Are the Olympics really over already?

I went in to work on Friday and Saturday but they were both very quiet days. We had been expecting some more of the top executives from Panasonic to arrive for this weekend but, in the end, we only had one in town. With three VANOC drivers and two private cars on duty, there really was not much to do. This suited me just fine though because we were able to spend time in the driver's lounge watching the last of the events, and watching Canada sweep up a few more medals (do you like that allusion to curling?!).

Sunday was a very interesting day. We were all asked to come in for 9am and, as VANOC drivers, we were due to end at 3pm. After 3pm, only the buses remain in service as they try to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads before the Closing Ceremonies. I did do a run from our hotel to the Canada Hockey Place (straight across town) with one of the assistants. She was supposed to arrive in advance of the executives so that she could make any arrangements that were necessary. However, there were new road closures in effect that we were not aware of and a lot of traffic so it took us 40 minutes to make a trip that should have taken 5! Fortunately, we were then able to advise the other driver about the changes before he left the hotel and he made the trip in about 10 minutes, arriving just after us. A month ago, the threat of route changes would have sent me into a tizzy because I was so unfamiliar with the roads. I was happy if I knew the one route properly! Now, I know the streets of downtown like the back of my hand.

After returning from that run, I parked myself in the driver's lounge with the other drivers and we started to watch the hockey game. We were all on pins and needles! During this time, one of the Panasonic reps advised us that we were being given tickets to the Closing Ceremonies - how awesome! I told Sabine, one of the other drivers, that I wanted to be outside with the crowds for the end of the game, if it looked like we could win. At the beginning of the third period, we headed over to Robson Street, the epicentre of the public portion of the Olympics. We did not head over to Robson Square where the super huge tv was because we were afraid that the crowds would be too huge and we would get stuck in the middle of it all and not be able to get out in time for the ceremonies.

We parked ourselves in front of the CTV booth on Robson but were disappointed to realise that we could not actually see the screen. CTV only had a small overhead tv screen on their booth (this is where they have been filming their shows every day) and it was covered with a protective plastic screen that caused terrible reflections. A small handful of people at the front could actually make out the action and we all had to react to their reactions. We often had no idea what we were cheering for!

Everything was fine until the game became tied in the last 25 seconds. At this point, Sabine and I started to worry about what could happen if the Canucks didn't win. Vancouver has had a couple of riots in the past and we really did not want to be there for that. We headed back to the Sutton Place Hotel and decided to watch on the big screen in the lobby. We sat on the floor of the lobby, along with about 20 or 30 other people, and watched the overtime play. The moment Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal, I leapt to my feet and ran out of the hotel to listen to the roar from the crowd down the road. And what a roar! It went on and on and on. What a thrill to be there with the thousands of people who just wanted to celebrate!

Shortly after this, Sabine and I headed down to the Westin Bayshore Hotel to turn in my vehicle. Sunday was my last day of work and I had to turn in my car and cell phone. It was sad in a way because they have been such a huge part of my life for the past four weeks. I have driven over 4100km in my Chevy Traverse, around Vancouver, up to Whistler, and home to Maple Ridge. Of the four drivers who were part of the Panasonic Team, I am the only one who returned the vehicle undamaged (there were a couple of problems with tight spaces on parking garages, one faulty rear hatch that popped open and hit a roof support in the parkade, shattering the window, and one true accident with no injuries) but I drove the same vehicle the entire time and returned it with nary a scratch.

In addition to turning in my Traverse, I also picked up my last shift gifts. VANOC has provided us with several gifts during our work time, one every three shifts for the first fifteen shifts, and then a final shift gift. I have received two special volunteer pins, a stuffed Miga (and my teammate Dick gave me his Quatchi since he does not have children), a set of Olympic handtowels, an Olympic Participation medallion, and a Birks silver keychain. The last shift saw us getting a special Thank You Pin from the IOC and a 2010 Olympic edition Swatch Watch. Of course, all of this has added significantly to the amount of luggage that I am bringing back!

