For two weeks in February, I was glued to my TV, watching the Olympics, amazed by the drive, endurance and strength of the athletes.

And broadcasters made it easy for Canadians to tune in to the February Games: CTV covered the sporting events day-in and day-out during a two-week period. Other media outlets, too, did a fabulous job of keeping us abreast of Canada’s medal count and featuring the many promising athletes who would surely make it on to the podium. Not all Olympic sports appealed to me, but I watched most of them as Canadian athletes competed to make their nation proud – and they did.

Although I am still puzzled by curling, I watched as Kevin Martin and Cheryl Bernard and their teams earned gold and silver, respectively, in the sport. Skaters at the Richmond Oval wowed me with their speed and their ability to make the sport look so easy. The men’s snowboard-cross athletes kept me on the edge of my seat one Saturday as I rooted for Mike Robertson during his final gold-medal descent down Cypress Mountain.

Figure skater Joannie Rochette tugged at our heart strings as she maintained her composure although she was grieving the recent loss of her mother, Thérèse. And then there was the Canadian men’s hockey team – need I say more?

I held back tears as Canadians sang the National Anthem; I was covered in goose-bumps when it was announced that Canadian athletes had captured the most gold medals.

That amazing momentum, it seems, has taken a nosedive. The opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Winter Games was held last Friday and I don’t know of anyone in my circle of friends and family who watched the emotional event.

Vancouver is hosting some 600 paralympic athletes from around the world, who will compete in five sports and 64 separate medal events. Flipping through the channels last weekend, I didn’t notice any live coverage of the  Games, a big difference from a month ago when many stations aired Olympic highlights, Olympic-themed segments and live coverage. Why is there less hype for the Paralympic Games?

Athletes have to surmount great hurdles to compete at the Olympic level. I am only assuming that paralympic athletes face even more challenges in pursuing their Olympic dreams and I am disappointed to see that the Canadian spirit came to an almost screeching halt following the February Games’ closing ceremonies.

While I haven’t watched any of the paralympic athletes in action, I will make a special effort this week to renew my Olympic spirit and watch in amazement as these dedicated individuals go for gold.