I am writing this post from Vancouver airport — the site, over the past days, of an incredible exodus of people from around the World. People, including athletes, volunteers, media, fans and families, will go back to their regular lives with personal images and impressions of Vancouver 2010. 

My morning trip down through the coastal Tantalus range and then along the BC coast into Vancouver was spectacular. I’m leaving a special place for sure. Lots of memories and stories and lots of stuff — feels like I’m returning with twice as much stuff as  I came here with — souvenirs, gifts, a bunch of swag from the German team, my signature blue “Smurf” outfit. Oh, and, contary to my original plans, a few extra pounds — incessant ‘hospitality’ and not enough free time to exercise. I miss my hockey and bball.

There’s a mountain of stuff written about The Games — the newspapers are full of letters, columnists — everyone is weighing in with their comments. Of course, I have some of my own insights. These I will fire up on my next, and probably last, post.

I am excited about coming home to my family (especially Janet — how do I deserve you?!) and all of you who I am terribly proud to call friends.  Can’t wait to see everyone again. This has been an awesome ride. To all of you who thought I was nuts to do this — I cannot express how wrong that thought was.

 

I had the privilege of meeting and having a chat with Canada’s two Gold-Medal Bobsleigh champs, Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyes today, as they were on their way to the Canada/US hockey game! I tried not to be star-struck.

It has come fast and it seems like no one is ready for the end of this. Time to pack up! The last two days have been hectic with packing up and shipping the athletes out. The equipment is separated from their personal effects, and everything except for their own carry-on is now being sorted and we wrap it all onto pallets.

The buttoned-down and goal-oriented attitude of the athletes and the office staff is now replaced with a relaxed and casual climate. Today, all of the athletes have moved out — most of them headed down to the closing celebrations and will not be back (they will stay with pals or colleagues in Vancouver. Congratulations and hugs and then on the buses they go. We provide an impromptu farewell flag-waving ceremony!

We have had an excellent medal showing here, although the USA beat “us” out for the first time. We have been keeping track of  the medal count by hanging replicas of all won medals on our German Eagle (“Adler”). It has also served to inspire the athletes — we hope!

This evening, I joined daughter Meg and young friends at the Swiss House — a converted restaurant in Whistler Village, now the hospitality venue for Switzerland. All customers were invited to participate in a contest — guess the number of Lindt chocolates in a huge bag! Emma White won with a guess of 375 — and won $100 Lindt gift certificate — she was sooo happy! And of course we all got some chocolate!

 I think I should remind all readers that my role, along with a great team of 8, is to provide all levels of support to the German delegation at the Whistler site. This site is the Athletes Village exclusively — on a daily basis we do a lot of driving to and from venues, undertake special shopping trips, source hard-to-get stuff, host guided tours of the Village by dignitaries, and ensure that the Germans have a ramped-up, fully decorated and spotless residence area. 

A few interesting things have punctuated our usually-routine days at the Athletes Village.

• governer general Michaelle Jean visit to Athletes village
• we hosted a barbeque for our office staff and athletes — the “Bob” men can sure pack away a lot of chow! And if you think it’s easy finding a barbeque and THEN getting it into the fully secured Village, you would be wrong.

 

• I hosted a group of German Youth athletes today – -these are future Olympic stars.  As a special treat they got to eat at the athlete’s dining tent.

And, somewhat surprisingly, all 10 of them bolted to the Macdonalds counter for their first round! What is it about Macdonald’s and Europeans anyway???

• Shlepped luge and skeleton ‘coffins’, loaded them into transports. These weigh about 130 kilos each.

Big day today for Canada! Four medals by our awesome women — and, oh yeah, we got by the Russians in hockey!

I want to send out a big thanks and shout-out to two sponsors of the gold-winning womens bobsleigh team (Humphries & Moyse), my friends Rick Powers and Jim Stone (Powie and Stoner). Little do most of us know that it is only with personal financial support and sponsorship that these athletes are able to get here. 

You have no idea how huge this one-two win is on the World stage — Germany has a huge “Bob” (not “bobsleigh”) program and their athletes are fully supported. Their luge, skeleton and bob teams are well-known and treated like rock stars in their home country. They are impressed with us.

The town of Whistler was whooping it up again tonight.  I take many opportunities, no matter how tired I am, to try and meet and chat with strangers. Most of us are strangers here, from elsewhere — and almost always have interesting tales to tell.  I find it interesting and inspiring to hear how others from across the globe look at Canada and the Games we are hosting.  Here are some observations.