Sabine and I set out from the Westin back to the Sutton Place where we were to meet the rest of the drivers and then walk across town to BC Place for the ceremonies. Unfortunately, the traffic had become far worse and it took us half an hour to get back to the hotel. By this time, the other drivers had left so I set out across town on foot, making my way through the cheering crowds. There were so many people cheering, wearing red jerseys and Canada Flags, and even a few people doing some sort of Captain Canada thing, wearing red tights and shiny helmets! I did finally make it to BC Place at 4:45pm, in plenty of time for the show.

I had heard rumours that the Closing Ceremonies would include lots of performers and famous Canadians but the secrecy around the show is pretty serious so none of us really knew anything. However, when the performers appeared, I was thrilled but can't say that I was surprised since we had seen shots of them all at the hockey game just prior to this! The best surprise though was seeing the faulty torch "fixed" and having Katriona LeMay Doan relight it. That was the one part of the Opening Ceremonies that left me feeling a bit down and that was resolved in beautiful style.

After the ceremonies ended, I made my way out of the stadium with the thousands of others and followed the flow to the Skytrain. Despite the huge crowds heading for the train, there was absolutely no wait to get on a train. They were being pumped into the station as quickly as possible and as quickly as people could make their way down in to the station, the trains were being filled and sent on their way. I travelled a few stops to the Waterfront terminal and then crossed the station to the West Coast Express Train (this is a longer distance commuter train). The gates were not yet open to access the West Coast platform and there was a small crowd of people waiting. The attendant appeared and informed us that the gates would open once we had sung the national anthem. The crowd gave a rousing rendition (just one of many heard yesterday) and the gates opened. I boarded the train and rode/slept my way back to Maple Ridge where Debbie was waiting for me.

Yesterday marked many lasts for me - my last day of work, my last trip on the Skytrain and the West Coast Express, and my last day of the Olympics. I am going downtown tonight for a Panasonic party and then, after a few short hours of sleep, I am heading to the airport for an early morning flight home.

Trying to pack

I have a day off today and I have no other plans. I figured that it would be a good time to try to pack some of my things and make sure that they are going to fit. I came out with a large suitcase and a duffle bag as checked luggage, and a backpack as carry on. Of course, in the meantime, I have acquired an Olympic uniform (which I had planned for), a Panasonic coat along with numerous other Panasonic goodies, and I have bought some gifts. All of this amounts to more than the space available in my bags! I figured that I would go out and buy a small rolling suitcase to use as a second carry on bag and I knew that Canadian Tire often has that sort of thing quite cheap. Since it does not have to endure being thrown around by luggage handlers, I was really just looking for something to get me home and that Alex can use for his skating stuff later on. On the way out this evening, Debbie stopped at London Drugs to pick something up and I noticed that they carry all sorts of stuff, including electronics and furniture. I jokingly said to Debbie "perhaps they have suitcases too" and sure enough, I found a small rolling suitcase for the whopping price of $19.99. I never imagined that I would get a suitcase at the Drug store but there you go. Now I can resume packing without worrying about how it will all fit!

Another trip to Whistler and another Victory Ceremony

I drove a couple of the Panasonic executives up to Whistler again today. It was pouring rain for most of the trip up and then it turned to snow by the time we got to the Olympic Park. My guests wanted to see the different venues up here so we started with the ski jumps and then went over to the Cross-Country venue.There were all sorts of dignitaries there including the King of Norway, the King and Queen of Sweden, and John Furlong, the CEO of VANOC (okay, so maybe he's not a dignitary but he is a VIP at the Olympics!). I also caught a glimpse of the skiing, the 4x10km relay.

We did a drive-by of the biathlon site and then my guests did a quick tour of the Whistler Olympic Village. We then drove to Whistler Village where they did a quick tour and then on to Creekside to watch some of the Women's Super G. Since I had already watched some of the downhill here the other day, I headed to the workforce break area to watch the sports on tv and get a hot coffee. I was sitting at the table near the door when a man walked in and shook the hand of the man next to me, and then he shook my hand. I thought he was just a friendly man introducing himself until I looked at his accreditation and realized that it was John Furlong. He was thanking us, the volunteers, for all of our work at the games! That was certainly a nice surprise for me.

