OMFG I can't stop thinking about #Inception. I don't remember ever wanting to see a movie again so badly right away...maybe I'm dreaming :)about 1 week agofrom web
At Canada's Wonderland w four 7 year old girls for Sydney's bday...easy peasy (so far) after enduring 10 days of Disney!about 2 weeks agofrom UberTwitter
Thanks to everyone who has been following along the past few weeks and asking about the concluding days of the trip of a lifetime. I do have more amazing pictures, videos and stories to share – especially about our gold medal Men’s hockey climax and my foray into the epicentre of the celebrations. I’ve also had a few days to reflect on the greatest Olympic Games ever and what it meant…I’ve just been adjusting back to life outside my Olympic bubble this week and spending some very rewarding time with the family so stay tuned!
Friday Feb 26: today is a sad day indeed. It’s my last bus ride to Whistler, for my final shift. Where did the last 15 days go? How can it feel like I’ve been here forever, yet at the same time wonder how the time flew by?
I decided this morning to make one final attempt to get into the Olympic Store at The Bay. Every time I’ve been there it’s at least an hour long lineup, even at 11 pm at night. There was a rumour going around that they were going to open 24 hrs for the final weekend, but that’s not the case. This morning was no different, huge line and I had to catch myfinal bus so time for a desperation move -- use my creds to get past security, and it worked! Why didn’t I try that a week ago?
Since I was downtown I was going to ride a different bus than my normal one up to Whistler. This involved taking the SeaBus, I had forgotten how strange it is to take a boat as public transportation. For those that don’t know Vancouver, this is one of the quickest and easiest ways from the main station downtown to North Van, and is essentially a bus line on water. You use transfers to ride it, but it’s a bit of a unique boarding experience to say the least.
I’m sure if you took this to work everyday (many do) then it would get pretty routine, but for me it’s still a great fun trip across Burrard Inlet to see all the ships and enjoy the novelty of it.
One exciting thing about your final shift is the lovely parting gifts. All along the way you get great little rewards for hitting certain goals. I call this the “Muk Muk Milestone card”, and so far I’ve received pins, stuffed Quatchi, keychain, hat, backpack, and coveted red mittens! Who says volunteering doesn’t pay
But they definitely saved the best for last, I got an Olympic Swatch and Silver medal/coin from Birks, which is a great bonus because I truly would have done this just for the privilege of being here.
Trivia fact: did you know SWAG is an acronym for “Sealed With A Gift?”. You’re welcome for that nugget of wisdom.
With my super swag stashed away we started turning our thoughts to the Canada/Slovakia game to determine who would play for Gold to play the US after their dominating win over Finland. But first up was Women’s Curling.
Now I’m no Curling expert, having only been to a few bonspiels but I did gain some appreciation for the game after actually watching an entire match. Who knew there was that much strategy, and it’s not just an excuse to go out and drink? Although I do question if it is really a “sport”, more of a recreation really. I loved when Colbert asked the US men’s curling team if any of them could touch their toes and after admitting they couldn’t Colbert asked them “you know you’re olympic atheletes, right?” Classic. Although I’m sure Colbert would also love to interview Canadian curler Cheryl Bernard who has inspired great new terms like Van-cougar (NBC), Sarah Palin on ice (Yahoo! Sports) and Couglur -- part Curler, part Cougar (kudos to Jen via ESPN on that one). However attractive people may think she is, the cat was declawed on this day after choking not once, but TWICE! I can’t explain why she tried to over-complicate things on the shots (my opinion), but don’t they know how much of my time they wasted sucking me in and shattering my dreams of curling Gold? At least I’m more knowledgeable in the strategies of curling now, and hopeful that our men’s hockey team will not be crushed under the pressure.
As for the Canada/Slovakia semi-final, not a lot to say about the game other than phew…I still have a country, bring on USA!!! An entire nation can breathe a sigh of relief but I can’t survive that stress of the last few minutes of that game. How can the actual players survive the pressure? I also found it interesting the number of NHL players on team Slovakia -- Stumpel, Palffy, on the top line and looking like they could contribute in the NHL (if they wanted to). So we have our dream Gold medal re-match…of Sunday’s humbling 5-3 defeat, and of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Obviously the entire country is hoping for same result as in 2002, but I discvered a very interesting stat. The home country has only won Gold in Hockey only twice before, in 1960 (USA); 1980 (USA), and now a third time, 2010 Canadian Women!!! A forth home-ice Gold would undoubtedly cap this off as the greatest games ever, and easily the most incredible sporting achievement in our nation’s history. No pressure boys!
