The Excellent Olympic Adventure

Post Olympic Blues

2010-03-11T08:28:00.004-08:00

After years of planning and excitement, 3 unforgettable weeks, it's all over... and Scott and I are blue. We feel there's a significant lack of excitement in our lives. Not that our lives are boring, by no means is that the case, but we haven't been to a major sporting event, haven't cheered until we lose our voices, haven't clapped until our palms hurt and haven't chanted CAN-A-DA in what feels like forever!

There has been talk of Sochi in 2014, but we don't want to make any decisions until we see how they plan on running it and if decent tickets will be available to Canadians.

Okay, I guess I should stop wallowing and get back to work now.

Mitten Mayhem Tuesday - The Final

2010-03-02T19:03:00.003-08:00

CANADA WINS THE GOLD MEDAL IN MEN'S HOCKEY!! Here I am celebrating in Vancouver!!

BEST MITTEN MAYHEM PIC YETT!

Beth's Top 5 Olympic Moments!

2010-03-02T18:39:00.012-08:00

In no particular order, here are my top 5 Vancouver 2010 moments!

1. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir winning gold, and then seeing the rings change to gold!

2. Being in Whistler and being able to take this amazing picture:

3. The Peak to Peak Gondola between Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains.

4. Sitting in Pacific Coliseum before the Figure Skating Gala and getting really emotional because I know the Olympics are coming to an end and it's been an amazing trip!

5. Team Canada Men's Hockey winning Gold and seeing how happy Scott is!!!

AMAZING TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're considering Sochi 2014 :)

Flights

2010-03-01T09:41:00.001-08:00

Wow....the YWCA had an airport shuttle...so for $11 each we went direct from the hotel to airport. Airport said to get here 4-5 hours early...so we did...and the place is almost empty. Through security and checked bags in less than 30 mins...less than an hour hotel to gate....that's amazing...

So since we are so early, Pam and I are now on standby for an earlier flight! Might get out of here at 11:30 AM...

Robson Street

2010-02-28T16:36:00.000-08:00

Figure Skating Gala, Beth's Personal Heaven!!

2010-02-27T15:45:00.002-08:00

Mere moments!! Skaters include:
Takahashi, Pang & Tong, Ando, Faiella & Scali, Chan, Rochette, Belbin
& Agosto, Plushenko, Zhang & Zhang, Davis & White, Kim, Shen & Zhao,
Lysacek and Virtue & Moir!!!

Short Track Medals

2010-02-26T19:34:00.001-08:00

Hamelin Gold, Tremblay Bronze in the Mens 500m!!! The Mens 5000m Relay finals go later tonight....Canada is in the A finals for that as well

Joannie Rochette wins Bronze & Women's Hockey wins Gold!

2010-02-25T21:18:00.004-08:00

Great few days for Canada! Yesterday 4 medals, today, 2!!!

We went to the Women's Gold Medal Hockey game, Canada vs. USA. Canada won 2-0!!!

Scott's Hockey Pics:

Beth's Hockey Pics:

After the game, Pam, Jen, Scott and I went to a gay bar called The Score to meet up with Scott Dumas and Damonde Tschritter (Yuk's comedians) to watch the women's long program!! I was very nervous for Joannie, but she rose above everything and had an amazing skate!! I'm so proud of her, as is Canada!! And now I will get to see her skate at the Gala on Saturday!

Rochette

Cynthia Phaneuf placed 13th overall.

Scott's Post-Game Pics:

Tomorrow, Scott and Pam are at the women's gold medal curling, Jen and I have the day off, we will probably wander the city aimlessly :)

I would like to apologize for not updating the blog as regularly as we should, it's very hard when we are really only in the room to sleep!! Speaking of sleep...

Day 13: Snowboarding

2010-02-25T13:51:00.001-08:00

So we finally have one day without an event, and what do we do? Snowboard Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains of course!

Beth's Snowboarding Pics:

Scott's Snowboarding Pics:

After coming off the hill, we were able to get to Amsterdam's Pub in time to watch Canada crush Russia 7-3!!

Beth's Post-Snowboarding Pics:

Day 12: Whister Walkabouts and Women's Bobsled

2010-02-25T13:47:00.001-08:00

After the double-curling day, we spent two days up in Whistler....with Pam and I taking in Runs 1 & 2 of the Women's Bobsled. Canada would go on to win Gold and Silver the next day.

Scott's Pre-Bobsled Pics:

Beth's Pre-Bobsled Pics:

Scott's Bobsled Pics:

Scott's Post-Bobsled Pics:

Beth's Post-Bobsled Pics:

Day 11: Post-Game

2010-02-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

Okay....back at it...

After the Curling on Day 11, our adventures were kind of a mixed bag, people off in different directions....but pics are below...

Behind Again

2010-02-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

Way behind in uploading again. There is just too much to do to spend time too much time in front of the computer.

I have played catchup a bit and added more pics to previous posts....so scroll down a bit and you might see something new.

For us today...its the Women's Gold Medal Hockey Game....Go Canada Go!

Figure Skating - Women's Short Program

2010-02-23T19:09:00.009-08:00

We're in Whistler now, here we go with the Women's Short Program!

Phaneuf (Canada)
She had a decent enough skate. Fell on some connecting steps which was kind of dumb.
SCORE - 57.16

Kim (Korea)
Had a great skate! She has set a new World Record!
SCORE - 78.50

Rochette (Canada)
Her mother passed away 2 days ago, I really hope she can keep it together and have a great skate for herself and her mom!
-tlutz, double toe - beautiful!
-triple flip - great!
-double axel was fantastic!
-she came off the ice crying... I started crying as well. So hard. GOOD FOR HER!!!!
SCORE - 71.36

Rochette following her short program.

Mitten Mayhem Tuesday - Live from Robson Square!

2010-02-23T16:00:00.003-08:00

Here's Jen and I after the fireworks display at Robson Square!! The show there was amazing, so much fun!

The mittens will be retired next week, I will post ONE MORE Mitten Mayhem picture next week!

We've Arrived In Whistler

2010-02-23T11:21:00.003-08:00

Little slow in the village right now, which is awesome for snagging pictures...no crowds...

Virtue and Moir are GOLDEN!!!

2010-02-22T20:54:00.002-08:00

More to come later, I'm currently at a bar so I can't go into detail, but VIRTUE AND MOIR HAVE WON GOLD!!!!

And then I was so excited and happy for them, I started to cry :) That's when it really hit me that I'm AT the Olympics!!

Day 11: Women's Curling

2010-02-22T18:23:00.004-08:00

After the Men's game, we ducked out for a quick lunch.....when rather randomly Kevin Martin dropped into the same place. Didn't get a chance to get a pic or autograph, he practically ran out the door, but cool nonetheless.

We then headed back for the Women's Draw. Sweden and Canada both went into the draw at 5-1, but Sweden played like crap...giving Canada a fairly easy win. Combined with the Chinese loss to Russia today, I think Canada has clinced first on the women's side as well now.

Scott's Pics:

Beth's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

Day 11: Men's Curling

2010-02-22T18:19:00.002-08:00

Were out to the Vancouver Olympic Centre for a twin-bill of curling today. First was the Men...CAN-USA the main event. It was nice to get a touch of retribution back for last night. Canada has now clinched first place, which is always key.

Scott's Pics:

Beth's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

Day 10: Victory Ceremony and Post-Game

2010-02-22T18:14:00.003-08:00

Victory Ceremony was OK at best...nosebleed seats took any enjoyment out of the concert. Headed out to the Cambie afterwards, and also took a late night swing past the flame:

Victory Ceremonies: Scott's Pics

Victory Ceremonies: Beth's Pics

Victory Ceremonies: Pam's Pics

Post Game: Scott's Pics

Post Game: Beth's Pics

Post Game: Pam's Pics

Day 10: Canada v. USA

2010-02-22T18:08:00.001-08:00

Amazing seats, amazing atmosphere...crappy result. I didnt' take too many pictures as we were behind the netting, which makes any pictures look like they're through a chain-link fence. Regardless:

Scott's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

Behind: I Know

2010-02-22T15:38:00.001-08:00

Also I know I'm behind a few days on pictures....busy busy. Swear Ill get them up over the next 24 hrs or so!

Semi-Finals

2010-02-22T15:36:00.001-08:00

Womens semi-finals for hockey go in about an hour and a half. This will be the first of three or four semi-final games that we'll need Canadians to get through in order to set up Gold Medal games that we have tickets to. Here's Hoping!1

Sympathy to Joannie Rochette

2010-02-22T10:32:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning, Canadian women's figure skating champion, Joannie
Rochette's mother passed away. Joannie is still planning on competing
as planned. Her mother was only 55 and passed away from a heart
attack. Us in the blogging world send our deepest sympathies to
Joannie an the entire Rochette family.

Ice Dance - Original Dance

2010-02-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, well I couldn't watch the skating today bceause I was actually AT the Olympics attending a Victory Ceremony! From what I have heard (and watched on the replays) Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue ROCKED IT! I watched the replay of their skate and it was breathtaking! It was so good, there was no commentating during the skate because Rod Black, Jennifer Robinson and Victor Kraatz had NOTHING to say; they were speachless.

Virtue & Moir

TOTAL SCORE - 111.15

Crone and Poirier on the other hand, I have not watched their skate, but they have dropped to 17th place after the Original Dance.

Crone & Poirier

TOTAL SCORE - 79.31

Tomorrow at 4:30pm (Pacific) they skate their Free Dance, I will be done our events by that time, so I will be watching the skating from a bar somewhere!!

RESULTS AFTER THE ORIGINAL DANCE

Day 10: Russia v. Czech Repubic

2010-02-21T15:34:00.001-08:00

Started in Row 7...moved to Row 1....Pam got a puck...

Scott's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

Beth and Jen trek to BC!

