Context crucial part of story
We think the Olympic dream belongs to athletes, but behind every Olympian, there’s a parent or two who rose early to shuttle a determined kid to practice.
Bronze-medal winner Mark McMorris’s parents regularly drove eight hours from Regina to Calgary to fuel his ambitions. And then there are the supportive partners, some of them athletes themselves. While Charles Hamelin was winning gold at the second straight Winter Olympics Monday, his girlfriend and fellow medal hopeful Marianne St-Gelais was repeating her performance as the Games’ most exuberant cheerleader.
Four years ago during the Vancouver Games, Canadians were captivated by the story of Alexandre Bilodeau’s bond with his older brother, Frederic, who has cerebral palsy. After defending his gold medal in Sochi, Bilodeau embraced Frederic again.
And Bilodeau’s silver-medal winning teammate, Mikael Kingsbury, has his own source of inspiration: his mother Julie Thibaudeau.
When Kingsbury was just starting his freestyle skiing career, Thibaudeau was fighting thyroid cancer. After having surgery on a Tuesday, she showed up at one of his competitions on the weekend.
It’s admirable that the CBC is so focused on the events themselves, but the backstories like Bilodeau’s and Kingsbury’s are a crucial part of the story. Thankfully, the Canadian broadcaster provided just enough context on Monday.
OPTIMISTIC TWEET
One of the best tweets of the day came from skier Marie-Michele Gagnon, who fell during competition Monday and clutched her arm as she stood up. “Thanks for all the concerns, I just dislocated my shoulder + bruised my left quad,” she tweeted. “Should be ready to go for the tech events!”
FRANK COMMENTARY
Cassie Campbell-Pascall has provided excellent insight and frank commentary during the women’s hockey tournament. When the Canadian women were assessed two penalties on the same play in a tense match against Finland, she didn’t hold back on the inconsistent refereeing in the women’s game. As the camera cut to Canada’s new head coach, Campbell-Pascall said: “Kevin Dineen, welcome to female hockey and our officials. That’s a brutal call.”
ABC, NBC LOOK NORTH
Canadians are often ready to pounce when American coverage focuses almost exclusively on U.S. athletes. But on Twitter, ABC and NBC were telling stories of Canadians. ABC tweeted photos of Hamelin embracing Marianne St.-Gelais after winning gold, while NBC shared a video of Bilodeau and Frederic.