I do not have a daughter, or a son, but if I ever do have a daughter one of the things I dream about doing is teaching her how to skate.
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Women's hockey needs Olympic hiatus
- February 26, 2010 2:02 PM |
- By Joe O'Connor
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I do not have a daughter, or a son, but if I ever do have a daughter one of the things I dream about doing is teaching her how to skate. Going to the local shinny rink on an impossibly cold February morning, choking down some impossibly weak coffee, and putting on our blades and chasing around a puck.
See, I love that the world is a different now from when I was a kid. I love that there is hockey for everybody, and not ringettte for little girls and hockey for the boys. Some of my best memories and best and most lasting friendships were made playing hockey. I want the daughter I do not have to have that experience. Hockey really is the greatest game alive, and because it is, it needs to be treated with respect, and treasured, and not belittled by having an Olympic tournament every four years where only two teams matter.
Canada's women won gold on Friday, the USA took the silver, and nobody was surprised. The result could have been reversed, but it was always a given that it would be a Canada v. US final. It always is, at every international tournament, and that is a testament to the strength of the passion for the sport here and south of the border. The problem is everybody else. The rest of the world is not keeping up. The game may be growing, but the pains abound. Watching Canada pound Slovakia 18-0 was enough to make even the most rabid patriot wince.
"There must be a period of improvement," IOC chief Jacques Rogge told the Vancouver Sun, commenting on the lopsided state of women's hockey. "We cannot continue without improvement."
So, why not discontinue the Olympic experiment for a spell, why not build the game at the grassroots level in places like Slovakia, and China, before plunking it on the biggest stage of the world where Canadians can feel embarrassed by being so good?
I want the daughter I don't have to grow up shooting for the stars. I want her to dream big dreams, and maybe even get to the Olympic stage some day to do her country proud. But it is hard to feel proud when there are only two medals at stake, and only two countries playing for them. That's not sport. It is a foregone conclusion.
About the Author
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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