2010-02-21T10:42:00.006-08:00

I picked Jen up at 11am on Saturday and we were on our way to start

our journey! We got to my parents house at 12 where we printed out

boarding passes and switched our luggage over to my dad's suv.

My parents drove us to Buffalo and we were all checked in by 2:30. Lots

of lounging in the airport until our 4:30 flight (it was delayed but

only 20 minutes). Got in the 16th row on the plane, which also

happened to be the last row of this microscopic airplane! We

experienced a bit of turbulance on the landing but got into Chicago's

O'Hare airport for 6:45. Our flight out of Chicago was at 7:45 (still

Toronto time). We landed in Seattle at 12:30am (9.30pm), then we

hopped on the Light Rail Link (which I STILL have problems saying!!)

and took it to Westlake station. Once we got off the train, we needed

to get about 10 blocks to the Best Western. There were some

"interesting characters" on the street, so we decided to take a cab.

We got to the hotel, checked in, ordered a pizza and then passed out.

Today:
Wake up call at 5am (gross!!) we got our stuff tigeher, checked out
and took a cab to the Seattle Amtrak station. Checked in there, we
were very surprised by the security, drug dogs, security with huge
guns on them at all times. Welcome to America! :) We are currently on
the train, more to come later with pictures!!

Day 10: Super Sunday!

2010-02-21T09:59:00.001-08:00

Woohoo! Super Sunday is here!!

If you need me, I'll be 7 rows behind the benches for the Russia-Czech Republic game...or after that...10 rows behind the net for the Canada-USA game.

Jen and Beth also arrive in town today....they're on the train right now...so all around, its a pretty good day!

Day 9: Short-Track Speed Skating

2010-02-21T09:43:00.001-08:00

Short-Track Speed-Skating is some pretty crazy stuff...thought I was going to have a heart attack by the end of it. Really too bad the Hamelin's couldn't pull off at least one medal...but it was a good event regardless.

Commercial Drive (Pre-Game): Pam's Pics

Scott's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

What These Games Mean

2010-02-20T11:32:00.001-08:00

Awesome video from CTV:

Stephen Brunt: What these Games mean to Canada

Day 8: Holland Heineken House and Women's Curling

2010-02-20T10:00:00.001-08:00

Got a chance yesterday to get out to one of the places that I really wanted to get to: Holland Heineken House. Met up with Orin again, and spent the afternoon pre-drinking for the evening curling games!

Heineken House - Scott's Pics:

Heineken House - Pam's Pics:

Women's Curling - Scott's Pics:

Day 7: Canada v. Switzerland

2010-02-20T09:54:00.002-08:00

Alright, got a little behind in posting....so, pics from the 3-2 shootout win for Canada, and the post-game celebrations. Crazy game to be at!

Scott's Pics:

Pam's Pics

Post-Game:

Ice Dance - Compulsory Dance

2010-02-19T19:59:00.001-08:00

So, if you have read the blog earlier, you will know I don't really like Ice Dance, so I'm only going to blog about the Canadians.

Crone / Poirier (Canada)
-all the ice dancers will skate to a tango for their compulsory dance
-ahh... they didn't fall, so I guess that's good. lol
SCORE - 31.14

Crone & Poirier

Virtue / Moir (Canada)
-Yeay Tessa and Scott!!!
-their patterns are HUGE, they are so powerful when they skate this, much more than the other teams!
-A fantastic skate!!!
SCORE - 42.74

Virtue & Moir

RESULTS AFTER THE COMPULSORY DANCE



1		DOMNINA Oksana SHABALIN Maxim
2		VIRTUE Tessa MOIR Scott
3		DAVIS Meryl WHITE Charlie
4		BELBIN Tanith AGOSTO Benjamin
5		FAIELLA Federica SCALI Massimo
6		DELOBEL Isabelle SCHOENFELDER Olivier
7		KHOKHLOVA Jana NOVITSKI Sergei
8		KERR Sinead KERR John
9		PECHALAT Nathalie BOURZAT Fabian
10		ZARETSKY Alexandra ZARETSKY Roman
11		ZADOROZHNIUK Anna VERBILLO Sergei
12		CAPPELLINI Anna LANOTTE Luca
13		HOFFMANN Nora ZAVOZIN Maxim
14		SAMUELSON Emily BATES Evan
15		CRONE Vanessa POIRIER Paul
16		BEIER Christina BEIER William
17		BOBROVA Ekaterina SOLOVIEV Dmitri
18		REED Cathy REED Chris
19		HUANG Xintong ZHENG Xun
20		REED Allison JAPARIDZE Otar
21		COOMES Penny BUCKLAND Nicholas
22		HAJKOVA Kamila VINCOUR David
23		SHTORK Irina RAND Taavi

Packing!

2010-02-19T17:07:00.002-08:00

I have filled my suitcase to go! Umm... now the hard part!

What's a girl to do? :)

Figure Skating - Men's Long Program

2010-02-18T21:07:00.000-08:00

Long Program, here we go, BRING IT ON!!

Chipeur (Canada) - 57.22 - 24th after the short program
-I hope he has a good skate, just for himself
-triple axal, he singled... boo
-triple flip, double toe was great
-triple lutz
-triple loop
-triple axel, he singled again. He's known for his triple axel, but he didn't land ONE at the Olympics
-triple sow was perfect
-double axel
-triple lutz, double toe, doubt toe
-not what he had hoped for at the Olympics, too bad. He's much better than this.
TOTAL SCORE - 170.92

Chipeur

Kozuka (Japan) - 79.59 - 8th after the short program
-quad toe - I think was two footed
-triple axel, triple toe
-triple lutz, double toe
-triple sow, double toe, double loop
-triple axel he fell (and hard! ow!)
-triple flip
-triple loop
-triple lutz
-too bad he didn't land that triple axel, he would have really had a shot at a bronze medal!
TOTAL SCORE - 231.19

Ten (Kazakhstan) - 76.24 - 10th after the short program
-triple axel he stepped out of the landing
-triple axel, triple toe
-triple lutz
-triple flip he lost the edge of his blade on the landing, but held on
-triple loop
-triple lutz, double toe, double loop
-triple sow
-double axel
-double axel
TOTAL SCORE - 211.25

Van Den Perren (Belgium) - 72.90 - 12th after the short program
-triple axel
-triple axel, double toe (I think he touched the ice on the axel landing)
-triple flip, triple toe (he touched the ice on the landing of the flip)
-triple lutz - he doubled
-singled a triple sow
-triple sow, triple toe
-triple sow
-double axel
TOTAL SCORE - 189.84

Amodio (France) - 75.35 - 11th after the short program
-double axel
-triple axel - he stepped out of the landing
-triple loop
-triple axel, double toe
-triple sow, double toe
-triple lutz (it was supposed to be a combo, he missed it)
-triple flip
-doubled a triple lutz
TOTAL SCORE - 210.30

Chan (Canada) - 81.12 - 7th after the short program
-Ok, Patrick, have the skate of your life and prove me wrong! (PLEASE!)
-triple axel, double toe was perfect!
-triple flip, triple toe was great
-triple lutz, he stepped out of the landing
-triple axel he fell
-triple lutz, double toe, double loop
-triple loop
-triple sow
-double axel
-too bad, other than the fall, it was a good skate. He won't get a medal because of that fall. HAHA, Elizabeth Manley just said "my heart is just... empty right now". WOW, that's kind of... pathetic.
TOTAL SCORE - 241.42

Chan

Brezina (Czech Republic) - 78.80 - 9th after the short program
-triple axel
-triple flip
-triple sow
-triple axel, double toe
-triple flip, double toe
-double axel
-triple lutz, he fell
-single axel, double toe, double loop
TOTAL SCORE - 216.73

Lysacek (USA) - 90.30 - 2nd after the short program
-triple lutz, triple toe
-triple axel
-triple sow
-triple axel, double toe
-triple loop
-triple flip, double toe, double loop
-triple lutz
-double axel
-WHAT A SKATE!!! Good for him!!! I'd love to see him beat Plushenko!!
TOTAL SCORE - 257.67

Oda (Japan) - 8.85 - 4th after the short program
-triple lutz
-triple axel, triple toe
-triple sow
-triple axel
-triple lutz, double toe, double loop
-triple flip, double toe
-triple loop, he fell, and his skate lace broke. He had 3 minutes to fix it and get back out there. Then he automatically gets a 2 point deduction for needing a pause.
-double axel
TOTAL SCORE - 238.54

Lambiel (Switzerland) - 84.63 - 5th after the short program
-quad toe - he touched down on the landing
-triple lutz, pulled it off
-quad toe, triple toe
-triple flip, triple toe
-double axel
-triple loop, BARELY landed it
-triple flip, double toe, double toe
-triple sow
TOTAL SCORE - 246.72

Takahashi (Japan) - 90.25 - 3rd after the short program
-quad toe and he fell
-triple axel, double toe
-triple loop
-triple flip, triple toe
-triple sow
-triple axel
-triple lutz
-triple lutz, double toe
TOTAL SCORE - 247.23

Weir (USA) - 82.10 - 6th after the short program
-triple toe
-triple axel
-triple sow
-triple axel, double toe
-triple loop
-triple lutz, double (triple?) toe, I missed it a bit
-triple lutz, double toe, double toe
-double axel
-GREAT SKATE! Too bad I detest him and have my fingers crossed that he will end up 3rd or worse! (did I just say that?!)
TOTAL SCORE -238.87

Plushenko (Russia) - 90.85 - 1st after the short program
-quad toe, triple toe
-triple axel
-triple axel, double toe
-triple loop
-triple lutz
-triple lutz, double toe
-triple sow
-double axel
Okay performance, but honestly, I think Lysacek has it, he had a much more difficult and artistic program than Plushenko. We shall see!
TOTAL SCORE - 256.36

LYSACEK WINS! GREAT JOB! GOOD FOR HIM!!

