Mar
1
2010
Gold for Women, Freestylin’ with The Roots
Author: supsonI 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!
