with glowing hearts

With glowing hearts.

Everywhere you look in Vancouver, there is that sign. “With glowing hearts. Des plus brilliant exploits”. It's the Olympic motto for 2010.

When Joannie Rochette took the ice tonight, the motto Vancouver built their Olympics on was on full display.

I will forever be amazed at the strength Joannie showed. To skate at the Olympics, in your home country with all of the pressure of expectations and just two days after unexpectedly losing your mom – can anyone come to terms with how difficult that is?

She skated a clean, absolutely beautiful short program – and something the press is skirting out of respect for Joannie is the fact that she’s not known as a consistent skater. And she’s had a really rocky season. For her to come out and lay down a clean skate at the Olympics is incredible in and of itself. To do it under these circumstances? Miraculous.

I don’t normally say stuff like this but it was pretty clear she was getting some help from another place.

She was so focused and so in the moment during her skate – so controlled, so steady. But then at the end, with that massive about of emotion being released, it was evident what a heavy heart she was skating with. It was so devastating to watch.

Immediately following the event I built up a narrative slideshow to walk viewers through her program – I had a hard enough time watching the performance, writing the text and relieving the performance was very difficult.

The strength of character she showed will always inspire me. Just to take the ice in the first place had to feel like laying her soul out on the line.

I don’t know how she did it.

But I’m sure her mom would have an answer for that …

With glowing hearts.