Lysacek

3. Takahashi from Japan

2. Plushenko from Russia

1. Lysacek from USA

5. Chan

22. Chipeur

Day 7: USA v. Norway

2010-02-18T15:28:00.000-08:00

Game Ended 6-1 USA, but Norway put up a pretty good fight....keeping it at 3-1 until late in the 3rd.

Also took a swing by the Olympic Flame pre-game....didn't see it 'pre-improvements', but access is pretty good now. You still can't go right up to it, but thats pretty understandable.

Anyways, off to the Canada-Switzerland Game...time for some sweet sweet revenge...

Day 6: Post Game Wanderings

2010-02-18T14:47:00.001-08:00

Scott's Pics

Pam's Pics

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 7

2010-02-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

Day 7 and Double-Hockey Day #2. Up first today will be USA-Norway...should be a good measuring stick for the States to see how they do relative to the 8-0 drubbing Canada laid on them. I'd expect about the same score...Canada basically played a two-period game against them, working jitters out in the first. USA will have 3 periods to work with.

Following that, we're back for Canada-Switzerland. Its revenge time for Turin...here's hoping the boys lay it on them hard! I'll call 5-1.

This morning, we're also going to try to swing over and get a look at the improved cauldron area. Here's hoping for a couple good pics!

Hockey sees Canada take on Switzerland. Curling has the Men with Sweden this morning, France tonight. The Women have Germany in the afternoon. Still sitting undefeated there.

Could be a big medal day today: Ladies 1000m Long-Track + Men's/Women's Skeleton. All three are possible multiple medal events for Canada.

Stuck in my Head!!!

2010-02-18T08:22:00.001-08:00

Damn you Coca-Cola, you make catchy songs!!!!!!!!

Day 6 - IH013 - Canada v. Sweden

2010-02-17T20:07:00.001-08:00

Pam and I had the Women's Canada-Sweden game today out at UBC. I was predicting a close game, but it turned out to be anything but...13-1

That makes the total combined score from the three Canada games 43-1

We started out in our 'real' seats, but Vanoc installed a giant secondary scoreboard right infront of our squashes. Made no sense as to why they were even there...as the main board had more info on it anyways...the main board that was blocked for us.

So, rather than get upset..we just moved down into the high-class seats. We watched the 2nd and 3rd periods four rows behind the Canadian Bench.

Other highlight of the day was walking to the Canada Line...we happened to bump into a Medal-Wearing Frenchman. As it turns out, it was Tony Ramoin, who picked up bronze in the Men's SBX.

Scott's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

Day 5 - Random Pics

2010-02-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Just a few random shots from last night:

Day 6 - Crazy or Smart

2010-02-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Ben and Andrea have decided to stay up in Whistler...I think they're crazy to bail on the Men's CAN-SUI game tomorrow, but if they can get a grand for each ticket....well...

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 6

2010-02-17T10:53:00.001-08:00

Bah...never enough time! Yesterday rocked...USA-SUI was good, watching Canada win SBX Gold was better, and the CAN-NOR game was amazing.

Today, Pam and I are off to UBC for the CAN-SWE women's game. Should be more competitive than the CAN-SVK game we were at!

Second day of dissapointment for Ben and Andrea. They were supposed to be at the Men's Halfpipe today...but their tickets have been canceled for the second, and hopefully last time. They've headed up to Whistler boarding for the day in an attempt to feel better!

Best medal hopes are in short-track and long-track speed skating today! Again, no 'for sures' but chances at least. Women's hockey and both men's/women's curling continue their prelim rounds.

Figure Skating - Men's Short Program

2010-02-16T20:00:00.061-08:00

Similar to the pairs, I'm only going to review the last 2 flights, and Vaughn Chipeur as well as Evgeni Plushenko.

Chipeur (Canada)
-GO CANADA!!!
-triple axel, he stepped out of the landing
-triple flip, double toe (supposed to be triple - triple)
-triple lutz was amazing
-stumble in the footwork, too bad... pull it together Vaughn!
SCORE - 57.22

Chipeur

Plushenko (Russia)
-He's back after retirement... let's see how he does
-quad toe, triple toe, perfect!
-triple axel was amazing
-triple lutz was perfect
A-MAZING, like we all knew it would be!
SCORE - 90.85 - New Olympic Record!!!

Plushenko

Joubert (France)
-he stepped out of his quad, he wasn't able to do his combination
-great triple axel
-terrible triple lutz, he slid out of the take off
-you can see how much the pressure has really gotten to him, he's lost the smile, that's for sure
SCORE - 68.00

Kozuka (Japan)
-triple lutz, triple toe was amazing
-triple axel was two footed
-triple toe was great
-good skate for him!
SCORE - 79.59

Contesti (Italy)
-triple lutz, triple toe was great
-triple axel he totally fought the landing, but got it!
-fell on a triple flip
SCORE - 70.60

Chan (Canada)
-YEAY PATRICK! MAKE US PROUD!!
-triple axel was okay, he stepped out a little
-triple flip, triple toe was perfect!
-triple flip was perfect
-great footwork, but he almost tripped!
Well, we will have to wait and see, it wasn't awesome.
SCORE - 81.12

Chan

Weir (USA)
-oh great, this guy, the flamboyant guy who puts men's skating back 20 years.
-triple lutz triple toe was okay, he was leaning a bit.
-triple axel was great
-triple flip was two footed
-decent skate
SCORE - 82.10

Van Der Perren (Belgium)
-triple axel was great
-triple slip, triple toe was perfect
-great triple loop!
-it looks like he's tired half way through the program
-good performance as far as the jumps go!
SCORE - 72.90

Verner (Czech Republic)
-quad toe which he turned into a double, he's pretty much out of it now
-fell on a triple axel
-triple lutz, triple toe was great
-too bad for him, he's usually much better, not a great time to have a bad skate!
SCORE - 65.32

Lysacek (USA)
-he's so tall!!! 6'2! wow!
-triple axel was perfect!
-triple lutz, triple toe was fantastic
-triple flip was perfect
-what a fantastic skate for him!!! and he's so happy with his skate, I love that!
SCORE - 90.30

Abbott (USA)
-triple flip, triple toe was huge!!
-triple axel, he singled!!!! wow...
-triple lutz, he doubled... that's insane, he's the US champion, this is so not like him! This is so sad. When he was done skating, he mouthed "I'm sorry" to the audience. That's heartbreaking.
SCORE - 69.40

Brezina (Czech Republic)
-triple axel was great
-triple lutz was great
-triple flip, triple toe was fantastic too!
-what a great skate!
SCORE - 78.80

I love David Pelletier as a commentator, he's hilarious :)

1	PLUSHENKO Evgeni
2	LYSACEK Evan
3	TAKAHASHI Daisuke
4	ODA Nobunari
5	LAMBIEL Stephane
6	WEIR Johnny
7	CHAN Patrick
8	KOZUKA Takahiko
9	BREZINA Michal
10	TEN Denis
11	AMODIO Florent
12	VAN DER PERREN Kevin
13	BORODULIN Artem
14	CONTESTI Samuel
15	ABBOTT Jeremy
16	FERNANDEZ Javier
17	LINDEMANN Stefan
18	JOUBERT Brian
19	VERNER Tomáš
20	BACCHINI Paolo
21	KOVALEVSKI Anton
22	SCHULTHEISS Adrian
23	PFEIFER Viktor
24	CHIPEUR Vaughn
25	RI Song Chol
26	RAKIMGALIEV Abzal
27	URBAS Gregor
28	DOMANSKI Przemyslaw
29	KELEMEN Zoltan
30	NURMENKARI Ari-Pekka

Day 5: Canada v. Norway

2010-02-16T19:50:00.001-08:00

Again...no time/energy to write....but pics from today! 8-0 Canada....slow start...but we got there!

My Pics:

Pam's Pics:

Mitten Mayhem Tuesday - Live from Cypress!

2010-02-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

Here are Pam and Scott at Cypress Mountain right before Alexandre Bilodeau won the gold medal!

Make sure to check out next week when it will be ME in the Mitten Mayhem picture, live in Vancouver :)

Day 5: USA v. Switzerland

2010-02-16T14:27:00.001-08:00

Just a quick upload....we're off to the Canada-Norway game!!!!!

My Pics:

Pam's Pics:

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 5

2010-02-16T09:54:00.000-08:00

Just headed out the door, so excuse the brevity..

Today is our first two-event day. First up, Men's SUI-USA....then....the big show starts....CAN-NOR!!! Can't wait to see the Canadian Men's team live and in person!

Average day at best for Canada's medal hopes. The Ladies 500m would be a stretch for Nesbitt, but could happen. Women's SBX is a pretty good shot, but with the weather, its not for sure thats going to run today.

Also of note, both the Curling and Hockey tourneys kick off today! Things are going to start getting even busier!

Day 5: Beth's Set!

2010-02-16T09:06:00.001-08:00

Got this pic from Beth. She's not here yet, but is clearly getting excited!

Note from Beth: I was at work and I had about 15 people think my jersey was AWESOME! YEAY!!!!! I can't wait!! Only 3 more days in the office, then I'm on my way!

Day 4: Randomness

2010-02-15T23:20:00.002-08:00

After we were bumped from SBX, ended up having a fairly random day.

The day started off with an interview request from the CBC over our cancelled tickets. We ended up deciding against it, just to avoid becoming caught up in a negative story.

So...we decided to start bar hopping in order to watch the afternoon events. We headed to the Steamworks Brewry to watch the SBX event that we were supposed to be at. At it turned out Mike 'From Canmore' Robertson took the Silver Medal! Good on you!