In the evening, Nelson, Debbie, Cathie, Geoff, and I all met up for the Victory Ceremonies.This time, we were able to see Clara Hughes get her bronze medal for the speed skating. No anthem for us this time but another medal is great. We also found out during the ceremony that the Canadian women had won the silver and gold medals in bobsled!

The band tonight was SO much better than last night - INXS has a new lead singer who is from Ontario, hence the reason they are playing on Ontario Celebration night. They played a bunch of songs that I did not recognize but also some of the classics such as Need you Tonight and New Sensation. It was a great concert and we all had a lot of fun.I have also picked up a couple of tickets to Newfoundland night with Great Big Sea and Debbie and Nelson are going to that. I have a volunteer party that evening so I will be enjoying myself elsewhere.

Another chance to sing the National Anthem

Tonight I went to the Victory Ceremonies with Nelson. We were very fortunate to be present on the day that Ashleigh McIvor won a gold medal in ski cross so we were able to sing the National Anthem again. That's two days in a row - let's keep it up because we are going to the ceremonies again tomorrow night.

It was Saskatchewan night tonight so we were treated to an intro by Brent Butt (of Corner Gas fame) and a couple of musical numbers by Saskatchewan groups.

The ceremony was really neat because they are actually combining the ceremonies from two locations. There is a medal ceremony at Whistler and one in BC Place in Vancouver. They are linked and the whole program is broadcast on the big screens in both venues (courtesy of my group, Panasonic!). One set of medals would be presented live on our stage in the Vancouver, and then we would see the live broadcast of the medal presentation at Whistler. The whole process was repeated a couple of times so it really felt like you were in both places (now if Panasonic adds the 3D HD technology that they are demonstrating here it will feel very realistic).

Following the medal presentations was a concert by Billy Talent. I had never heard of the guy before and, although it was interesting to see the lighting and camera equipment for the show, I could really have done without hearing him tonight! It was really too loud and heavy for my liking. Apparently I was not alone as Nelson was ready to leave early as well. We have higher hopes for INXS tomorrow night.

My day at Whistler and Figure Skating

I am getting quite accustomed to this run up to Whistler. It is definitely a much nicer drive done during daylight (only because it is not as tiring on the eyes) and it's really quite a nice highway to drive when the skies are clear and you get the fantastic views.

This time at Whistler, I visited Whistler Olympic Park and was able to watch some of the ski jumping. This is really amazing, another example of getting a real sense of perspective. You just don't realize how high and far these jumpers are going when you see them on tv! I only watched a few of the jump before the event was over.I did get a good picture of Black Tusk, a nearby mountain that has been covered in cloud the other times that I have been here.
I got back to the Sutton Place Hotel in the afternoon and met Debbie. We made our way to the Pacific Coliseum and watched on pins and needles as the skaters performed. It was a fantastic evening as pair after pair posted their season's best marks. Everyone seemed to have peaked at just the right time.

Finally it was time for Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.We were totally entranced by their performance but knew that they had to post a great score to beat the Americans, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. We watched as they waited in the Kiss and Cry area and we had our fingers crossed that the judges liked the performance as much as we did.And they did!Now we only had to sit through two more performances before finding out how Virtue and Moir would finish. We were a bit concerned after the second American team of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto ended because they did skate a nice program but they were placed in third. Then the Russians, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, skated and we really didn't think they had what it took to beat Virtue and Moir. Sure enough, they were placed in third, bumping Belbin and Agosoto down to fourth. I think that the results were exactly what they should have been although the Russian team was clearly not very happy with the results.

For some reason, the figure skating medals are handed out right away, on the figure skating ice, rather than at the Victory Ceremonies at BC Place or Whistler Medal Plaza. That suited Debbie and I just fine because it meant that we were able to sing our national anthem and see the Canadian Flag raised. We watched while the carpets were rolled out and the podium was assembled. And then the medalists skated out on to the ice and took their bows.The medals were handed out, the flags were raised, and the audience sang their hearts out!

