Canadian Athletes Showing Olympics Were No Fluke

Somebody must have forgotten to tell Canadian athletes that the Olympics are over. 

After spending two weeks watching our athletes deliver the performance of a lifetime and a glorious overtime hockey final, it's easy for fans to forget that the athletes don't go into hibernation at Olympics end.

Proving the record medal count was not a one time deal, Canada's finest have been producing medals almost daily since the end of the games.

Here is a sampling of what our athlete's have achieved in a few short weeks:

Mercedes Nicoll of Whistler, B.C., ended a podium drought of nearly five years Sunday by winnning the bronze medal in halfpipe at a World Cup snowboard stop in Italy

In the men's halfpipe contest, Justin Lamoureux of Squamish, B.C., took fourth place, enough to keep him atop the World Cup standings. With just one more contest to go, Lamoureux could secure another Crystal Globe for Canada in 2010

Chris Del Bosco picked up the bronze medal Sunday at the second-to-last Skicross World Cup race of the season

Jenn Heil of Spruce Grove, Alta., is on top of the moguls world after capturing a bronze medal in Freestyle World Cup action Saturday, that gave Heil, 26, her fifth Crystal Globe, to tie the record set by American Donna Weinbrecht

Maxime Gingras of St-Hippolyte, Que., collected a silver in men's moguls for his second medal in as many days

Maelle Ricker's dream season keeps getting better.The Olympic champion from West Vancouver locked up the snowboard cross World Cup title by finishing second in the women's event Friday

Canadian women made history Friday as the first country to sweep the podium in a women's World Cup ski cross event

Kelsey Serwa of Kelowna, B.C., beat Olympic champion Ashleigh McIvor of Whistler, B.C., with Winnipeg's Danielle Poleschuk completing the Canadian sweep. Anna Holmlund of Sweden was fourth.

McIvor made her fifth trip to the podium this season. The result put her within 27 points of series leader Ophelie David of France for the overall World Cup title

**Did you think it was over yet??  Not even close, that tingly feeling you may have at this point is called pride and the list is only halfway done...**

Kristina Groves Her latest win came Saturday in the 1,500 metres at a long-track speedskating World Cup. With the victory, she locked up the overall title at the distance for the third straight year

The Canadian women's team pursuit grabbed the gold medal at a long-track speedskating World Cup event on Sunday, clinching the overall season title

The Canadian men grabbed silver with a time of 3:44.30, just 1.53 seconds behind Norway. Canada is third in the overall rankings with 306 points. Norway is first (380) followed by the Netherlands (350)

Canadian Denny Morrison shook off his Olympic struggles to finish second in the men's 1,500 metres Friday at the long-track speedskating World Cup final

Erik Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Que., produced a daring run on the Kandahar course Thursday to pick up his second super-G title in less than a week.The victory also gave him the World Cup title in the discipline, the first time a Canadian has won a crystal globe since Toronto's Steve Podborski in 1982 (Amazing Achievement)

There are more but you get the point.  If this list tells us anything, it's that putting a little money into our programs can yield BIG results.  Hopefully this is noted by the powers that be so that we can produce even more medals come 2014 in Sochi.

I would love to see this type of initiative put into our summer sports as well.  It's time to show the world that we are not just about Hockey all the time. 

Although it doesn't hurt to have that crown back either...