Four years ago, almost to the day, the Vancouver Winter Olympics had begun. Now, four years later, athletes from around 80 countries from every continent are joining together to compete for medals in Sochi, Russia. After years of preparing for these magical 16 days, Russia is ready to make dreams come true and to entertain those who spectate the Olympics. The first step to entertaining viewers from around the world is the opening ceremony. Russia hoped to get rid of the negative feedback they've received in the past couple of weeks by putting on a spectacular ceremony. But was the opening ceremony actually spectacular? That is the question that many people can't agree on, which is why I have interviewed Delp, Sweetaly7, Saku3, and bopitybop about the opening ceremony.
I'd like to thank the four of you in advance for the quick responses and for contributing your opinion to this article. It is interesting for me to see the multiple viewpoints of the ceremony.
Jts2000: Did you enjoy watching the Olympic opening ceremony in Sochi? Why or why not?
Delp: Yes, I always enjoy the opening ceremonies during the Olympics. I don't think Sochi's were as good as previous ceremonies, but it was still entertaining to watch.
Sweetaly7: Yes, because it's a really beautiful place and Russia is really great. It was really nice to have the Russians singing and all.
Saku3: Yes, I did! Russia put on a very enjoyable show, and I loved the way they presented everything. They had some pretty impressive things in there, and you could even call it overboard. It was actually quite different from other ceremonies I watched.
Bopitybop: Definitely, it was inspiring to see the Olympics begin in a way that brought all the nations together and really interesting to see the presentations, dancing, etc., everything they brought together for the ceremony.
Jts2000: What do you think was the highlight of the ceremony?
Delp: For me, I really enjoyed the ballet dancers. I thought that was very well done and beautiful. I also enjoyed seeing my Canadians (GO CANADA!) walk out of the tunnel wearing cuter outfits than all of the other countries.
Sweetaly7: I personally enjoyed the young 5th grader that was up on stage, but I think the most popular thing has to be the glitching snowflake, honestly.
Saku3: I personally think everything was great to watch, but I think that the highlight was watching all the athletes enter and seeing the athletes representing their country. It was fun seeing their outfits(USA's was actually sort of, er, disappointing)and watching their emotions as they entered.
Bopitybop: Probably either all the athletes coming forth or all the performances.
Jts2000: What is the main thing that you would change about the opening ceremony?
Delp: In Sochi, I found that the ceremonies lacked energy and were borderline creepy. I'd maybe brighten things up a bit and make them a bit more fun.
Sweetaly7: The people dancing at the beginning . . .
Saku3: I'd change the part where the snowflake Olympic rings malfunctioned. It sort of broke the gigantic grand ceremony mood, and was also pretty awkward.
Bopitybop: Well, for one thing, I'd like to say that the missing 5th ring on the Olympic rings part should have opened . . .
Jts2000: What was the message that the Russians were trying to send throughout the ceremony?
Delp: Like every other country when they hold the Olympics, the Russians were demonstrating national pride, but it didn't work too well because the Canadians still looked cuter than them.
Sweetaly7: I don't know, honestly.
Saku3: I guess you could say they were just happy about hosting the Olympics.
Bopitybop: I'd say it was that Russia has a proud and strong heritage. Also, that they're trying to emphasize that the Olympics will be the bom-diggity-bom.
Jts2000: If you had the option, would you go to Sochi to watch the opening ceremony? Why?
Delp: No, after seeing the hotel pictures from Sochi, I never want to go to Russia. Ever.
Sweetaly7: No. Look up #SochiProblems and you'll see why.
Saku3: Yes, I would. It would be exciting to view the ceremony, and watch everything up close. However, if it really was to happen I would probably let my family decide.
Bopitybop: Totally. It'd be incredible to witness everything first-hand.
Once again, I'd like to thank the four of you for your input about this extraordinary event. And now that the opening ceremony has concluded and the torch has been lit, there are only four words left to say. Let the games begin!
Author's Note: Photo is from WashingtonPost.com
