Day 4: Nordic Combined

If Saturday was the absolute most miserable weather for spectators, then Sunday felt like it was dream. There was no rain, no sleet, no wind, and there was plenty of food and space. It was such a relief! Dina and I had a few hours of sleep before we had to get up to Whistler Creekside (we got home from the moguls even at midnight, then had to be at the shuttle at 5:30, meaning we got up around 4:30am) The shuttle ride to Creekside was so nice, we had the roomy tour buses (vs the city/shuttle buses), so we were able to get some much needed sleep the ~2 hours that it took to get out there for the 10am competition start time.

Whistler is absolutely beautiful! To get to the site you get to hike up a gentle trail that leads you through the trees, over a beautiful creek and up to the mountain. Along the way, we passed a few art exhibits such as a totem pole carver and a snow sculpture team from Saskatchewan. We talked snow building and I admired his case of tools.

The venue itself was put together so much better than the Cypress one. After we got

there we immediately bought some rain gear in

hopes that Murphy's Law would thus keep the rain away (if you have rain gear, you won't need rain gear. . . . .) After that we also got some food since Cypress had run out (although that wasn't a concern at this site, since it seemed to be so much better prepared) I had o.j. and a sausage while Dina had salmon chowder - yes, the breakfast of champions at 8am. We got a fantastic spot along the fence, right where the athletes walk pass to go back up the mountain. There was one round of practice/warm-up jumps, so all 45 men went past us. I got to see a whole lot of ski jumping that day!

The crowd was different this day, there were a lot of clear international groups there as well as the Canadians. There was a strong German and Swiss crowd there as well as the Norwegians and my people, the Finns. The finnish people tend to have a strong showing in ski jumping every year and this year they were on top. Janne Ryynaenen flew an amazing 105 meters down the mountain and earned a 34 second lead in the cross-country portion of the nordic combined with the closest competitor being an American Todd Lodwick.

The corss-country venue was a different location so we had to do a small hike to the stadium where that took place. While we waited, I did a little pin trading with a fellow finn as well as get a great spot up on the hill directly parallel to the starting line. During this time the sun came out again and it people relished in its warmth. The kids were running around sliding on their backs down the hill, the people were in a festive mood, and the food lines weren't long at all. It sort of reminded me of the atmosphere of a ski town party at the base of the mountain.

Going into the cross-country portion of the race, I figured that all the excitement was finished since the ski jumping was over, and a half minute lead made it seem like the gold was in the bag for the Finn and a silver for the Americans. Oh, how I was wrong. . . . The 10km race was crazy exciting! The lead position changed like 5-7 times in a race that was only 25 minutes. At the first lap, Janne kept the lead and only lost 10 seconds to Todd who was working hard to catch up. Then on the second lap the Finn fell!

And lost all 26 seconds! Soon he was second behind Todd. Then on the next lap there was some sort of scramble and a Japanese guy came out of nowhere and took the lead, then another half lap later there was another scramble and he was gone, the American and Finn were gone and they were replaced by another group of skiers and the result was A frenchmen Jason Lamy Chappuis, American Johnny Spillane, and a random Italian Alessandro Pittin. The whole race was crazy exciting with apparently just about anyone having the chance to win in the 'cross-country-skier-cross' portion of the event. I loved it! I would totally see this event again in the future! I give it 2 thumbs up!

Day 3: The First Medal of the Games

On Saturday we headed over to Cypress Mountain for our first event, the ladies freestyle moguls. I have been a fan of this Olympic event since it was first introduced to the games in 1992 in Albertville, France. Donna Weinbrecht (who I’ve been told I sort of look like) won the very first gold medal for the event for the USA. She was so fast and did the coolest tricks; she inspired me to tackle the moguls on the local hill I grew up on, Mt. Brighton. To this day moguls to me are a never-ending quest to get faster and be able to bomb down them just like her.

The bus ride to Cypress Mountain was well organized and had people giving away free hot chocolate and coffee at the start. The line moved quickly and we got to the mountain in no time (with a slight delay that we were unsure was the bus or the driver stalling the bus out) Getting in to all the events you have to go through security and have your ticket checked which is a bit of waiting, but not too bad.

