Diary of a VJ: Scottish pride and cynicism

Heather Stanning: Lossiemouth rower grabbed gold.© GB rowing

By Laura Miller

Much has been made of trying to ensure these Games are not just London's, but the whole of the UK's.

I have to say that, while personally I've always enjoyed watching the Olympics, the idea that a bit of football at Hampden would suddenly ignite the Olympic flame within all of us north of the Border was, frankly, never going to cut it and, let's face it, a bit of a token gesture.

We can be a cynical bunch.

Yet, now I'm here, now I'm actually in London 2012, it's simply impossible to try to retain any hint of cynicism.

And I did try.

But let's take today for instance, when Team GB finally won that first gold medal, when the history books come out and the sweeping montages begin, they suddenly becomes we.

We all want to attach ourselves to success.

And there is something special, as a Scot, about seeing a Scot truly flourish on that stage.

Not because it belies any political comment on the state of the Union but because, on a very basic level, well, we usually like to do ourselves down.

Our Calvinist roots get the better of us, especially where sport is concerned, and we start to prize our status as the underdog or the good-natured loser.

So to see Lossiemouth's Heather Stanning win gold and Glasgow lad Michael Jamieson take the silver medal was pretty incredible and I don't mind saying, I was bursting with pride.

After watching the men's 200m breaststroke final, I fervently took to Twitter and congratulated Scotland's Michael Jamieson but was duly scolded by a follower for not alluding to him being British.

I thought that was evident.

And like I said in reply, I'm simply highlighting the Scots who excel within Team GB because I think that is worthy of recognition.

And because I think sometimes it's okay to shout about it.

You can watch the documentary The Scots Going for Gold on the STV Player

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