The biggest news that arrived from the Steamworks however was that Andrea would be going to the Bilodeau Victory Ceremony!! Her Aunt had an extra ticket, and offered it up to her. I was totally jealous, but at the same time happy that at least one of us got into that amazing ceremony! I lent her my camera so she could grab some HD videos....so the overall results from the day are posted below!

My Camera (Scott/Andrea's Pics)

Pam's Pics

Figure Skating - Pairs Long Program

2010-02-15T19:00:00.070-08:00

I've decided to only blog about the top 8 pairs as the others won't have a chance to get on the podium, and the 2 Canadian teams are in the top 8 anyways.

First, I have to say the French team of James and Bonheur really impressed me!!! They had a tremendous long program, they will be a threat in the future for sure!

Volosozhar and Morozov from the Ukraine are skating to Pearl Harbor which is what I skated to for my final program before I stopped skating... yeah yeah, I'm tearing up. They had a good skate, a couple of errors, but still very good.

Langlois / Hay (Canada) 64.20 -7th after the Short Program
-I'm so nervous... GO CANADA GO!!!
-perfect double twist
-side by side triple sows - she fell
-throw triple sow - perfect!
-side by side triple toe - double toes , both were great, they fought for the landings
-throw triple flip, she landed on two feet
TOTAL SCORE - 179.97
Well that's a shame, they won't get a medal. The worst they can do is 9th.

Langlois & Hay

Zhang / Zhang (China) 71.28 -5th after the Short Program
-side by side double axle triple toe combo, he fell
-side by side triple sows, perfect unison
-triple twist - huge!
-throw triple loop looked so easy!
-throw triple sow was perfect as well
TOTAL SCORE - 194.34
What a great skate! Good for them!

Mukhortova / Trankov (Russia) 63.44 - 8th after the Short Program
-huge triple twist
-side by side triple sow, she fell
-another side by side was very off in unison
-great throw triple loop
-throw triple sow was great too
TOTAL SCORE - 185.79
They are skating to Love Story, which is what Jamie Sale and David Pelletier won gold with in Salt Lake City. It's funny because they are commentating, so they keep saying how it brings back all the memories.

Dube / Davison (Canada) 65.36 - 6th after the Short Program
-the nerves are back... A LOT. C'mon Jess and Bryce!!!! You can do it!!!
-triple twist was perfect
-side by side double axle, double axle was perfect
-side by side triple sows she fell... damnit!
-throw triple flip, she two footed the landing
-throw triple loop - landed!!!!!
TOTAL SCORE - 187.11
That's really too bad... they are totally capable or skating better than that.
The worst they can do is 6th.

Dube & Davison

Kavaguti / Smirnov (Russia) 74.16 - 3rd after the Short Program
-throw quad sow - she tripled it and put her hand sown on the landing
-side by side triples were perfect
-great triple twist
-side by side double axles, he stepped out of the landing and then they weren't able to do the 2nd double axle
-she fell on a throw triple
TOTAL SCORE - 194.77
Too bad, they started out strong, it kind of fell apart at the mid-point.

Savchenko / Szolkowy (Germany ) 75.96 - 2nd after the Short Program
-side by side triple toe, triple toe - she doubled the 2nd triple toe
-throw triple flip was beautiful
-they both had problems with the side by side double axles
-unison problems in the side by side spins... similarly to Kavaguti and Smirnov, they are breaking down now
-triple twist was great
-beautiful throw triple jump
TOTAL SCORE - 210.60

Pang / Tong (China) 71.50 - 4th after the Short Program
-side by side double axle, double axle combo were great
-side by side triples were perfect
-HUGE triple twist
-HUGE triple throw!!!
-throw triple loop was perfect too! Good for them!
TOTAL SCORE - 213.31
A podium performance for sure!!! What a great skate!!

Shen / Zhao (China) 76.66 - 1st after the Short Program
-side by side triple toes were perfect
-side by side double axle - double axles, also perfect
-she fell out of a lift! oh my god! That never happens with them!! eeks!!
-huge triple twist
-throw triple loop was amazing
-throw triple sow was perfect as well
TOTAL SCORE - 216.57
I think that even with that lift problem, they've won gold. I'm fairly sure of it. Let's wait and see!

Shen & Zhao

3. Savchenko / Szolkowy from Germany

2.Pang / Tong from China

1. Shen / Zhao from China

6. Dube / Davison
9. Langlois / Hay

Day 4: Mid-Day Update

2010-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

Couple of quick hits:

Mike Robertson has won a Silver Medal for Canada in the Men's SBX....where we were supposed to be. Happy for the silver, dissapointed we were forced to miss it.
Long delay at the Richmond Oval for the Men's 500m is just another in a long line of screw-ups on VANOC. Olympic Cauldron at OC, Security fence for Caldron at IBC, Olympic Bus Network delays last night, ticket cancellations today....and now this. I realize that some things are beyond people's control, but these seem like such basic, basic things.
I'm super jealous of Andrea, who is on her way to the Victory Ceremony for Alex Bilodeau tonight. I've given her my camera, so hopefully some good pictures come back.

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 4

2010-02-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

Boo-urns VANOC, Boo-urns.

After we got home from the Men's Moguls, I found an email from VANOC saying that our Men's SBX tickets for today would be cancelled. We get our money back, but not going there sucks pretty bad.

From what I've been able to gather, the standing room area is 'unsafe', whatever tha vague assessment means. I was asked to be on CBC to talk about it, but in the end, decided that I'm just going to try and forget this has happened. Dwelling on it, or getting upset about it isn't going to change anything.

So that gives us a day off...in a way, thats okay, I'm still exhaused from yesterday and the Men's Moguls.

Two best events for Canada today are the Men's SBX and Men's 500m. Wortherspoon is a medal contenter in the 500, and we have a number of potential medalists in SBX. Medals would be a nice surprise, but Canada coming away empty handed is possible as well! Will have to see how it goes!

Day 3: No Words, Just a Gold Medal

2010-02-15T00:57:00.007-08:00

Wow, what a day. I feel so lucky to have been there when Canadian History was made. Alex Bilodeau, in a bit of an upset, took the Men's Moguls Gold Medal!!

It was a very very long day, we headed out at about 10 AM, and didn't get home until 11 PM or so, but wow...was it ever worth it.

We were down in the 'pit' for the whole day, crushed in with 4000 other fans. It was a great day weather wise though, bright and sunny, a couple of degrees above zero. My pics and a couple video's from the training runs are below:

My Pics:

Most of my pics are from the training and qualification runs, where Biladeau was 2nd. Once the final's hit I wanted to watch the action, rather than focus on snapping pictures. Pam's pics and a couple more random vids below:

Pam's Pics:

Once the final 11 hit, things really got exciting. 4 Canandians were in the Top 11, so we at least knew we would have a good shot at a medal. Marquis and Rousseau both had great runs, and sat 1-2 for a long time. It really pumped the crowd up, knowing that we were sitting in medal positions.

Ben and Andrea's Pics:

After Dale Begg-Smith's run, we kinda all felt like there might be trouble. He had a really good run, and looked like it would be tough to beat.

However, Bilodeau would just not be outdone, flying down the mountain. Having now seen the replay on TV, he looks so much more controlled on the cable-cab than he did coming down the mountain. He was going so fast, I don't know that anyone was sure he'd be able to hold on.

Once the run was over, the crowd went nuts. We all knew that it would be good enough for a Top 2 spot, but we weren't sure if it would Top Begg-Smith. Of course, when the '1st' went on the board, we all went nuts. There was still one more to go, but we knew we were getting at least a silver.

As Colas came down the hill, we all held our breath! You hate to 'cheer against' someone, but man was I hoping he would fall.

When Colas crossed the finish line, and we saw the sub-23.00 second time, we thought that he had the Gold. His jumps looked good, his turns looked good, and the time was the fastest of the day. What we missed from the crowd was that he'd missed the grab on his 2nd Air, and would be taking a big hit.

I said to Ben, I didn't think we had it...

But then the scores came up...it wasn't even close...Colas was 6th...and we had the GOLD!

The crowd went absolutly crazy. There are no words to describe what its like to be there for history.

We were a ways back, so seeing the post-event celebrations were tough...but I was able to snag this video. Its a little shaky, but not too bad:

Bilodeau Flower Ceremony

The party of course didn't stop after leaving the stadium. On the way back to the buses, everyone was your best friend. Ben and I were interviewed for a Japanese newspaper, and O Canada! was sung by all

On The Way Back to the Buses

Of course what we didn't know is that VANOC totally screwed up the buses. I don't even want to talk about the two-plus hour wait for a bus to Lonsdale, watching empty bus after empty bus head down the hill. It never happened.

After we made it back to Lonsdale Quay, we headed over to the Boston Pizza for a post-Gold meal. We then caught the Seabus back downtown....fireworks exploding over the city.

Fireworks over Vancouver

VANOC Frustrations and Canadian Glory

2010-02-15T00:54:00.001-08:00

Tonight should be one to celebrate, but I don't have the energy... after being at Cypress to watch Alexandre Bilodeau win gold in Men's Freestyle (moguls), the first ever gold on Canadian soil, we were treated to several punches from the VANOC police-state that has allegedly plagued the games since day 1 of planning. During my short time living in Vancouver, I was always uncomfortable with the use of hard authority - bans on this, that or the other thing (like bar closing time at 11PM), no walking in public parks after certain ridiculous times (like 8PM.. seriously.. I'd understand midnight)... I always felt like I needed a permit to do anything. Here's how things unfolded after the gold medal exhilaration...

