It’s all over. Two glorious weeks of competition, national pride, winning and losing have come to an end.

Vancouver, British Columbia, was host to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and it did a fine job of playing home for the world’s greatest athletes and was the perfect backdrop for some of the world’s greatest stories.

Coming from the shadow of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili’s death the day prior to the opening ceremony, the games carried on. Seven different sports awarded 258 medals, and each one carried a tremendous story.

The host country won a record 14 gold medals, none more meaningful than its first.

Alexandre Bilodeau captured the gold in the men’s moguls competition, becoming the first Canadian to win gold on home soil in the third games to be held in the Great White North.

Canada’s Joannie Rochette gave one of the most emotionally charged performances of the games in women’s figure skating, competing just two days after her mother died suddenly of a heart attack. She was carried by her countrymen, shed tears after each of her performances and stole the show with her bronze medal. Rochette was also bestowed the honor of being Canada’s flag bearer for the closing ceremony last night.

The Canadian gold that held the most American interest was easily the win Sidney Crosby and Canadian team took in men’s hockey.

Team USA fought to the final second of regulation, tying the game with just 30 second remaining, but Sid the Kid and the star-studded Canadians captured the gold on Crosby’s final goal, 7:40 into overtime. The goal set off national pandemonium and sealed a victory that NBC’s Bob Costas called the “biggest moment in Canadian sports history.”

Even with all the successes of our friendly neighbors to the north, the red, white and blue didn’t do too badly. Sure, we had our failures — namely both the men’s and women’s curling teams bowing out after the preliminary rounds. Don’t pretend you didn’t watch every match. We know. We did. But the successes far outweighed them.

Shaun White destroyed the field in the men’s snowboard halfpipe competition, even without needing to use his signature McTwist.

Steve Holcomb piloted Night Train, the American’s four-man bobsled — the United States’ first gold in the event since 1948 — just over a year after he underwent a procedure to save his eyesight.

Lindsey Vonn skied with a bruised shin and still won the women’s downhill competition, and Bode Miller made up for going 0-for-2006 by grabbing gold in the men’s combined.

Then, there is Apollo Anton Ohno, whose three medals made him the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history.

And, despite the loss, let’s not forget the performance of our hockey team. The young group of up-and-coming NHL talent, a bronze medal likely would have pleased its country. But the team went to Vancouver and won its preliminary group — including the United States’ first win over Canada since 1960 — dominated Finland in the semifinal matchup and nearly stole gold on foreign soil for the first time in the country’s history.

There are too many stories to tell here. There were firsts, lasts, countless tears and jubilant celebrations.

It really is too bad it’s over. 2014 in Sochi, Russia, seems too far away.

Thankfully, 2012 is right around the corner.