Day 68- Joannie Rochette

Courage.  Grace.  Triumph in the face of adversity.  This story has all of the things a great sports movie is made of.

Despite the sudden passing of her mom this weekend, Joannie skated on.  The raw emotion that she left on the ice truly touched my heart.  I forgot about the competition and the medals and the country she was from- all of it.  Instead, I saw an athlete take her soul out for a spin around the rink in honor of her mother and marveled at the strength she had to get through an entire program. 

The beauty of the Olympics is that they not only reignite my pride in my own country, but I find myself rooting for people from all over the world as well.  I know that the coverage has been a little heavy on back stories and fluff and a little light on athletics at times, but I find myself enjoying all of it anyway.  I think it's a wonderful thing to see hard work receive its reward and to see dreams come true.  These two weeks present so many opportunities for cheesy and sappy moments, and I love every minute of it.  I find myself replaying the Olympic theme from ten years or so ago ("One Moment in Time") in my head as I take in all of the moving and important moments.

In her Olympic moment tonight on the world's stage, I hope that Joannie was also able to share a more private moment with her mom.  She leapt from the screen into my heart, and I only wish I could have reached back through to give her a hug and to tell her what an inspiration she is.

Thank you, Joannie Rochette, you made my day.

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