1 - we waited 2 hours, in the cold, for a bus after the event. For some reason there was a major lack of service to Lonsdale Quay likely due to poor planning - there were half a dozen buses waiting empty for the other 2 dropoff sites, none of which were redirected to the hundreds (maybe thousands?) of people waiting to get to Lonsdale. Nobody had the authority to send some of these empty buses to where they were needed. Some kid got separated from his parents halfway through the night, and they tried to scapegoat this as the reason for the overall disruption, but it was still really slow after they found him (Note to parents: please hang onto your children, our sanity depends on it). Somehow the entire team of Cypress volunteers, who left the hill well after we did, managed to beat us to the restaurant for dinner... although apparently they parked at one of the less used bus stops, and knew they'd be able to get on one of the empty buses no problem... good on them for figuring out the system quickly... this whole situation might have turned into an angry mob (and almost did at one point) if we weren't riding high on the gold medal.

2 - our snowboard cross tickets ($50 standing room only) are cancelled tomorrow. apparently for the reason of "safety"... don't worry, if you bought the expensive tickets, you can still go. we'll get a refund and have to watch it on TV. I didn't come to vancouver to watch TV.

3 - Olympic flame is in jail. Seriously, it's behind a chain link fence with a no trespassing sign, and nobody can get near it within 50m. Paranoia, Vanoc, paranoia. You're embarrassing all of us normal Canadians, get your iron fist out of Rogge's ass, and cut the "security theatre". Let the flame stand in public so we can all see it, get close to it, and enjoy it.

4 - Security Theatre - BC's tax dollars hard at work. Last night I could have brought anything (a gun, knife, bomb, drugs...) into Canada Pavilion. I placed my jacket, full of my phone, wallet, keys and water bottle into a bin, the security guard promptly moved it across the table into the 'secure' area as I walked through the metal detector. He didn't question for a second what was in my jacket. Should have brought a flask... oh and when we got into the Canada Pavilion venue, one of the in-uniform, on duty security guards was having too much fun dancing with a possibly underage girl. Some 'security'... oh yeah we caught this one on video too :) Talking to an 'unnamed source' - if there is an attack of any sort, heads will roll for lack of preparedness on the part of the Vancouver Police, RCMP etc. There is only the illusion of security at Vancouver 2010.

I'm beginning to see the other side of the Olympics... as much as I love the celebration of Canadian athletes, culture, etc., the organizing committee deserves a solid smack upside the head for how they've handled all of this. Maybe (some of) the protesters do have a point, when they're not breaking glass or smashing things downtown... although I've yet to see it. Vanoc, you've failed me hard tonight, and watching SBX on TV tomorrow will be a bitter pill to swallow. You better hope Canada doesn't win gold...

-bc

Figure Skating - Pairs Short Program

2010-02-14T18:13:00.005-08:00

I'm watching the Pairs short program, and it's a fantastic competition! Let's break it down now.

Shen / Zhao (China)
-they've been retired for 2 years and are back for the games, personally, I don't think that's fair.
-side by side triple toes were perfect
-great triple twist
-great skate!
SCORE - 76.77 (HUGE, that's a new Olympic Record and World Record)

Shen & Zhao:
Sergejeva / Glebov (Estonia)
-messy skate
-a couple of falls
SCORE - 42.18

Sulej / Chruscinski (Poland)
-lots of falls
SCORE - 39.30

Denney / Barrett (USA)
-weak side by side jumps, she doubled
-okay skate overall
SCORE - 53.26

Hausch / Wende (Germany)
-messy skate
-she touched the ice on the landing of a throw
SCORE - 45.46

James / Bonheur (France)
-both doubled side by side jumps
-they had a huge throw jump
SCORE - 51.16

Bazarova / Larionov (Russia)
-unison problems on side by side jumps
-they had a great throw triple loop
SCORE - 56.54

Evora / Ladwig (USA)
-squeeked out side by side triple toes
-had a great skate!
SCORE - 57.86

Langlois / Hay (Canada)
-their side by side triple toes were perfect
-fantastic double twist
-huge throw triple toe
-YEAY!!! Fantastic skate!!
SCORE - 64.20 (personal best)

Langlois & Hay:

Kostenko / Talan (Ukraine)
-messy double axles
-terrible death spiral
SCORE - 39.54

Della Monica / Kocon (Italy)
-fantastic side by side triple sows
-she stepped out of the landing on a throw jump
SCORE - 56.82

Kemp / King (Great Britian)
-sloppy side by side jumps
-they skated to a piano version of Numb by Linkin Park... it was odd.
SCORE - 48.28

Morand / Dorsaz (Switzerland)
-side by side double axles
-great throw jump
-they skated to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, again, odd.
SCORE - 55.34

Mukhortova / Trankov (Russia)
-huge triple twist
-he fell on their side by side triple jump, she touched the ice on the landing
-great throw
-it's too bad about the fall, other than that, this was a great skate. He's really upset about it. That's too bad.
SCORE - 63.44

Volosozhar / Morozov (Ukraine)
-first off... what are they wearing? They look like super hero Smurfs!!
-he fell on the side by side triple toes
-great triple twist
-HUGEST triple throw I've seen in a long time!!
SCORE - 62.14

Volosozhar & Morozov:

Kavguti / Smirnov (Russia)
-3 time Russian champions
-side by side triple toes were perfect
-great triple twist
-triple throw jump was perfect as well
-fantastic skate
SCORE - 74.16

Dube / Davison (Canada)
-perfect triple twist
-she fell on the side by side triple sow
-perfect triple throw
-it's such a a shame about the fall on the side by side jump, other than that, it was a perfect performance!
SCORE - 65.36

Dube & Davison:
Pang / Tong (China)
-4th place in Turino
-side by side triple toes were great
-HUGE triple twist
-throw triple loop was gigantic
-they had a great skate!
SCORE - 71.50

Zhang / Zhang (China)
-huge triple twist
-throw triple loop was great
-perfect side by side triple sows
-there was a problem with the side by side spin, he dropped his leg in a Y spin
SCORE - 71.28

Savchenko / Szolkowy (Germany)
-Current world champions
-throw triple flip was great
-side by side triples were perfect
-triple twist was nice
-they skated VERY well
SCORE - 75.96

RESULTS AFTER THE SHORT PROGRAM
1. SHEN Xue/ZHAO Hongbo 76.66

2. SAVCHENKO Aliona/SZOLKOWY Robin 75.96

3. KAVAGUTI Yuko/SMIRNOV Alexander 74.16

4. PANG Qing/TONG Jian 71.50

5. ZHANG Dan/ZHANG Hao 71.28

6. DUBÉ Jessica/DAVISON Bryce 65.36

7. LANGLOIS Anabelle/HAY Cody 64.20

8. MUKHORTOVA Maria/TRANKOV Maxim 63.44

9. VOLOSOZHAR Tatiana/MOROZOV Stanislav 62.14

10. EVORA Amanda/LADWIG Mark 57.86

11. DELLA MONICA /Nicole KOCON Yannick 56.82

12. BAZAROVA Vera/LARIONOV Yuri 56.54

13. MORAND Anais/DORSAZ Antoine 55.34

14. DENNEY Caydee/BARRETT Jeremy 53.26

15. JAMES Vanessa/BONHEUR Yannick 51.16

16. KEMP Stacey/KING David 48.28

17. HAUSCH Maylin/WENDE Daniel 45.46

18. SERGEJEVA Maria/GLEBOV Ilja 42.18

19. KOSTENKO Ekaterina/TALAN Roman 39.54

20. SULEJ Joanna/CHRUSCINSKI Mateusz 39.30

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 3

2010-02-14T09:35:00.001-08:00

So, maybe a little surprisingly, Canada got through Day 2 without picking up a Gold Medal. The Men's Downhill was rescheduled to tomorrow, Charles Hamelin fell out in the Semi-Finals...and Jenn Heil picked up a Silver! Can't be too dissapointed though, getting on the board with a medal on the first day is still not too shabby.

For us, today marks our first trek out of the city...up the hills of Cypress Mountain to take in the Men's Moguls. I'm really super excited for this. Not only do we get to see an awesome event, but I'm really just looking forward to the simplier things like taking the seabus across the inlet, and getting a cool view of downtown.

Of course, with Canada still searching for that first Gold....is it possible that I might actually see it in person? Alexandre Bilodeau isn't the favorite, but he's a legit medal threat. Don't want to jinx it...but we can hope!

Only really two events on Canada's radar today...the Women's 3000m Speed Skating and of course, the aforementioned Men's Moguls. No Guarentee we will...but we have good medal hopes in both!

Day 2: The Whole She-Bang...

2010-02-14T01:53:00.002-08:00

Its pretty late, so I'm not going to bother putting too many words around these yet...maybe tomorrow:

My Pics - Lunch Walkaround and IH002 - CAN v. SVK Women's Game...Canada won in a skweeker...18-0...

Scott's Pics

Ben/Andrea's Pics:

Pam's Pics:

After the game, we made a few more random stops...met up with Orin, which was cool.....combined from all cameras that were present:

All Pics:

FIRST MEDAL FOR CANADA - SILVER - JENNIFER HEIL!!

2010-02-13T20:24:00.003-08:00

She had a fantastic run but was beat by Hannah Kearney.

1	KEARNEY Hannah	26.63
2	HEIL Jenn	25.69
3	BAHRKE Shannon	25.43

Congratulations Jennifer, you have made us proud!

The other Canadians, Chloe Dufour-Lapointe was 4th and sadly, after a fall, Kristi Richards was 20th.

Going All Out

2010-02-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Did the nails in Team Canada spirit, next... the hair.

Live from Canada Hockey Place

2010-02-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

First intermission at the Woman's Canada vs. Slovakia hockey game. Scott emailed me this picture, I wish I was there soooo badly!! But I have to wait one week! I will be at the Woman's gold medal hockey game, so that will make up for it. :)

New Record

2010-02-13T11:36:00.002-08:00

From CTV on Twitter:

Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony is most-watched television event in Canadian history! 13.3 million viewers!