So to round out the day, double Golds in speed skating events, totaling another 4 medal day -- unbelievable!
Last order of business at the Whistler Media Centre -- hand in my upgraded credentials.
I found it very difficult to head out from the village, who knows when I’ll have a chance to be back here again. However, I look forward to that day when I do come back and have these incredible memories of Whistler. I was so fortunate to be able to be immersed in the games from this perspective, from this venue.
Although it is my last shift, it is not technically my last day in Whistler. Tonight we celebrate this part of the amazing journey, but it’s far from over. Tomorrow I tame the peaks of Whistler/Blckcomb, and Sunday, the game of our lives!
I made a point of being over in Medals Plaza this afternoon for The Roots warm-up rehearsal. Truthfully it was primarily to try and catch a glimpse (if not meet) Jimmy Fallon but it turned out to be quite a captivating performance. I was right in front of the stage, this is a great clip of the band going through one of their songs and sounding fantastic.
I also watched one of the security guys put up the infamous “Mosh Pit” sign that I spotted at Jet last night. I so wanted to take this back home with me to put up in our office but alas, it was not to be.
On the way over to the Media Centre I was struck by this view of the Village as I walk towards my destination. In some ways it feels like I’ve been coming up here for a long time, it’s amazing how quickly you start to take it for granted. You can see the CTV broadcast pavilion at the bottom of the pic. If you’re watching any Olympic coverage, you’ve seen this a dozen times -- it’s where they broadcast non-stop from Whistler.
One of the premiere events of the Olympics was this afternoon, I am referring of course to the Women’s Hockey Gold medal game against the US. A rematch from the 2002 and 2006 Olympics, our girls were 2 time defending Olympic champs so there was plenty at stake. I may have “popped” over to a local establishment for the last 10 min of the 3rd period, and there may or may not have been free celebratory shots passed around. But here’s a great clip of the bar celebrating another GOLD MEDAL!
Then on the way back to the Medial Centre I found where they park the airborne camera that flies over Whistler to get those great aerial shots. This is a picture of the blimp, plus a dirigible in behind (ha ha).
But as great as the day was going, the best was still yet to come. One of my main Olympic Mandates was to see a Gold Medal presented up close and personal, to be there with the masses signing our national anthem as they raise the flag. As our women dominated the Bobsled the day prior I realized I would have a chance to see not just Gold presented, but Silver as well. As I headed over to Medals Plaza I knew exactly where I wanted to be for optimal viewing. I’ll walk you through the Victory Ceremony in a bit more detail from the perspective of being on the ground.
First step is the Olympians take to the stage with some great dramatic music and footage of their performances, greeted with enthusiastic cheers.
Next, the RCMP begins preparing the flags to be raised. I’m getting chills already.
While that is happening the actual medals get presented, and the crowds emotion continues to climb
And then the moment every athlete (and spectator) waits for…the national anthem. It is not possible to be any closer to the flag raising than this. Wow!
Right as the flags reached the top I had my friend take this great pic, perhaps my favourite Olympic moment yet.
Then this last video, the RCMP begin to lower the flags, and Jimmy Fallon performs as Neil Young
I have one last video clip as well of the 4 medal winning women coming out and dancing & performing with the Roots which is very cool. I love to see this enthusiasm from our athletes when they celebrate their victory.
Eventually, it was time to head back to work…but one last picture of the night was the one I took outside of the Sports Illustrated offices. The SI writers were so amused at my pic I ended up spending a while chatting with them and scoring the highly coveted SI “Gold Medal” collector pin (currently at $50 on eBay, rumour has it). I’m no Pinhead (that’s what they call the fanatical Olympic pin traders), but I have managed to pick up quite a few on my travels without really even trying very hard.
Once again, another 4 Medal day for Canada, at this pace I would definitely say we are OWNING the Podium!
