And when I grew up in the 80s, we used to call the Sovjet national anthem (now Russias) "the hockey song", because CCCP always won the world championship in Hockey...
I can't help but laugh at this, because my cousins who were into Figure Skating as much as I am, we called the Soviet/Russian Anthem the Ice Dancing Anthem. W/the exception of the Torvill and Dean years, that was due to the stranglehold the Soviet/Russian Teams had during the 80's and early 90's.
I love
Advance Australia Fair and still remember the odd bits of it thanks to hearing it so often during the Sydney Games. I'm sure I'll be hearing it often in a few weeks times during the coverage of The Commonwealth Games in India too.
Obviously, I adore my own Anthem,
Oh Canada. My favourite performance of it at the moment, is by the guy who does the Anthems for the NHL Vancouver Canucks hockey team games. He sings the first bit, then lets the audience take over for the middle part and finishes the rest of it. Never fails to give me the chills.
I like
The Star Spangled Banner, but one of the best "performances" of it I've ever heard, was also one of the worst too. The US Jr Hockey Team won the World Jr Hockey Championship this year, in Canada, for only the second time in USA Hockey history IIRC. Now...I get the guys were excited, I get they were in a party mood and they wanted to belt out their Anthem loudly and proudly. Regardless of the Nationality, and as much as I wanted to sing
Oh Canada w/"my boys", watching the kids sing their Anthem is one of the highlights of any Championship.
Okay then...I get them being a touch off key. I've heard some pretty awful off key versions of
Oh Canada over the years after all. Having said that though...Here it is September and I still haven't been able to figure out how in the name of everything holy they managed to also get two bars ahead of the music!!
It really is one of the most priceless Victory Ceremony Celebration Sing alongs I've ever watched.
I also like the New Zealand, Italian, German and Russia Anthems.
I wish I knew the words for the Japanese, German and Russian Anthems though. I am a huge Figure Skating fan, if I'm at a Major Championship Event and if I know the words of the winning Skater or Team's National Anthem, I'll sing it. I think it's the least we can do for an athlete or team that wins.
It's so sad though...I was so lucky to be able to attend the World Championships in Vancouver in 2001 and we all sang
The Star Spangled Banner for Michelle Kwan. We all know it, so why not and it also gave Michelle a very special memory of that Title.
Fast forward to the last two Skate Canada Internationals and American skaters each won a respective title/discipline each year. Not only was there next to no one singing along, I got funny and nasty looks for doing so. I was chatting w/someone while in line for something at last year's Skate Canada and mentioned what a shame it was so few people sang TSSB for Jeremy Abbott. Do you know what this person said in reply?
"Why would we? We're not in America and this is Skate *Canada*, not Skate America."
As I told her, there's no harm in showing courtesy and/or respect to another Athlete. Especially since everyone in that arena knew the words to TSSB and could have sang it for Jeremy.
Sorry for rambling and getting OT, but that's a particular pet peeve of mine. One of my favourite memories from the coverage of the Vancouver Olympics this year, was how the fans from the Netherlands knew the National Anthems of all the Favourites at the Speed Skating Oval and sang them for all the Gold Medalists during the Victory Ceremonies.
I was not only impressed, but that's just out and out classy and how it should be!!
I do not like it either. I'd prefer "Va pensiero" to become Italy's national anthem. However I think it will never be, now that it has become the anthem of Padania.