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 2

2010-02-13T09:07:00.002-08:00

So looking back at last nights ceremony, I was generally pretty impressed. There were definity more than a couple of 'wow' moments. Its all kinda a blur to me right now, but from what I remember my favorite parts were the Orcas and the stage from the fiddling section.

Going in, I was also a little concerned that things might be overly cheesy. But I thought they did a good job limiting the 'camp' factor.

Critisims are obviously that the digntaries weren't in the box to start things off...and the torch lighting. I wasn't a fan that they had 5 people, I really didn't like that it the torch malfunctioned, and I thought Gretzky's run through the town felt tacked on. It could have been done better, thats for sure. Quick Photostream below from our walk over to and at Robson Square:

But anyways, here we go, our first day with an event! I've been having a blast so far, and we haven't really 'done' anything yet! I can't wait to get inside Canada Hockey Place tonight and see what that crowd is like.

So the biggest question is: Who Will Win Canada's First Gold?

What we know for sure, is that the man who was going to have our first shot won't have that chance now. The Men's Downhill, and Manuel Osborne-Paradis' chance to make history, has been moved to the 15th.

Aside from the Short-Track and Moguls...the other big item of note today for Canada is the start of the Womens' Hockey Tournament: Canada v. Slovakia. Of course...thats where I'll be. Can't wait!

Day 1: Flights and Pre-Ceremonies

2010-02-12T15:48:00.002-08:00

Got in on AC025 a little ahead of schedule, and got downtown pretty quickly. The airport and Canada line weren't as busy as I thought they would be...so we were able to get downtown by about 12:30 PM. After grabbing a quick picture with the countdown clock, we got checked into the hotel.

Sooooooooo...happy with the YWCA. The view we have is amazing. Check it out in the photostream below.

After checking in, we went over and caught the torch relay by the Public Libray. That was the 3rd time I was able to catch it across Canada...pretty cool!

Pam and I then just wandered around and scouted the town out. We're now at the hotel, waiting for Ben and Andrea to show up. The should be here within the hour!

Edit - Added Pam's Pictures!:

The View From The Hotel

2010-02-12T12:52:00.003-08:00

RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili

2010-02-12T12:38:00.004-08:00

The games have begun and they start in tragedy; Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, flew off the track in Whistler at peak speed and smashed into a metal girder. He was rushed to the hospital but the injuries were too severe, he has passed away.

At the time of the crash, it was estimated his speed was 144.3 km/hr. Kumaritashvili is seen below mere moments before the tragic accident.

Kumaritashvili was 21 years old. We wish his family and friends the deepest sympathy.

Let's hope the rest of the games go much safer and happier!

First trip leg done!

2010-02-12T06:32:00.002-08:00

Breakfast @ Smitty's in Golden never tasted so good after a somewhat hairy drive from Calgary. But we are here, the sun will rise soon, and we'll be cruising through to Van city!
- Ben via BlogPress from my iPhone

The Excellent Olympic Adventure: Day 1

2010-02-12T04:00:00.001-08:00

The Day is FINALLY HERE!!

I’m so flippin’ excited…..after about a year and a half of planning, our trip to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics now begins!

Over the 17 days of the Games, I’ll be hopefully doing a ‘Daily Preview’ for each day……a quick overview of where we will be for the day, what events we will be at, what else is going on around the Games, and how Canada is doing. Hopefully there will also be lots of other posts…and tonnes of pictures….but this will be a good place to start each day!

Today is firstly a travel day for Pam and I. As you read this, odds are I’m on a plane headed from Toronto to Vancouver! We are leaving Pearson at 9:00 AM Eastern, which will get us into Vancouver for about 11:00 AM Pacific. Thank goodness for the three hour time change today, as I wouldn’t want to ‘waste’ all of today on a five hour flight. It’s pretty cool that we can have breakfast in Toronto, and then lunch in Vancouver!

Of course we will still be in the air 5 hours, but I say that doesn’t really count :) I’m actually really looking forward to the flight itself….everyone who is on that plane is going to be headed to Vancouver for the Olympics…so I think the buzz on the plane will be amazing. I could feel the ‘Olympic Buzz’ in the air even at the Hamilton Torch Relay Celebration…so I can’t even fathom what it’ll be like ‘for real’. I plan on having my laptop out and all set up with Olympic and Hockey Canada DVD’s, just to build up the mood for myself!! I’d really like to catch a nap while on the plane, as the time change adds to what will already be a super long day…and I don’t want to start this all out exhausted. Doubt it will happen though, as I’m probably going to be way too pumped….

Once we get on the ground in Vancouver, the plan for Pam and I is to hop the Canada Line downtown. I’m a little worried that it’s going to take us a while to actually get a spot on a Canada Line train…I bet that it’s going to be absolutely packed. So if we get into YVR at 11:00 AM, I think best-case we might get downtown by 1:00 PM…but it might be closer to 2:00-3:00 PM on account of crowds.

Soon as we get downtown, the first thing I want to do is actually a photo-op. We’re going to get off the Canada Line at the Vancouver City Centre stop…which is only about a block away from the
Official 2010 Countdown Clock at the corner of Hornby and Georgia Streets. I’d love to just quickly sneak over and get a photo with it when there are only a couple of hours left on it before the start of the Opening Ceremonies!

Next up, if we're there in time, I'd like to catch the tail end of the torch relay. It finishes up in downtown at about 1:45 PM.

After that, it’ll be time to get rid of our gear and check into the Hotel. The YWCA is about a 10 minute walk from the Vancouver City Centre stop, and only a block away from BC Place! Hopefully we’ll still have a couple of hours to spare before the Opening Ceremonies start at 6:00 PM. I’m not really sure where we will watch the Opening Ceremonies from. Our Hotel has common areas, which might be good, maybe we’ll hit a bar, or if the weather is nice, we can probably pop across the street to the Vancouver Downtown Live City site!

Ben and Andrea will also be arriving during the course of the day. They’re driving in from Calgary, parking their car on the outskirts of town and grabbing the Skytrain in. Not completely sure what time they’re going to get in…but I’m sure it’ll be ahead of the Opening Ceremonies…don’t want to miss that!

It’ll be a super busy day, lots of running around…with a cross-continent flight thrown in…but I’m so glad that its finally here!!!!

The big event today for Canada is of course the Opening Ceremonies…that should go without saying! They kick off at 6:00 PM Pacific, or 9:00 PM for those back on the east coast.

I had the opportunity to grab tickets to the Opening Ceremonies, but at $550 each, I took a pass. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be very happy still catching them on TV…

In terms of the Ceremonies themselves, I’ve got two big ‘hopes …and they both have to do with the Torch lighting. First off, I really hope that they choose someone ‘of note’ this time around, rather than go with a ‘symbolic’ person. In Montreal (1976), it was a Francophone and Anglophone kid, representing ‘Unity’. In Calgary (1988), it was a young girl, representing ‘Future Athletes’. It was lame both times, a cop-out, and I hope that they make a real decision and give someone the honour of lighting the flame. Talked about options include Betty Fox, Wayne Gretzky, Cindy Klassen and Rick Hansen. I don’t really care which they pick, or if its someone else, I just want a choice.

Secondly, we know that there will be an Olympic Cauldron set up in the middle of BC Place. That’s A-OK with me, but I also hope that there is a twin, or even just a secondary flame, somewhere outside in Vancouver. It's almost for certain that there is one at Canada Place, but I won't be happy until its 100%

Anyways, thats it for now....look out for more once we get on the ground:)

1 Day to Go!: Lets Go!

2010-02-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

Work is done...packing is done....lets go!!

Our Game Faces!

2010-02-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Go Canada Go!

To make your own game face, check out It Takes A Nation on Facebook!

The Canadians Have Arrived!

2010-02-11T08:44:00.004-08:00

Here's some pictures of the Canadian Figure Skaters in Vancouver!

Vaughn Chipeur, Annabelle Langlois, Jessica Dube, Patrick Chan, Bryce Davison and Cody Hay

Bryce Davison, Jessica Dube, Patrick Chan, Sumi, Annabelle Langlois, Cody Hay, Vaughn Chipeur and Quachi!

Calgary's decked out in red and white - one day to go!

2010-02-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

So here we are, on the eve of the most excellent adventure ever planned, and I am more excited I've ever been for Christmas morning... Tomorrow Andrea and I will make the trek thru the mountains (while Scott and Pam fly over us... ) en route to Vancouver 2010!

Today I'm sporting my fancy new olympic hockey jersey (in white), and there are more than a few Calgarians that have done the same. As a former Olympic host city, I'd be willing to wager we are more into the games here than anywhere else outside the lower mainland. Office buildings are painted with images of speed skaters, lugers and snowboarders, people are wearing team Canada gear, and there is certainly an air of excitement in the city! Can't believe we are almost here, after all the planning, sometimes frantic ticket release sessions... We'll see the torch lit tomorrow night...

- Ben via BlogPress from my iPhone

I wasn't around for the Calgary games, so I borrowed this excellent photo from the interwebs. Hopefully the tower is lit tonight again in cowtown

2 Days to Go!: Olympic Jerseys

2010-02-10T17:59:00.001-08:00

With only two days to go, we finally got our Olympic Jersey's back! Iginla for me, Crosby for Beth!

Pretty sure this might be the only shirt I wear while I'm out there!

Mitten Mayhem Tuesday - Some Mathematics!

2010-02-09T19:39:00.001-08:00

At $10 a pair x 16,606,348 pairs sold (approx. 1/2 the Canadian population) = $166,063,480.00

The great part is that the net proceeds from the mittens will go towards the athletes!

Jessica in my office got a pair the other day, she was a very happy camper!!

Look how happy she is! (and she's single... let me know if you need more info! HAHAHA!)

Vancouver Vectorial Elevation By Beth and Scott!