The Cypress Mountain venue was very small. There was a small warming house, a smaller-sized grandstand, one small food tent (several very long lines), and an Olympic merchandise store. When we got there it was sprinkling on and off, but that soon changed to raining pretty steadily on and off. It was cold and windy rainy, pretty miserable for us fans. It also made the bumps soft, which is not what the athletes like, but it does make the landings softer for the tricks. Cypress has had a problem with weather all season. They had a ton of snow early in the season (Whistler opened a record early), but then it warmed-up and never seemed to get cold again. Helicopters and trucks bringing an estimated 300-400 loads of snow were deployed for the mountain to actually be able to put on the event.

Despite the weather (one reporter stated that the fans should have all been awarded the Order of Canada for enduring the 7+ hours of rain, sleet, and wind), it was an awesome time. They had a DJ that was spinning some great tunes a different one for each of the runs and it was like a dance party as people tried to fight the cold and not let it dampen the party spirit that was on the mountain. The ladies themselves put on one heck of a show; first in the warm-up qualifying runs and then in the actual competition. The speed of those ladies was crazy fast! They all seemed to have a variety of tricks that they pulled out on the 2 sets of kickers located at the top and mid-bottom.

The crowd was a mix of Canadian, American, and then the random other countries. The Canadians had hopes of winning their first home won gold medal and their girl Jennifer Heil was the favorite to win. The USA was also favored to medal with Hannah Kearney and Heather McPhie. In the qualifying round, those three girls were at the top.

In the final round, the ladies go in reverse qualifying order, so the top girls were at the end. What a show did they put on! Another Canadian Kristi Richards who had a medal chance fell halfway through the 2^nd set of bumps, but then paused and regrouped and skied out the rest and for the last kicker did one of the best tricks of the evening. Heather McPhie also had a fall and was knocked out of the competition, which allowed Shannon Bahrke to swoop in and win a bronze. The show down between Jennifer and Hannah was intense as both skied phenomenally, but there is only 1 winner and that was Hannah. The USA fans went wild. The Canadian fans, clearly disappointed still put on a good face and still cheered. Just great sportsmanship by the fans. I was so excited and proud, I had a few tears in between ringing the cowbell and flag waving and yelling. It was a great moment.

The bus ride home was a mess and we were starving since they ran out of food and the lines were huge, but it was worth it for the chance to see that the USA bring home its first medal of the games!

Day 2: The Opening Ceremony

I love a good Opening Ceremony for just about any occasion/festival/celebration/etc and the Olympics are at the top of my list. I love the symbolism of all the creative elements that come together to portray the host country. A celebration of the 'life' of the country as shown through interpretive music, song, and dance.

My family too has a love of the ceremonies. After we have watched one, we always compare it to others from the past that we loved or hated and then discuss where they fall in the rankings. Some people critique movies, we critique ceremonies. Its kind of a hobby of ours :)

This Olympic's Opening Ceremony was fantastic! Perhaps I'm now a bit biased since I was there and the excitement of the place almost overwhelming. There were people streaming in from all over the city converging in to the BC Place Stadium. It started to rain just a little bit as we waited in line, but overall the wait wasn't too bad. When you have a ticket to get into the OC, you are supposed to be seated 1 hour prior so that you can learn about the mildly choreographed audience participation portions of the show. Dina and I were a little late since we decided to stop and get beer outside our section. Luckily the ladies next to us were happy to fill us in on what we were supposed to do with the box of swag that was hung on each and every seat. Inside we had a pale blue dentist poncho, a drum stick, candle, flashlight, and a program book. Everyone was asked to wear white to the game (I own white things), so prior Dina had gone to great lengths earlier in the afternoon to make sure he had a white shirt. When he saw the poncho, he was like, 'well, that was unnecessary', but at least he got a cool new olympic shirt. The rehearsal lasted until about 10 minutes before the actual show started. In the final 10 minutes you could feel the excitement in the building begin to reach epic proportions. When the countdown clock started people were just about at that bursting point. Then the tv part played on the big screen of the mountains and the snowboarder flew down the mountain inside and the crowd let lose.

The rest of the OC kept up with the excitement level and I was not disappointed. Here are a few of my favorite moments. . . .

