Jessica Gregg, right, was part of the silver medal-winning women's 3,000-metre short track relay team. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

This story is part of CBCSports.ca's retrospective on the one-year anniversary of the Vancouver Olympics. To access all the articles, click here.

I can't believe a year has already passed since I walked into the opening ceremony at B.C. Place in Vancouver last February.

I can still remember the chills I had before walking out in front of the crowd, and the amount of pride I felt to be wearing red and white with "Canada" on my back. I felt my childhood dream of competing at an Olympic Games coming true right before my eyes and all I thought to myself was, savour this moment!

It may be a year in the past already, but the legacy of the Games still lives on strong and is very much still present in my everyday life. The Olympic theme song "I Believe" came on the radio last night while I was making dinner. It reminded me of the memories I have from hearing that song while in Vancouver, and right away a smile appeared on my face.

As much as some people may think that song was overplayed, I will always enjoy it!
I also think it's neat when I see someone in public with the HBC red mittens on. It reminds me that the Games did not only have a huge impact on us athletes, but on the general public as well. Even today, I was getting change from my wallet, and noticed that my loonie had the Vancouver 2010 Inuksuk logo on it. Memories of the 2010 Olympics - Canada's Games - can still be found everywhere in the country.

One of my favourite and most rewarding memories after the Games was visiting schools and sharing my experiences. I know how much I was influenced by athletes as I was growing up, so even just to share a little and put a smile on a student's face, made me feel that all my hard work had paid off. Showing off my silver medal from the 3,000-metre relay was a nice feeling too!

I recently attended a school's assembly here in Calgary, and to see the students' excitement, almost a year after the Olympics, was shocking and exciting.

Favourite memories

Listening to people's conversations about their experiences at the Games shows that the event affected our country as a whole, in a positive way. That shouldn't come as a shock. That's just the power of the Olympics and the world coming together for an amazing two weeks.

I feel so blessed to have experienced the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics as an athlete, and each memory I have from the Games keeps me motivated for the future. I'm also so thankful for the support I've had from my family and friends throughout my career. All the bright red sweaters with JRG² (a reference to me and my brother, long track speed skater Jamie Gregg) written on them in Vancouver proved that!

What was my favourite memory of the Olympics? I don't think I can narrow it down to only one moment, but I have a few in mind. Celebrating on the ice with my teammates after we won the silver medal, and stepping on the podium the night after, are of course moments that'll never forget.

Walking into B.C. Place and waiting in line to see the crowd before the opening ceremony, with my brother trying to calm me down, and never being so excited in my life, definitely makes the list. Last but not least, the walk up to the stands after finishing fourth in the 500m, and seeing all my family and friends waiting there for me. That still brings back emotions, but the ups and downs of the Olympics are what make it an amazing experience, and you have to learn to cherish both of them.

Now we get to watch Canada's best summer athletes wow us all in London 2012!