What a night!!!

I WAS THERE!!!!

I have had a long day with a drive up to Whistler and back (I will blog more about that later) but I just have to say that I WAS THERE!!! I was given two tickets to the Free Dance this evening and Debbie and I went to the event. We were there when Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the Gold medal and, since skating medals are handed out right away, we were able to sing our national anthem with thousands of other fans. What a night!!!

Downtown with the Gillettes

Today is one of my few days off so what did I do? I got up ridiculously early to go downtown with Nelson, Debbie, Cathie, and Geoff! Downtown Vancouver is crazy busy right now so we decided to head out early and try to beat some of the crowds. We left the house at 6:45am and took my vehicle all the way to the Sutton Place Hotel (free parking after all!). We headed straight to the Bay to the Olympic Superstore (they were open all night) and walked right in. This is quite a feat since the lines to get in are usually over an hour long! Unfortunately, we were not able to get the red and black scarf that Nelson wanted or the Canada jacket that Cathie had been hoping for. They have been very popular items and they have been disappearing from the shelves the moment they arrive. The Gillettes did find a few shirts to make the trip worthwhile.

After the Bay, we headed down to the cauldron. Sonja and I saw the cauldron the other day from the viewing platform but since then, part of the chain link fence has been replaced with plexiglass allowing for better photos of people in front of the cauldron. We didn't go up to the viewing platform because it had not yet opened for the day.

We then made our way to the German Fan-Fest tent but discovered that it was not due to open for another 45 minutes. That gave us a bit of time to head down into Gastown to do a bit more shopping. It was also the first time that Cathie had seen the Gastown Steam Clock. Apparently, it has been gone for a couple of years to be repaired and cleaned, ready for the tourists that would arrive with the Olympics.

Back to German Fan-Fest!We entered the tent at 10am and found out that it was really just a beer garden. Well, we had to make our wait worthwhile so Nelson and I had brats on a bun, Cathie and Geoff had blechkuchen, and Nelson and Debbie had a beer. Too early for a drink? Not when you get up before 6am! Unfortunately, the photo of me with my brat did not work out too well but it does show me with my sausage!

We were planning to go to the Royal Canadian Mint Pavilion to hold some medals but decided that the 6 hour line up was really not worth it. We then went looking for Casa Italia. Unfortunately, we could not remember quite where we had seen it on Friday night nor did we have an address for it so we wandered around for a long time looking. We did eventually get there only to learn that it was closed for a few hours for a press conference. Part of it was open so we went in there. We had just missed the samples of Kinder Chocolate and they had handed out the last of the Kinder baseball caps. There was a store with the Italian team outfits and giant plastic wheels of fake parmesan. We waited around for about 10 minutes and were able to sample prosciutto, parmesan, and wine.

After Casa Italia, we took a water taxi over to Granville Island. When I went to Granville Island (which is not really an island), I came by bus so I did not see the pretty little buildings on the water's edge.We started with Swiss House but found out that it is only a restaurant, also with a very long line. We did get some Swiss pins but they didn't even have samples of Swiss chocolate! We were going to wait in the line for the Maritime Provinces House and had the foresight to ask a couple of questions. The long line was for the food samples (which would be handed out in about 30 minutes but only to the first 100 people and there were already far more than that in line) and the short line was just to view the displays. However, we were told that the displays were really only some photos and tourism posters.

At this point, we were really done and ready to go home. We walked back to the car and headed out. We stopped to pick up some finger foods so that we could eat in front of the tv and watch the Canada/US hockey game. And Canada lost.

Overall, I was really disappointed with the National Houses. I was hoping for displays of each country's culture, things that would make me want to go for a visit but they were mostly just a place with really long lineups to sample tiny bits of food. We did hear that the Northern Territories house was really good but we didn't make it there. Perhaps another day.

Disappointing houses, long lineups, and a loss in hockey - it was just one of those days I guess.