My teams: Finland, USA, and Canada. I love the athletes coming in! The possibilities of the days to come and medals to win. Tear.

The 900Kg bear that rose out the floor was so unexpected and beautiful.

This section with the Maple leaves, the fiddler in the canoe with its shadow dancing in the moon and the fiddling tap dancers in rock and roll clothes and tats pumped things up after the slower, more serious portions with the totem poles and trees.

Then came what I thought was the most moving portion of the show, K.D. Lang's rendition of "Hallelujah". Her voice was so soulful and powerful that while it was just her on the podium, that was that was needed -she filled the entire stadium with the song. Tear.

Other parts that I really enjoyed but didn't get pictures, was the orcas swimming on the floor and the awesome poetry slam, which I though totally brought an edgy-ness previously unseen in any OC. They said a few words for the luger from Georgia, Nodar Kumaritashvili who had died in a horrific high speed training run earlier in the day. The Georgian team actually walked in the opening ceremonies with their black arm bands to symbolize their mourning for their fallen teammate. There was a moment of silence that made the entire stadium eerily silent and still, you could have hear a pin drop in there.

The final portion that was a secret that everyone was speculating about on the street was that of who got the honor of being the final torch runner? Who else but the Great One: Legendary Wayne Gretsky. Part of the hydraulics didn't work, so the back leg of the structure didn't go up but that didn't seem to matter, once again it was a great moment and the crowd went wild. I love this picture of the flame being lit.

What is going to happen in the next 14 days? Hopefully exactly what the Olympics are about; the world coming together to celebrate competition, sportsmanship, and peace. (and perhaps one heck of a good party!) So let the athletes bring everything they got as they strive for faster, stronger, higher; let the Games Begin!

The Place to Stay

When going to the Olympics, one of the most critical things to get is The Place to Stay. I started looking for our place about a year out and finally reserved our condo through the Vacation Rentals By Owner (www.vrbo.com), which is a service I've used a couple times now for things like ski condos and beach houses, etc. You type in the location, they show you all the places that match and have availability. They all have pictures, prices, maps, types of payment accepted, everything you need to know to get the place you want. With the Olympics everything was about 2-5% what it normally goes for and with a limited budget on what we felt we wanted to pay for the location we wanted, it was quite a challenge (many places were going for $1000+/night!)

Part of my goal in planning for the Olympics was to make things as stress free as possible. I wanted to be close enough to everything such that we didn't need a car. I knew parking would be basically non-existant at the games, plus I wanted to be green and mainly walk to events/pavilions/bars. Anything else, I wanted to use public transportation; so location was a huge priority. We were so lucky with the place we finally settled on: A condo right on the Seawall, across the street from the Science Centre, 2 blocks from the Skytrain, 5 min walk to the BC Place (Opening Ceremonies Venue) and several Olympic Pavilions. The location is sweet!

Inside our Condo is amazing in so many ways! It is in a beautiful glass sided condo with 1 bedroom, 2 bath, beautiful granite kitchen, gas fireplace, and enclosed glass patio. The place is really swanky.

Our hosts Ken and Nancy are completely awesome as well. They live a few floors higher in the same building and were so gracious and hospitable when I met them on the first day. They not only did the usual receiving me in the lobby/showing me around. They had stocked the place up! We had a food basket with cheese, red wine,

fruit, chocolates, nuts! The had gone out and bought pastries, milk, o.j., water, pop, placed an additional white wine chilling in the fridge, and the two best things: frozen pizza and beer.

I was so hungry when I arrived from Seattle and I was so grateful,

O totally and went to town on all the snacky-snacks. They also incredibly social and invited me up for wine and to admire the view (which is amazing and faces the Seawall harbor) and talk Olympics. Nancy and Ken Rock!

