Olympic Opening Ceremonies!

As I’m typing this, I’m sitting here, watching the Olympic opening ceremonies wrap up. It’s actually making me really emotional. I’m not usually so broken up by something, but it really is such an inspiring and magical thing. Very few of us can say that we have dedicated ourselves to something that absorbed our entire lives, and that is what I see at the Olympics. The athletes there have structured their entire lives around their training schedules and pushing towards that next event. And here we are. The biggest event of all the events that they will do. Here, they have the opportunity to be the best in the world, and that is a truly wondrous event.

All that pales in comparison to the moment when they announce your country’s team, and they walk out, flag waving, and you feel what patriotism really means. I’ve always been a little split on that, given that I’m really connected to two countries, but it doesn’t matter because after a while, you feel all the athletes, not just yours. That’s what the Olympics is all about.

That doesn’t’ even cover what the Olympics are on a global scale. All of the countries come together to celebrate this beautiful thing that they have worked so hard for. I’m good friends with a member of Team Canada’s (winter) Olympic Team, and she says that it’s a lot about meeting people who understand how hard you have worked and the sacrifices you have made, because they have done the same. I can’t stress how brilliant that is. Such cooperation on the part of all of these countries to make this big event happen is nearly impossible to do in any other event, but the IOC seems to manage it just fine.

Onto a better description of what actually went down, the opening ceremonies are fantastic this year, costing more money than I will see in my entire life. Danny Boyle, of Slumdog Millionaire fame, really went all out on this one. For these few weeks, London is going to be the center of the worlds’ attention. I like how they focused on all the parts of the United Kingdom in the ceremony, not just England, which would have been the obvious choice. It was all breathtaking, with the indoor meadows, and the period costumes, and the flawless children’s chorus. Not even to mention the vast feats of engineering that are required to make the stage come to life like that. Positively brilliant. It’s a mark of ingenuity if I’ve ever seen one. I also liked the little British history lesson that was the opening ceremony, because it went from sort of May-day ceremonies right up through the industrial revolution, to the modern day. And Kenneth Branagh! What an orator. Given that he’s had plenty of time to practice though. It was all so much more than I was expecting. I think my favorite part was when they lit up the Olympic Rings and they panned to some of the cast members, and the looks of awe on their faces were real. There was no question about the magnificence.

 They had a big emphasis on all the things that make the UK great, included their healthcare system, and the long-standing military traditions. Of course, the Queen was on hand as well, even parachuting in with James Bond!  The Great Ormond Street Hospital had a nice little skit as well, starring actual patients and staff of the hospital. It was a cute touch. Then JK Rowling showed up to do a reading of Peter Pan, which brought together a couple of my favorite things: Harry Potter and JM Barrie. Barrie actually donated the rights to Peter Pan to GOSH when he died, so it was that book that has kept the hospital running.  They then did some big acting based on classic British children’s literature, included Harry Potter, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, and Cruella De Vil.  There was even a little bit of Mr. Bean to add some humor. There was also a nice little interlude of British TV and music. It was visually very appealing. It had all the elements of a good movie, only it was live and happening right in front of me.  To top it all off, the torch was delivered by David Beckham, and then passed to Sir Redgrave, and then finally delivered to the Cauldron by six up and coming athletes. Wonderful.

It also should be mentioned that the Queen looked fabulous, albeit serious, in pink sequins. The Duke of Edinburgh was looking pretty good, despite his recent health problems. I was a little concerned that he would be looking frail, but he seems as robust as ever. There was really nothing that could have been better. You should go find it online if you haven’t seen it yet. Definitely the best opening ceremonies yet. Best of luck to all the athletes, and hopefully this will be the best Olympics yet! I don’t think Russia can top this in 2014.

I also did major tweeting during this event, so if you want to recap that, or be onboard for future live event updates, follow me at @CaitlinKimmet. I promise that at the very least I’ll check out your tweets :)