1.   Patriotism — yes, as perplexing it is to the media, Canada is showing a level of patriotism that is unmatched in our history. And every visitor absolutely LOVES IT!  In a short two weeks, we have shed our docile humble image and donned an astonishingly brash, hip, red and white and black  mantle of patriotic pride. 
2. Maple Leaf – Anything with a maple leaf or Canadian flag attached to it is snapped up. The famous red mitts show up in the Whistler Olympic store in small quantities each morning, but line-ups start at 7 am, 2 hours prior to opening — by 9:15, sold out! My Vancouver contacts say the same thing about The Bay and Olympic store in the city.
3. Like Disney! I have heard, on several occasions, people compare the attitude of  staff, volunteers, workers to Disney — “feels like we are at Disney!” Tonight, I met another couple who are regular Olympic visitors from the UK. They remarked that workers & volunteers display a genuine warmth and friendliness that they have not seen before at both Turin or Salt Lake. I have to agree — I see it too.
4. Too Good to be True?? Yes, I am reporting the bright side — of course there are  things that could be done better, stuff behind the scenes that is just plain stupid or wasteful or both. I will chat about some of that later.

Soundbite : “In broadcast journalism, a sound bite is a short piece of actual sound from the event reported on.”

Most of our news is delivered in soundbites — whether audio,video, or in print form.  The rational and informed know that there’s almost always more to a story, sometimes the opposite of the soundbite impression.

One of the more widely reported issues here has been the pre-olympic access to sport venues (for practicing) by other country’s athletes. Canada has been harshly criticized for limiting access. This is actually true: Canada, in advance of the games, had limited others’ access to certain facilities. Here’s what you may not have read about —

1. Host country preference has been standard play for a long long time. If you are able to dredge up previous host country’s actions you would see the same thing having occured time and again. The USA is reputed to have been a major culprit. Canada claims that their access has been generous compared to any other previous games.
2. Access has always been available — for a fee, or at times that are perhaps not as convenient as users might like. It’s just that other countries don’t want to pay.

This is the first time that Canada has decided to play it a bit more aggressively (eg. “Own The Podium”) on the international stage. And it’s being noticed. We get all of the German newspapers delivered on a daily basis up in the Village and from time to time I peruse the articles. The German media is like the British — always trying sensationalize as much as possible. Well, can you believe it — Canadians are being accussed of being TOO PATRIOTIC! My first thought was that it’s about time!

In keeping with the title of this blog entry I have a few current observations (soundbites?) of my own.

1. The Vancouver and Whistler crowds have swelled — apparently the crowds are larger than at any previous winter games. This is attributed to the much broader offering of these games. VANOC has deliberately created a huge cultural and carnival-like festival that extends beyond the games. It’s a huge party atmosphere here in Whistler and I can only imagine what it must be like in Vancouver!
2. It’s a shame that the focus is on the top three medal winners when there are so many other things that are also worth celebrating. Athletes who are representing their country for the first time, who have no hope of medalling, but who have dedicated a huge chunk of their lives in pursuit of personal excellence. It is these compelling individual stories that give the Games its true character.
3. People from all over the world have come here to taste the olympics – it’s a great meeting place where differences are shared and toasted. I regularly witness this in the streets of Whistler Village — last evening, a group of Polish fans encountered another group of US fans and spontaneously attempted to sing the Canadian, Polish and American anthems, flags waving.  
4. Pins are the main ‘currency’ of Olympic games. I have mentioned this before, but it has become more obvious. Everywhere you go, everyone has become a pin collector or trader. This has caught most NOCs (National Olympic Committees) by surprise, with plenty of embarrassment. There is simply not enough supply to meet the voracious demand.

 

The Olympic Store in Whistler has a constant line-up to get inside (at right) — stock is now getting in short supply and the famous Red Mittens are now sold out.

Then there’s the gouging that is sadly inevitable — The Longhorn Bar at the base of Whistler has decided to charge a $5 cover for the privilege of buying an $8 pint of beer or $25 pitcher. Because it can. Sigh.

It’s still only 5 days into this 18 day event, but everyone seems to have settled into a routine now. What seemed new and perplexing a few days ago is now common place. The athletes are a bit more settled and comfortable with their surroundings — those whose events are now behind them are, of course, ultimately relaxed.

I had dinner last night with a couple of Kingston friends — Mike O’Connor and Joel Parlow, both of whom are working at the PolyClinic (See post of a few days ago). It is great to share our experiences — theirs is from behind the scenes at the emergency dept at the clinic. Very interesting stories!

Janet was just here for a few (too short!) days and it was great to see her.  My daughterMeg arrived last night to work as a volunteer for a week at the Sliding Centre. She is so excited and keen! 

