies, like Kathy Freeman’s torch lighting at the Sydney games. Get a grip. It was a small delay, not a disaster. > [@](#): > > But did you know that Canada has hosted both the summer (Montreal) and winter (Calgary) olympics WITHOUT EVER WINNING A FUCKING GOLD MEDAL??? We have never won a gold on our own soil after hosting 2 olympics. What a loser country! What do we have to do? You got one now, so STFU. > [@](#): > > Look, we are one of the richest and most developed nordic countries in the world. We get winter from three to six months a year depending on where you live. We should be harvesting medals for winter sports like an anteater going at an anthill. Or maybe you focus on other things than just sports and you’re busy with other stuff. There’s more to life than sports. Like having a reputation for being really nice, welcoming people and the best neighbors any country could have. ---
**Author:** ![Rain\_Soaked](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@Rain\_Soaked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain_Soaked)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/156 "2010-02-15T16:45:44Z")
> [@Valteron](#): > > I am 62, for fuck’s sake! Anecdotal evidence that wisdom does not automatically come with age. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/157 "2010-02-15T16:59:14Z")
> [@BMada](#): > > Another story that shows our Canadian mentality in competition. > > Lawrence Lemieux. [Lawrence Lemieux - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lemieux) > > I’m proud to be Canadian for what he did. He saw a team in trouble in the sea. He left his competitive spirit and drive for a medal aside and saw the REAL and TRUE ordeal that was going on for the team sinking. So, what does the medals table look like for team sinking? And when are the Ethiopians going to start bringing home golds in the Winter Olympics? Damn losers! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/158 "2010-02-15T18:22:02Z")
**Valteron** , you’re getting a little too upset by all this excitement. The nurse is going to turn the TV off now, and wheel you to your room. Then we’ll bring you a nice pudding. Tonight, the scouts are going to come and have a nice sing-a-long for all the residents. That will be nice won’t it? No, I’m not your grandson. He lives in Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/159 "2010-02-15T18:46:33Z")
I just spent a delightful morning watching what V would condsider to be losers. There was an FIS GS race where I was skiing today – mostly regional (Ontario, Minnesota, Manitoba), but also from further afield, including as far away as Australia. Those losers sure were good, giving all they had in some terrific performances. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922/160 "2010-02-15T19:36:09Z")
Was there a finer moment than watching the gold medalist hug his handicapped brother, who had watched the race from the top of the hill, whom he credits as his inspiration? I couldn’t tell which one was happier. Joy embodied. Even the sportscasters were all verklempt. Truly Awesome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-canadian-flames-the-whole-canadian-olympic-mess/528922.md?page=9)