2010-02-08T18:33:00.001-08:00

There's an art instillation in Vancouver which is called Vectorial Vancouver. It's basically a series of high-powered searchlights that are positioned astride False Creek and English Bay, providing a light show each night over downtown. Now the really cool thing about this, is that if you visit www.vectorialvancouver.net you can actually create your own lighting display, send it in, and then in less than 4 hours, your design is actually on display in Vancouver!

Check out the ones Scott and I designed!

Scott's:

Beth's:

4 Days to GO: Light at the End of the Tunnel

2010-02-08T11:19:00.003-08:00

Only 4 Days to go, and we’re making good progress on getting ready. A couple of weeks ago I sat down and put together a ‘to-do’ list…and I’m happy to say that I’m now at 11/14 tasks completed. Only things left to do are:

Finish up the ‘Trip-Binders’…aka collection of directions, confirmation sheets, printed tickets etc.
Get Jen/Beth pre-checked in for their flights
Get our damn jerseys back from the Hockey Hall of Fame

Work I think will be OK as well. There is still a lot to do, but I THINK I’m going to be able to get it all done on time. In some ways, this big push from work has made this trip just as much about having a vacation as it is about sports/adventure. I’m going to be very relieved when I step onto the plane Friday Morning!

I wish I was posting more right now, there really is a lot going on out there...athletes arriving, final venue setup, leaks about the opening ceremonies...but there has just been no time!!

Last Minute Prezzies For Beth!

2010-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Scott loves me :) He bought me this awesome jacket!! Is it so wrong that it's a boy's size 10-12? :)

You are so jealous!!

US Olympic Figure Skating Team - Dance

2010-02-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

DANCE:
Meryl Davis & Charlie White - 2010 US Gold Medalists (in 2009 -2010, they have been Gold Medalists in everything they've entered!! Grand Prix Final, Cup of Russia, NHK Trophy, Nebelhorn Trophy, Four Continents, 2009 US Nationals, Skate Canada International) WOW!!
Here's their Free Dance from the 2010 Nationals:

For dancers, the first two minutes of the program aren't very graceful, they seem rushed and like they are running through the program. It's hard to describe. Overall it was a good dance program. Virtue and Moir won the Candian Nationals in January with a total score of 221.95, Davis and White won the US Nationals with a total score of 222.29.
According to the TOTAL SCORES of all the events, this is the ONLY event the American's totalled higher than the Canadians in!! (and only by 0.34!!)

Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto - 2010 US Silver Medalists, Withdrew in 2009, 2004-2008 US National Champions, 2001 - 2003 US Silver Medalists.

Unfortunately there is no video for Belbin and Agosto on the internet (at least that I have managed to come across) They did compete in the 2006 Olympics and were the Silver Medalists, but I can't even seem to find their Free Dance from that on the internet!! GRRR!! So we move on.

Emily Samuelson & Evan Bates - 2010 US Bronze Medalists, 2009 US Silver Medalists.

Again, there's no video. Looks like we will have to wait and see how good they are come February 19th!!

7 Days to Go!: Quick Hits

2010-02-05T13:57:00.001-08:00

This time one week from now I’ll be just getting to Downtown Vancouver!!! Woohoo!

There are so many little things going on around the ‘Olympics World’ right now....too many to really spend time on each one of them. I really suggest that you check out Twitter to keep up to date on everything, its pretty much my primary news source! If you need some help getting started, check out who I’m following at: http://twitter.com/scottdfraser

Over the next week I’m going to have to find time to get done all those little things that have to get wrapped up before heading out. I’ve decided to get a second camera battery (better safe than sorry!), I need a new Team Canada hat, I need to get my Team Canada jersey back from the HHOF, I’ve got to print off all our confirmations and organize a trip binder, I gotta pack at some point…..the list goes on…and on..and on…

Just trying to knock one or two items off the ‘to-do’ list every day!

US Olympic Figure Skating Team - Pairs

2010-02-05T08:06:00.003-08:00

Let's see what the States are sending to the Olympics for Pairs Figure Skating.

Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett - 2010 US Gold Medalists, 2009 US Silver Medalists
Here is their Long Program from 2010 Nationals:

It's a little strange that they didn't do a lift until about 3 minutes into their program. Good skate, but judging by what the announcers are saying, they had a good skate but it's not a common thing. So that's good for the Canadian teams! Dube and Davison won the Canadian Nationals this year with a total score of 198.27. Denney and Barrett have won the US Nationals this year with a total score of 190.30.

Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig - 2010 US Silver Medalists
Here is Amanda and Mark's Long Program from 2010 Nationals:

Okay, they are wearing my favourite colour. I love them. :) But now to watch the skating. Messy side by side combination jumps, she fell on a throw jump, they were totally out of unison on side by side spins... and again with the not doing a lift until after 3 minutes into the program. weird. AMAZING lift 4:10 into the program... WOW. It's actually fairly impressive that they finished 2nd with so many mistakes, it must be the colour of their outfits! :)

US Olympic Figure Skating Team - Men

2010-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Abbott- 2010 & 2009 US Gold Medalist
This is Jeremy's Long Program from the US Nationals last week:

Wow, HUGE quad-toe! Total score that won him the US Nationals - 263.66, and to compare, Patrick Chan's total score at the Canadian Nationals was 268.02.

Evan Lysacek -2010 US Silver Medalist, 2009 US Bronze Medalist, 2007 & 2008 US Gold Medalist
Check out Evan's National Long Program:

Fell on his opening quad. Doubled a triple loop. Nothing really outstanding.
He's 6'2!! Wow, not a typical figure skater height!

Johnny Weir - 2010 US Bronze Medalist, 2009 5th at Nationals, 2008 US Silver Medalist, 2007 US Bronze Medalist 2004-2006 US Gold Medalist
Here's Johnny's National Long Program:

I feel like the style of Johnny's skating puts men's figure skating back 20 years. First of all, he's wearing more make up and more fur and sparkles than most of the women figure skaters... he's really just perpetuating the "gay figure skater" stereotype, and I HATE that!! Okay, now I'm going to pay attention to his skating.

He singled a triple axle, stepped out of a triple lutz-toe combo. Again, nothing special.

Out of the 3, I really only think Jeremy Abbott has the potential to be a medal contender. We shall see!

Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament Format

2010-02-04T09:55:00.001-08:00

The Men’s Olympic Hockey Tournament at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics has taken on a somewhat unique format. And when I say “unqiue”, I mean you’re going to need at least an understanding of basic calculus to follow along. It is not simple…

So settle in, get out your pen & paper, and take some notes as I do my best to walk you through it.

Group Play
The tournament starts out simple enough, 12 teams divided into 3 pools. Each pool will play a round-robin, giving each team three games. The pools are based on the 2008 World Rankings:
Pool A – Canada, USA, Switzerland, Norway
Pool B – Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia
Pool C – Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Germany

Ranking
After the completion of the round robin teams will be ranked from #1 to #12, according to the following criteria:

Higher position in the group
Higher number of points
Better goal difference
Higher number of goals scored for
Better 2009 IIHF World Ranking

Those teams ranked #1-#4 will proceed directly to the quarterfinals. Based on the above criteria, this effectily means that the three group winners, plus one ‘wild card’ team will receive that bye. This might seem like a footnote, but in relatity, it will have a huge impact on the round robin.

Given how the schedule has been set up, the ‘favorites’ in each group don’t play each other until their third game. Barring upsets, this may set up a situation where 6 teams enter the final day of the round-robin (Feb 21st) at 2-0…with those 6 teams playing off against each other. This will create a scenario where the ‘top loser’ of those games will still get a bye, most likely based on criteria #3 – Better Goal Differential.

With that likely tiebreaker based on goal differential, how many teams are going to try their best to absolutely plow under the weaker teams? In Canada’s situation, winning over Norway 9-0 instead of 8-0 may be the difference between getting a bye to the quarterfinal versus being sent to the qualification round

Qualification Round
Speaking of which, those teams that are ranked #5-#12 when its all said and done will face off in the ‘Qualification Round’. Team #5 plays Team #12, #6 v. Team #11 and so forth. The losers are done...

Quarterfinals and On
The winners of these games meet up with the teams who received a bye to the quarterfinals (#1-#4). Its important to note that there is no ‘re-seeding’ at any point…so if Team #12 upsets Team #5 in the qualification round, Team #4 still plays the winner of that game.

From here, it’s a single-knockout formula, with the exception of the semi-final losers who of course face off in the bronze medal game.

Got it? Good…

8 Days to Go!: The View

2010-02-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

One thing I've kinda started to think about recently is what our rooms are going to be like at the YWCA. In particular, there is about a 50/50 chance that we're going to have a killer view of BC Place. It'll depend on what side of the building we get placed on, and if we're up high enough to clear adjacent buildings. If we're lucky, this is what the view is like from the 11th Floor:

How cool would it be to get that view of the main stadium of an Olympic Games? Here's hoping anyways!

We also finally off-loaded our last tickets yesterday. We had to move them for slightly below face value, given that they were for the Women's Switzerland-Slovakia game, but overall I'm pretty sure we've come out ahead a little. We've definitely at least broken even...and I suppose that's all you can ask for!

9 Days to Go!: Too Busy to Post Even the Big News Items

2010-02-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Bah, swamped at work...so much so that I realized that I haven't even fully confirmed that it'll be Clara Hughes carrying our flag into BC Place NEXT FRIDAY! Woohoo...its getting close!

Its pretty hard to argue with Hughes' selection. Only person to ever win multiple medals at both the summer and winter games, picking up two in Cycling and three in speed skating.

OK, Bring on the Games!

2010-02-03T08:18:00.002-08:00

I've been procrastinating any Olympic planning over the last couple weeks due to the dreaded activity known as "moving." Andrea and I moved into a new place on Sunday, and I'll admit, after all the moving was done, the new place is pretty badass:

- awesome view of downtown Calgary? check.