Day 1: Getting here

It was actually colder in Houston (high 44F) than it was in Vancouver (high 52F) on thursday. Not by much, just about 8 degrees but that is crazy! I had to wake up early (7am) for an entire day of travel and get to the airport at 9:30 since it was an 'international flight', which for someone who has gone to Canada their whole life in about an hour with a 15 min border wait, it was hard to believe that 3 hours early was necessary. The night before I had nearly had a melt-down trying to locate my passport (again I feel should be unnecessary for going to Canada - they are friendly neighbors!), I knew I had put it in a safe place, but couldn't find it anywhere. Luckily Dina knew where it was (text from Dina: Computer = important=no lose=good place for passport)

I was originally going to just bring a small carry-on roller bag, but my need for 8 pairs of boots/shoes nixed that idea. It was kinda hard to pack since it was such a mix of climates (Whistler - very cold, Vancouver - cool and perhaps rainy, inside venues - warm), I just kinda gave up and packed everything I could that equalled exactly 50lbs. At the last minutes I gave up and threw a few more things in my already overstuffed backpack. (I may need to get another bag if I buy any souvenirs)

The flight from Vancouver to Seattle is 4 hours and 45 minutes and then a quick 1 hour layover in Seattle, then a really quick up and down in a puddle-jumper to get to Vancouver. When I got to my layover you could tell something was in the air. The Seattle airport was buzzing

with Olympic fever! Several stores were selling their Team USA paraphernalia and there was even a USA store brought in for a limited time engagement just so airport travelers could get their one last USA souvenir. Several of the other passengers going to

Vancouver were already sporting their country's insignia. I was getting so excited!

When we finally got to Vancouver; Customs was a breeze, no line whatsoever and immediately got through to baggage claim. Just outside Customs was the area where the Olympians check-in. While I was waiting, the entire Czech team (and a few random Russian team members) rolled into the airport. It was really cool to see the entire entourage that accompanies the athletes all in their Team Czech outfits. (Seriously, I'm going to need to get O-geared up!)

I took the sky-train (arguably the best new infrastructure brought to the city for the games) and for $9 was able to ride all night unlimitedly (which was great for when I wanted to go out later in the evening). The train took me straight to my condo in like 20 minutes (it was so clean,nice, and efficient! This is what public transportation should be!)

My hosts Nancy Meek and Ken Levitt met me in the lobby and let me into the fabulous condo Dina and I got. After unloading my very heavy backpack and giant pink roller-bag, I went up to Nancy and Ken's place on the 9th floor to share a bottle of wine and check out their view of the city. They pointed out all the sights you could see from their patio, speculated their opinion on who was going to have the final torch run, and gave me directions to great restaurants that I might try for dinner that night. Nancy and Ken are seriously awesome! Ken is somewhat of a space buff so he was pretty excited to get a NASA shuttle pin that I brought as a gift and to trade with pin-people (pin trading is like an Olympic sport in itself!)

After saying goodnight to the hosts I head out to Yaletown (the hipster area of town) to get dinner and a drink and to talk with the locals. I hit up the Yaletown Brewing company and had a great tapas meal of Potato, cheese and Yaletown ale soup and for fun I tried Vancouver's version of fried green tomatoes. The soup was amazing! Purred potato and cheese with a mild ale flavor. It was better than 'Library' soup (yes I did just say that). The FGT was alright, not quite the southern way, but they at least kicked it up a notch with spicy tomato cream sauce. I ended up chatting with a violist who was playing in the Opening Ceremonies the next night. Rumor has it that I'm going to get my wish to hear some Acadian fiddle music at the OC.

After I finished my meal and drink I decided to visit another bar on the way back to the condo. I stopped at Hub bar also in Yaletown and had a drink next to some rowdy italians and a local Vancouver couple. The consensus is that on friday, the city is going to explode with Olympic-ness and it will be party central for the next 2 weeks. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I had told the Customs people that I had 3 goals for the trip: 1) See the Games 2) Party hard and 3) Spend some money. Looks like it shouldn't be too hard to do any of them. Bonnie and Matt gave me some tips for bar/clubs that would be jumping for the games, so I have a list of places Dina and I are going to hit up.

So far all the people I have met have been perfectly Canadian; aka super friendly, helpful, talkative, and excited for everyone to be here. They all have their Team Canada gear (even the hipsters have found a way to make it cool) and you can tell something great is about to happen. . . I think everyone is right, this place is going to explode with Olympic party fever.

A Childhood Love

I am a child of Winter. I love everything about it. The silence of soft snow falling; the big flakes that come down early in the season, the frozen pond that invites you for a skate, the moonlit night ski through the snow covered woods, the icicles that form on the eves of your house, the sunshine and blue skies the day after a storm, the beauty of the mountains covered in snow, I could really go on and on. . . . . I even like the ‘bad’ things such as the mindless drone work of shoveling snow. Winter is in me, it’s a part of me and I can’t do without it.

