We did own the podium!

I think people were a bit premature last week when they declared "Own the Podium" a failure.
No we did not have the highest medal totals of all the countries; the United States did with 37.
But we were third with 26 and considering the US is ten times the size of Canada (population-wise), I think Canada did really well.
Last week things were looking bleak, but many of our strongest events were yet to come and our athletes proved that they were made of metal wracking up more than double the medals they had the previous week.
Another thing to remember is that Canada had never won a gold medal in the previous two times it hosted the Olympics. Getting our first one could have served as a beacon that the investment in our athletes through programs like Own the Podium had worked. But who would have imagined that we would go on to win 13 more golds and 7 silvers and 5 bronze! Not only did we own the podium 14 times, we set an all time record for most golds earned by a country at the winter games and broke a record for the most medals we have earned at an olympics!
Early on we were criticized for the weather or the lack thereof but once Mother Nature kicked up some snow we proved to the world that not only were we ready to compete, we were gold medal hosts as well!
I do not think that Canadians need to abandon Own the Podium. It worked and worked well! If anything I think that it goes to show the program needs to be expanded and perhaps look at funding athletes at a much earlier level in their careers.
Great job Canada! I believe you owned the podium and owned it well!
–Until then, Ken