Tragedies struck, conflicts arose, and rain fell, but like a determined athlete battling adversity, the Vancouver Olympic Games met all challenges head on and rose high above them. And here we are, at the end of two weeks, with our highest medal tally ever, and the most gold medals ever won at a Winter Games. Winning, does it make such a difference to our country? Taking a stroll down Granville Street on Saturday night might have left you deaf from all the Canadian chants. Spontaneous outbursts of "Oh Canada" would echo in your ears. Canada's athletes, to a man, said that they were competing for us. The medal winners won for us, and we graciously accepted and stood next to them on the podiums. When Alexandre Bilodeau's grin stretched from ear to ear, couch-prone Canadians across the country smiled with him. As Kevin Martin finally achieved redemption after eight long years of waiting, Canada itself felt redeemed. And when Joannie Rochette showed us the true meaning of courage, continuing to compete after losing her mother halfway through the games, we watched over her, lifting her onto the podium with all our thoughts and prayers. For two weeks, our nation has been united. For two weeks, we've all been pulling the rope in the same direction. There is nothing else that can unite such a massive, diverse group in celebration. Nothing but sports has the power, and nothing but the Olympic Games has the breadth. "I Believe," CTV's Olympic slogan could not have been better chosen. We have become a country of believers. Our heros have inspired and united everyone, from the young to the old, and our country is a happier place than before. What a difference two weeks can make. 
I think I speak for all Canadians when I say no one saw this coming. In the lead up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, who could have ever predicted the two weeks we've had? The world has seen a side of our wonderful country that rarely shows its head, and what a triumph it has been: a celebration of sports, a celebration of athletes and individuals, and a celebration of a proud, joyous nation.
"The sport took a step backward. Brian Boitano did the same thing, technically, in 1988. There are junior skaters who can skate that same program," he stated in his column on Yahoo.com. Perhaps he has a point. Imagine if the scoring system in the Snowboarding halfpipe gave more points for five 360's than a double mctwist 1260 (Shaun White's signature move)? Boarders like Shaun would realize that trying to pull of risky moves that sap tons of energy are hardly worth it, and would go for more variety. According to Stojko, a similar thing is happening in skating, and the athletes are not being encouraged to push the envelope. If you want to read his angry tirade against the current scoring system put in place by the ISU, click here. He closes by saying "I am going to watch hockey, where athletes are allowed to push the envelope. A real sport." No argument from me there, Elvis! 
One day after Even Lysacek beat Evgeni Plushenko for the gold medal in men's figure skating, Elvis Stojko had harsh words for the current state of figure skating. He was incensed with the fact that Plushenko landed two quad jumps in his two programs and still lost to a skater whose program had a lower degree of difficulty.
Manny if you win, here are some ideas for your victory celebration: If anyone has any more ideas for Manny, feel free to add them below! GO MANNY GO!
Manuel Osborne-Paradis is my newest follower on twitter, so I'm dedicating this post to him. Racing in the Men's Downhill on Saturday morning, he will aim to become the first Canadian to win a gold medal on home snow, and our entire nation is behind him.
As this is a sports blog and I cover everything in the sports world, I would not be doing my due diligence on the Olympics if I did not research the other countries fully. I begin with 4 U.S. Olympians. I won't bog you down with stats and numbers, rather let's first get to know their appearance, so that if we run into them on the street, mountain, or hot tub at Whistler, we will know of whose presence we are in.
1. Lindsay Vonn - Skier
FYI - The four athletes recently did a shoot for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
2. Claire Bidez - Snowboarder
The photoshoot took place at Whistler, B.C.!! Why was I not invited?
3. Lacy Schnoor - Skier 
I am going to Whistler during the Olympics to find them.
4. Hannah Teter - Snowboarder
If you want to see more, and I see no reason why you shouldn't, click here for the SI Swimsuit Edition website.
Up here in the Olympic City, we aren't able to see the famous Super Bowl Commercials. So just to make it easier for you to find them, I've posted some of the best ones below. But, let's start with the ad that we saw over and over instead - the CTV Olympic Anthem. Click here to see it. What can I say... I beleive.
1. Doritos Crash the Superbowl Contest Winners:
2. Brett Favre Staves off Retirement - Hyundai Commercial:
3. Bridgestone - Tires or your Life:
4. David Letterman, Oprah - (the impression is hillarious):
Let me know if I've missed any good ones!
It has been well publicized that Tiger Woods is receiving treatment from a Sex Addiction Therapy Clinic in Mississippi. Every patient of the clinic is asked to fill out a questionnaire upon arrival, and Head To the Net's undercover research crew incredibly managed to obtain a copy of Woods'. Our source cannot be revealed, but let's just say a former X-Files superstar isn't too happy that he is not the world's premier sex addict anymore.
Farewell Dion Phaneuf, man of many names. In your second year christened 2-10, ADVERTISEMENT:
A poem, from the heart of a jaded Flames fan:
In season 2, acting as if you'd played 10.
'Twas an accurate name for your attitude,
Acting like you were an NHL veteran.
Characterized by the fans as Ion;
For "D" did not fit in your description.
Perhaps you should have been a forward,
As it's clear you're no defenseman.
Duhh-ion – always a fan favourite;
Who gave measured responses post-trade.
What might have been seen as emotion;
Was your mind struggling not to fade.
Finally, our dear Prima-Dion-a;
You used Gretzky's trade as comparison;
An insolent analogy at the least,
In the end, it only proves your delusion.
And we are happy to see your time here cease.
NOTE: Actually, I'm no Flames fan, as you well know from previous posts, but this is how they feel in Cow-town
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