- huge balcony (30' wide!)? check.

- huge kitchen? check.

- space for all our crap? check.

Space is the new black.

Now that moving is done I'm stoked to get to Vancouver! Andrea and I are driving out on the morning of the 12th, leaving from cowtown at 4AM, stopping in Golden for breakfast, maybe Kamloops for lunch, and hopefully arriving in downtown Vancouver (via Skytrain, parking in Langley) just in time for opening ceremonies... although we're sketchy that we'll actually make it on time (weather, traffic, bad lunchtime service in Kamloops). It will be tight. But we will get there, and be able to enjoy the games in all their glory! Wooo Hooo bring on Van2010!

-Ben

Mitten Mayhem Tuesday - I Do!

2010-02-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

Every girl dreams of her special day, marrying the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Personally, I have never imagined having wedding pictures taken while wearing the Canadian Olympic gloves... but it's a cute idea. That's what this couple did:

Get into some mayhem this week! (and remember to bring your mittens along!)

The Olympic Podiums

2010-02-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

Today VANOC unveilded the Olympic Podiums to be used during the Games.

Hey..if Canada is gonna 'Own the Podium', at least the made us some nice ones....big fan of these. Its simple, yet distinctive and effective. Not crazy on the presenter's uniforms (far right/beside Mountie), but no big complaints.

10 Days to Go!!

2010-02-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

Boy am I glad that I was such a nerd and did so much of the planning and organization for this well in advance! Its crazy how quickly it sneaks up on you, and combined with how busy I am at work, I just haven't had a chance to really do much organization or planning over the last little bit!

Overall, I'm getting very excited...but I'm trying to 'postpone' getting really pumped until at least this weekend. I think that if I started really 'getting into the mood' right now, I'd start getting overwhelmed by the feeling, and that wouldn't be good for my productivity!

Soon though, soon!

US Olympic Figure Skating Team - Women

2010-01-30T17:00:00.013-08:00

Now that the USA Nationals have come to an end, I thought I'd "size up" their Olympic figure skating team to our Olympic figure skating team. Today I will start with the Women. (although I use the word "women" loosely, they are 17 and 16!)

Rachael Flatt (17 years old) - 2010 US Gold Medalist, 2009 & 2008 US Silver Medalist
Here is Rachael's Long Program from the US Nationals this past week:

For a 17 year old, she skates with maturiry and sophistication like a much older skater! That was a very impessive skate!! For the sake of comparison, her total score for the US National title was 200.11, Joannie Rochette's total score for the Canadian National title was 208.23. Interesting :)

Mirai Nagasu (16 years old) - 2010 Silver Medalist, 2009 5th place (due to a growth spurt) and 2008 - US Gold Medalist.
Here is Mirai's Long Program from the US Nationals:

VERY impressive! I'm actually a little shocked that she was first and Rachael was third heading into the long program and Rachael finished first and Mirai finished second after the long. Oh well, like I have said before, figure skating judging will never truly make sense.

So, after watching these, our ladies will have their work cut out for them in Vancouver!

The Olympic Torch in Vancouver

2010-01-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

The official Vancouver 2010 Website now has up the route the Torch will take through Vancouver on the day of the Opening Cermonies....aka...TWO WEEKS TODAY!!

I've already seen it a bunch, but I think it'd be really neat to see the torch again the morning of the Opening Ceremonies:

View Olympic Torch In Vancouver in a larger map

The torch takes quite the trek, going for almost 8 hours straight. The path currently ends downtown at about 1:45 PM...so I'm not sure where it is the 4:15 between the end of the relay, and the start of the Opening Ceremonies. If I find out, I'll be sure to pass it along.

For ourselves, we arrive at YVR at 11:00 AM. It'd be really cool if we can get downtown in time to see it arrive by the Vancouver Public Library at 1:45 PM.

Other highlights include:
- Trek across the Lions Gate Bridge
- Lap of Stanley Park
- Trip around downtown, and then through out towards the Pacific Coliseum
- Ride on the new Olympic Line Streetcar
- False Creek crossing by Dragon Boat

Vancouver 2010 Weather

2010-01-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

As we all know, weather can have a big impact on the Winter Olympics...heck, we're already seeing the havoc it's causing at Cypress Mountain.

As a result, I thought I'd pass along a very useful weather map that Environment Canada has assembled for the Vancouver 2010 games. It has all the major venue areas already on one map, just mouse over to see current conditions. Check it out HERE.

"Wanna go to the movies tonight?" "What's playing?" "The Olympics!"

2010-01-28T09:56:00.003-08:00

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are coming to local Cineplexes! There are 64 locations across Canada that are going to participate in this! I think it's a really great idea and I would think it would be an easy moneymaker for Cineplex.

They won't have ALL events covered, on the Cineplex website, it says "Each day, participating theatres will present CTV and RDS’s coverage of key Olympic Games events with a focus on events in which Canadian athletes are competing and/or medal events. When possible, participating theatres will feature the events of local athletes."

For more info, visit the Olympic Games at Cineplex website!

Vancouver City

2010-01-27T19:47:00.003-08:00

This video was put out on Twitter today by the Irish National House (@IrishHouse2010). I wanna go now!

Canada's Flag Bearer: Who Will It Be?

2010-01-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

This Friday, Canada will announce who the Flag-Bearer will be for the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremonies. Having the chance to carry the flag for any Opening Ceremonies is a huge honour; but its even more special at a Home Olympics.

Nothing is for sure, but its probably the worst kept-secret in the country right now that Clara Hughes is expected to get the nod. The other ‘major’ contenders all have hits against them (IE Jenn Heil has her event the next day, Women’s Hockey getting the nod in 2006 probably rules out Haley Wickenheiser, Cindy Klassen carried the flag at the 2006 Closing Ceremonies).

But perhaps the biggest hint of all…the location for the announcement is Richmond City Hall. Pretty good chance that means it’s a Long-Track Speed Skater.

Whistler Edge Pass

2010-01-27T11:10:00.002-08:00

Just picked up as set of EDGE Passes for Beth, Jen and I…so its for sure that we’ll be hitting the slopes in Whistler! Pam’s decided to take a knee and wander around Whistler for the day…

The EDGE Pass is basically just a reloadable card that acts like a seasons pass. The minimum is one day, so with the associated discounts it brings, going this route will save us $30-$40 off the costs of a lift ticket, rentals, peak-to-peak gondola etc. We just have to hit the Customer Service desk when we arrive in Whister on Day 12!

Should be good! I’m super pumped hit the mountain….hopefully I don’t make a jackass out of myself!

Mitten Mayhem Tuesday!

2010-01-26T13:35:00.001-08:00

I stole this from the Vancouver Olympics' facebook page! :)

Jeff Ryley; father of former Canadian Alpine Ski Team members Meg and Kate Ryley says hello with his Red Mittens while fishing from Guatemala!

Vancouver 2010 Olympics Free Events Guide

2010-01-26T06:36:00.001-08:00

If you're looking for a good list of the seemingly limitless free events associated with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, I suggest you head over to CityCaucus.com

Their listing is the most complete that I've come across to date. I'm personally looking forward to the Irish House, Laser Show and Vectoral Vancouver the most...but hopefully I'll be able to get to most of these things.

Link Here

The page can also be followed on Twitter @CityCaucus

Packing for the Olympics!

2010-01-25T20:43:00.001-08:00

This is the start of my packing list... have I forgotten anything??

All Eyes On Cypress

2010-01-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

I suppose it’s the risk your run, holding the Games in a maritime climate like Vancouver, but mother nature has not been cooperating so far at Cypress Mountain.

Last time I checked...8 degress wasn't good for snow...

Temperatures for the last few weeks have been significantly above freezing (err…see above for today), causing the majority of snow at Cypress to melt off. Officials have been drawing from snow reserves that were built up, and thankfully for the freestyle events there isn’t much ground to cover, but conditions are currently less than ideal. It hasn’t gotten to the point where there is serious discussion of cancellation, but everyone is watching this very very closely.

Troubling Brown Patches....

For our part, I really hope that the weather cooperates. I’m looking forward to both the Men’s Moguls and Men’s Snowboard cross…and I’d hate to miss out!

Olympic Commercials

2010-01-22T22:16:00.002-08:00

So I was poking around Youtube, and came across the account of vancouverite1989, who as graciously uploaded a number of Olympic-related commercials. A few of my favorites:

CTV: Believe in Vancouver 2010: For Our Country and Our City

I love the overall enthusism in this video. Kinda reminds you that not all of Vancouverites are protesters and wet-blankets.

Toursim BC: You Gotta Be Here

Absolutley amazing views of Vancouver and BC. Not 100% sure that the celebs here aren't green-screened, but still...love it.

Coca-Cola: He Shoots, He Scores

This is actually a re-hash of a commercial Coca-Cola rolled out for the Salt Lake City 2002 games. The text at the end used to read, "If we all cheer at the same time, they might just hear us all the way in Salt Lake"...or some variation there-of.

CTV: Olympic Rings

I'm not sure if I'm going to get a chance to see the rings at YVR, but I hope so. The shots of them up in the bucket give you a good feel for the scale.

CTV Olympic Theme

2010-01-22T21:28:00.001-08:00

CTV has recently released their 'Official Theme' for the Vancouver 2010 Games, unsurprisingly titled 'I Believe'. I'm not quite sure if this counts as the 'Olympic Theme' or not, but its certainly the song that Canadians will probably become most familiar with.

I'm not much of a music critic, but I like the instrumental version well enough...

There is also a version out there with lyrics. The English version is sung by Nikki Yanofsky, the french by Anne Villeneuve. I've embedded the former here. I'm not quite as big of a fan of the lyrical version, it seems a little cheesy, but really, its not horrible. It'll make for a good montage somewhere along the line I'm sure.