I had dinner tonight with Steve and Janet Dent, friends from Toronto, who are here to see a bunch of events and do a little skiing.  I value these connecting moments and look forward to more — I am expecting others over the next week and hope to have a chance for some visits!

The weather is currently stunning and Whistler is at its best right now.  The world should be impressed !

I had an interesting  job on Tuesday. It was a day that was highly anticipated by Germany with two events in which they are World leaders — Women’s Biathlon, and Women’s Luge (apparently Germany has won Gold in this event every single time since inception).  The Chef de Mission needed a driver to escort him to each of these venues — 8:30am to about 4:30pm. 

At both venues, (Olympic Park and Sliding Centre) I had the opportunity to cruise around “back stage” and check things out — hang out in the VIP lounge, or watch the competition. I must confess that I am more interested in what goes on behind the scenes — the dignitaries, the crazy fans, the media (these people live a nutty existence!), the infrastructure.

1. Olympic Park — this is the facility that, over the past 6 years or so. has been carved out of the mountain forest to the south of Whistler. Ski-jumping, cross country events, and biathlon. The Europeans are not only completely nuts about these sports, but also knowledgeable and informative. The Biathlon starting and finishing area is always exciting — this is also the shooting range for the athletes as they loop through.

2. Sliding Centre

This is luge/bobsledding track — recently gaining infamy due to the tragic death of the Georgian ahtlete during a training run last week. In the photos, you can see a wooden wall (hoarding) erected along the right side of the track to prevent anyone from being ejected. Apparently they had over 5,000 previous runs on this track without incident.

A makeshift memorial with flowers is now located at the fateful spot — you might be able to see it in one of the photos.

Two observations — one, I cannot believe how fast these athletes are propelled down this track — two, the finishing part of the track (run-out?) is a long, steep incline right up to where they eventually stop and exit.  This is NOT evident at all on TV.

It’s day 4 of the Olympics and I’m just about 2 weeks into this project. I am now at a point where there is so much going on, so many experiences, and endless stories, that I have a hard time relaying all of this. Will what I write even do this ‘thing’ justice? Well I can only try. As well, I will continue to post images here that convey certain ideas and themes. I have now over 535 photos in my 2010 file. 

I was asked, by a good friend, how I am getting along without any close friends and surrounded byconstant (controlled?) chaos?? Well, it is an experience that I cannot remember having had before.  It’s been a roller coaster. I have now passed “Phase 2” and am entering “Phase 3”  — Phase 1 being euphoria and excitement where everything is just sparkly. Phase 2 is the let-down — the valley where exhaustion begins to taint your view, you’re having to work at smiling, and you’re just plain tired of all the “newness” of each waking moment. Phase 3 is, thankfully, the enlightenment — where you begin to see some perspective; you are forced to shed the small stuff and the bigger task at hand becomes clearer.

You learn a lot about yourself with this gig — especially as you go through Phase 2.  I am personally happy to announce to myself that I have come to terms with the enormity of this spectacle, my lowly and insignificant place within it (THIS has been my main bugaboo — unable to effect change or make things right), the massive  incompetence of certain humans, the amazing skill of others, and the power of  the collective energy from such a gathering of people from around the globe.

About friends: I appreciate my friends more than ever, and have a deep understanding why they came to be friends in the first place. I have met countless people now, some of whom I wonder how they’re able to get out of bed each day; others, I know, could be life-long pals in a different life.

Anyway, I wanted to also add  3 other observations:

1. Working or volunteering at the Olympics is a harsh change from routine and the “normalness” of one’s life. It is an adventure. I think about what type of person is motivated by this every day as I meet people from across Canada —  bus drivers, police officers, janitors. All stepping out of their ordinary lives — all being branded with an experience like none other. I love them all.

2. Volunteering is the spirit of the Olympics — without the 25,000 volunteers, putting on a winter games would not be possible. But you know what? That’s the way it is with our entire World.

3. The Medals Plaza — the Medals Plaza is where the local venue winners are celebrated every evening (Luge, bobsleigh, ski-jumping, nordic, biathlon, alpine skiing).  We ‘simulcast’ with the medals presentations in Vancouver, so everyone gets the full experience. The Plaza also showcases entertainment each night and is a hub of excitement. It hums with people from all over the world, waving flags, and wildly cheering everyone regardless of nationality. The sheer joy and wonderment of the athletes as they accept medals is a big thing for me.  A lot of hard work and life’s dedication being rewarded — yes, by a medal, but more by the adoration and respect of the people. I am certain that most of the athletes go into this with no expectation other than to crank it out each day.  They can hardly contain their grins and astonishment when they win. And the crowd roars and loves them for it.