Canada has celebrated 6 gold medals so far during the Vancouver 2010 Games and I’ve been fortunate enough to sit in on press conferences with two of the champions so far, Alex Bilodeau and Maelle Ricker.
This morning women’s ski cross medalist Ashleigh McIvor will speak about her golden experience on the slopes yesterday.
Heading into the press conference with her stunning gold medal around her neck she said that it was “awkward to walk with” but man, it looks good. The following is live coverage from the press conference…
The first person to ask a question asks her about her lucky charms. “I’m not usually superstitious but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep things going the way they are going at the beginning of the season.” She wore a necklace and carried a Buddha on her for luck throughout the season and so she carried those with her as well during her Olympic run.
“We’ve just had such amazing support – the government and OTP,” she said. “Standing at the top of the race course I had this crazy feeling – it was all coming together perfectly.”
With regards to the weather she said she knew the other girls were probably getting stressed out but being on her home turf at Cypress (and being a Whistler girl) she said, “you have to ski by feel.”
When asked if she thought it would bring in a lot of young skiers she said, “Definitely. That’s one thing about ski cross right now is that it doesn’t have much on a grassroots level but hopefully we’ll get some kids coming over from alpine.”
After the qualifying round she said she went down into the stands to locate her friends and family so that after her next run, she’d know where to find them.
A student reporter asked her about playing a role in bringing ski cross to the Olympics, since she wrote an essay about promoting and including the sport. Although her essay never made it to the IOC, she said that winning the first gold medal as a woman in the sport was the proudest moment of her life. “I said to my coaches, ‘I can’t believe I won’ and they said, ‘I can’.”
“It’s such an honor to represent my hometown, my home province and my country on the world’s stage,” she added. Ashleigh handled a few more questions about beyond the ski cross race. “I just definitely would like to finish my education, do a whole bunch of heli-skiing,” and she also has taken on some modeling gigs.
“I have people emailing me saying I’ve inspired them or kids doing school projects about me… …I would love to develop ski cross at a grassroots level and get some kids involved.”
Expecting about 60,000 visitors throughout the duration of the Games, the Royal Canadian Mint has been overwhelmed with the positive public response to their exhibits and Olympic medal displays. Having seen about 80,000 visitors to date already, they have lineups that cross several city blocks, some often waiting about 5-7 hours just to get in the mint.
Located in the beautiful SFU Segal Graduate School of Business building the Royal Canadian Mint features a boutique, coin displays, the “Gold Room”, and of course the most popular attraction – the Olympic and Paralympic medals which the public can touch.
You can learn about the process of making these medals, which are the first-ever non-flat medals in Olympic history. Once the Vancouver 2010 Games are over they’ll live at the Mint in Ottawa and also at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
There are dozens of exhibits and commemorative coins on display and the “touch & feel” opportunities make this one of the best pavilions around. You can even catch a glimpse of the Mint’s $1 million gold coin. I was told that when it was made (of the purest gold bullion in the world) they made 4 more for private parties who were interested in purchasing one for themselves. Since it was made, the coin has appreciated and is now worth about $4 million.
Contests
The Royal Canadian Mint is currently running several contests.
Face of the Games: Visit the boutique inside the pavilion and have a video or photo recorded at their interactive photobooth. You can print off your image or submit it to be the “face of the games”. The winner will be flown to Ottawa and have a medal printed featuring their image. You can also submit your image and story online.
Tweet for Gold: Follow @CanadianMint on Twitter and watch for daily updates on how you can win collector coin sets and more.
The Royal Canadian Mint pavilion will wrap things up February 28th but until that time they are open from 9:00am until 10:00pm daily (at 500 Granville Street).
Update: It should also be noted that there are two lines for the Mint. There is a shorter one for just Mint exhibit access and the much longer one is specifically to view the medals. Make sure you line up in the right one so you don’t miss out.
Update: The Royal Canadian Mint pavilion will be open during the Paralympics. It will move to 350 W Georgia at the Vancouver Public Library’s main branch. Hours of operation will follow the Library’s schedule of Monday to Thursday, 10:00am to 9:00pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00am to 6:00pm, and Sunday 12:00pm to 5:00pm.
The House of Switzerland Canada, the Swiss pavilion located at Bridges on Granville Island, will be hosting a fundraising auction now until February 28th in support of Streetohome.
In Vancouver today, at least 3,700 people don’t have a home to call their own. Streetohome is dedicated to ensuring that residents of our city have access to safe, decent, affordable housing and the support they need to make a difference in their lives.
Items up for grabs include everything from toques and aprons to pins, coffee machines, chocolate and even the cutout pictured below.
Here’s how the auction will work:
Visit this website to view the item
Email the item number, contact information, and bid amount to [email protected]. Bids will be updated on the website in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The highest bidders will be contacted by phone at the end of the auction, February 28th.
Winning bidders must pick up their items at the House of Switzerland Canada 2010 on March 1st between 5:00pm and 10:00pm. Credit card and cash purchase only.
You can own a piece of Switzerland’s Vancouver 2010 history by bidding on these items. The best part is that you can help support those in our community through Streetohome, adding to the legacy of the Games.
When heading to Vancouver’s largest Olympic celebration site, LiveCity Yaletown, you’ll find more than performers on stage. They have a concession (with a variety of ethnic foods), the big live stage flanked with video screens, Vancouver House, and several official sponsor pavilions including Samsung and Panasonic.
Panasonic
The Panasonic pavilion showcases their HD (high definition) technology. Being the official television of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games you’ve more than likely watched their product around town more than once.
You will be able to check out their live 3D projection (see yourself in 3D) and view a 3D movie inside one of their theatres.
Samsung
Being the official mobile phone of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games Samsung has had some of the most advantageous ad placement around downtown Vancouver. From wrapped buildings to painted buses, it’s hard not to notice their presence.
Over at the Samsung pavilion you can touch, play, and work with their phones including their Olympics application that until this year, was only available for the Olympic family.
Activities inside the pavilion include checking out their notebooks, trying out the eco-phones (learning how phones can be made from recycled material), designing your own snowboard, taking photos and having them projected on the sharing wall, and checking out all the official mobile phones from Samsung’s past years of sponsorship.
The Samsung pavilion offers at least half a dozen interactive displays for young and old while also featuring a stage with daily performances starting at 2:00pm. While you’re waiting in line outside you may also spot the Samsung huskies who are very friendly.
Both pavilions are located inside LiveCity which means admission is free but you will also need to go through security when you arrive. They’ll be around until the end of the Olympic Games, February 28th, 2010.
My Day 12 included a visit to the Coke pavilion as well, which I’ll feature in another post. After these outings I went home to catch the Canada – Germany Game with John and we celebrated the 8-1 victory together. Big story of the day was Ashleigh McIvor of Canada who was the first ever Ski Cross gold medal champion at the Winter Olympic Games.
Medal Count for Canada on Day 12 – February 23, 2010
Gold: 6
Silver: 4
Bronze: 1
View full medal count by country
The red mittens sold by HBC stores across the country are the hottest item at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
Photo credit:
SBC9 on Flickr
Worn by thousands of torch-bearers over several months and priced at $10 a pair, they’re one of the best deals of the Games (and a great way to show some Canadian pride). Even Oprah herself got a pair (and a pair for her audience members) as these mittens have been the fashion cover story of the Games. Around Vancouver, the mittens are making appearances in some unlikely places.
Harry Jerome in Stanley Park – Photo credit:
lbp09 on Flickr
Should you have photos that I may post of the “Girl in Wetsuit” or any other statues sporting the mittens, please add them to the Miss604 Flickr Group.