Naturally I have loved the Olympic Winter Games since the day I was born. Some of my fondest childhood memories csme from either watching the games or imagining I was in them. When the Olympics were on it was like time stood still and all other distractions faded to the background. For each of those 2 weeks I ate, lived, and breathed the Olympic games. All my spare time was spent watching them. I stayed up all hours of the day and night to watch them live. Even after the games, the spirit lingered in play and pursuit. I was a fanatic.

Growing up the walls of my room were plastered with the magazine and newspaper croppings of Olympians. My father knew how much I loved the photos and articles and would buy me all the SI, Newsweek, Time, etc magazines that talked about the athletes. Even in school we were obsessed, I have a whole Lillehammer scrapbook that we made as part of school assignments that I still have to this day.

What I love most about the Olympics and what separates it from other sporting events is that it is a celebration of competition, sportsmanship, and peace. Its different than say the World Championship of skating or skiing, of which people compete for a title that is more or less for themselves than for a team. But the Olympics are a competition that is bigger than the individual. You aren’t exactly you anymore; you belong to the Country. You are Team USA. There are more than the usual sport specific fans watching; you have the whole country joined together cheering you on. There is something about that coming together that is so great. As a fan you get to live each moment of the events with the Olympians and feel it as if it was your own. That is why I have stood up cheering in my house for a winning Super-G run and felt the agony of a fall during a speed skating race. I’ve even shed tears with gold metal winners when their national anthem is played (the country is irrelevant when the performance is outstanding).

I also love the theory that all countries put aside their differences for 2 weeks and walk side by side in peace while they compete. Even though there are several times in history where politics played out, rarely was it an individual Olympian that partook in the ugliness. Overall the call for peace at the opening ceremonies is observed and goodwill is spread amongst the competitors.

On a more individual level there is something about the struggle and dedication that the Olympians go through that I love. Every person who is competing has a story, a journey that they took to become the best (even if its just the best in their small country). I love hearing those stories such as the little girl who was at the rink at 4am everyday to skate, the dad who took 2 jobs so that they could afford coaches, or the single mom who drove her son to the hill everyday for 10 years.

The athletes that endured countless struggles and setbacks and never let their dream go. I think that that story is common to everyone, no matter what background or country you come from.

Going to the Olympics for me is special. Growing up I always hoped and dreamed to go to the Olympics as a participant (there is still a chance, right? Some of those curlers are lie 40+) but fate had other plans for me. So when I created my 5-year bucketlist, this was one of the things on the top of my list, to go as a spectator. I am so excited to be on my way there and I can’t wait for the games to begin.

Post Taos

So what happened after the last post 1 year ago? The girl and the boy did get back together! Yay! The spirit of Taos won! Yay! Getting back together on the trip was one of the most romantic things that had ever happened to the girl. And she was so happy!!!But then it all fell apart again :( The relationship couldn’t handle dating and living together. Dating should be about fun and making plans and going out. None of which happened. The boy figured when you can come home from work and the person is already there, there is no motivation to put any effort into making plans. There was no excitement of the chase. The boy concluded the girl was boring since all she wanted was to be with him. Even if it was just at home.

The girl was so sad. She fought for them for so long. She never gave up because the boy was everything to her and she believed in him. But no matter what she did, it seemed to bring back the angry boy. They met in Taos again, but even the mountains couldn’t help this time. Finally, the girl was forced to leave.

So the girl moved into a lovely Italian Palace deep in the city, a mighty fortress on the bayou. And tried to start anew. Unfortunately, her heart was broken and nothing seemed to help. Even the super large closet and giant garden tub in her bathroom couldn’t bring her out of her sadness. All she wanted was to go back home to where the boy and her heart lay.

A month of mourning was declared for February and was intensified with the passing of her grandmother and the addition of yet another speeding ticket. The Fates had her number. The only thing left was to try to escape the city and go to the lone experience that would help turn things around. It is the one event and place that brings not just individual people together but the whole world: the Olympic Winter Games.