Thanks, and Go Canada!

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games are in it’s final day, and Canada should be proud! We have hosted the world, and our athletes have done us all proud with their dedication, sportsmanship, and success at the Games. We say THANK YOU to all of the athletes from 83 countries who competed and inspired us all! We encourage everyone to support the Paralympians as the Games continue in Vancouver.

We were very inspired by the Olympics, and that’s why we wanted to share our experience with you. We would like to thank the Toronto District School Board for embracing the project, including Director Chris Spence, Stuart Oakley, and especially T.J. Goertz in Communications for his assistance and enthusiasm. Also thank you to all of the students and faculty who followed, not just here in Toronto but beyond as well. Special thanks to Mr. O’Donnell in rm 303, Ms. Gooch in rm 203, and Principal Janice Taskey at Kew Beach PS.

We have received many “thank you’s” from students, teachers, parents, grandparents and beyond for doing the blog. It would not have been possible without the contributions of others. Madoka Hayashi at Uptype Graphic Design completely brought this project to life with her amazing design, understanding and professionalism. Thank you Madoka!

Heidi Brander stepped in as a writer/contributer, and was on “quite a roll” with her “Athlete to Watch For” predictions! Heidi has gained experience writing for a number of Canadian publications, including Flare Magazine, The Magazine (Not for Adults), Kids Tribute, and Whoa! Magazine. She is currently employed at YTV where you can find her working dill-igently behind the scenes as Sid the Pickle, YTV’s pickle advice columnist (a role she relishes). Heidi’s work was amazing, and she really stepped up when we needed her. Thanks Heidi!

Other contributers include Dale Cotnam for his Destination Cotdale: cartoons. They were creative, original and funny. Additionally Barney Wornoff for his “Go Canada Gold!” animation. Barney has too many credits to mention here, but he is an accomplished animator and we appreciate his creative contribution. Thank you to Rachel Irving for her photgraphy that was incorporated into the design. Jonathan at Chatroll for allowing us to use the application for the Teacher’s Lounge. It was a great resource for the teachers, and added amazing interactive capabilities in an easy-to-use platform. BrainPOP also for contributing the Olympic movie with Tim & Moby!

Would like to extend special thanks to band members and management of  Tokyo Police Club for offering thier time to speak with us in BC. They are great guys, and a great band! Also to all the attaches at the Canadian Olympic Committee who had offered to arrange interviews with athletes upon our arrival at the Games.

Lastly, a VERY special thank you to Jill (Quinn and Evan’s mom), and… Quinn and Evan! You were committed to the spirit of the project, and made it fun to do!

Brian Coughlin

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Today, it’s safe to say that all of Canada will be watching as we take on the United States. We know Canadian stars Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Roberto Luongo and the rest of the team will be ready when the puck is dropped at Canada Hockey Place.

This is easily the BIGGEST game for Canadian’s in decades. Some will recall the amazing effort by Canada in 1987 when Mario Lemieux scored on a drop-pass from, who else, Wayne Gretzky! But before that, your grandparents likely best remember the 1972 Summit Series. The whole country was watching as Paul Henderson scored to complete a remarkable comeback for Canada over the Soviet Union!

Quinn and Evan’s grandparents were at that game in Moscow, September 1972. It was a “thrill of a lifetime” they said, and pictured here are the autographs they got in Russia from the Canadian Team! Take a close look for names such as Ken Dryden, Yvan Cournoyer, Brad Park, Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke and more. Also, a photo they took inside the stadium in Moscow as the teams took the ice before the game. We just hope that more Canadian hockey history is made today in Vancouver. And don’t forget to remember… where were you on February 28, 2010? GO CANADA GO!!

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