Canada Continues To Go For Gold
February 18th, 2010

Looking to promote your business? Why wouldn't you? If you're currently in Vancouver, British Columbia, you won't have a hard time bumping into people that you can introduce your business to. Probably the best way to do so is to ensure that you are wearing a big red maple leaf somewhere on your person as Canadian fans are coming out in droves to support the many athletes who are so proudly representing the nation.

Now would be a great time to hand out your promo gifts to the many people you could be meeting on the streets and at the events in Vancouver. It is a great time to be Canadian as Canada is not only hosting the Games but is doing a pretty good job of competing at them as well.

Just this past Monday, we reported Canada's first-ever gold medal at the Winter Games won on Canadian soil. Just a few days later, Canada's gold medal count is at three, making it seven medals in total so far with three silvers and one bronze. The most recent Canadian to make it to the podium is long track speed skater Christine Nesbitt of London, Ontario.

Earlier today, Nesbitt captured the gold medal in her 1,000 metre race. Interestingly, in an interview with CTV, she claimed to not feel confident about her chances when the race started. "Today really I didn't have a great race, physically I could feel I wasn't skating well. But I just kept going until the end and it paid off,” she said, “The first 600 meters wasn't good. It happened to me before, but in the last leg I kept fighting and I knew it paid off.”

Kristina Groves, who has already scored a bronze medal in the 3,000 metre race just missed the podium with her fourth place finish in today's 1,000 metre final. Evidently, Canada's gold rush is on. With so many more days left in the Olympics and so many events yet to be completed, this year's Games may represent Canada's greatest showing ever.

Chances are, it's going to continue to be quite loud in Vancouver. Each day, as part of the city's tradition, the first four notes of “O Canada” are played at noon by giant air horns that sit atop the famed Canada Place. These days, however, these four notes are played each time a Canadian wins a medal at the Olympic Games.

The Toronto Star's Jim Byers explains the origin of this national landmark: “The Heritage Horns, as they are known, were built as a B.C. Hydro Canadian Centennial project in 1967 and designed by engineer and sound specialist, Robert Swanson. They used to be sounded on the roof of the BC Hydro Building, but fell silent when the company left the building in the 1990s.”

“Canada Place Corporation, site of Expo ’86, acquired and refurbished the horns, and placed them on the roof of the Pan Pacific Hotel. On November 8, 1994, the familiar sounding of the horns returned to Vancouver at noon, just in time for lunch,” writes Byers.

Of course, while the entire nation may not be able to hear these horns, there is hope that they will blare often throughout the Olympic Games. Go Canada!