Day 8 at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics saw us win another gold medal, thanks to skeleton athlete Jon Montgomery, as the City erupted in even more celebration.
I have never seen this many people in Vancouver at one single time, for consecutive days, all chanting and cheering non-stop for hours. It’s as though we just won the Stanley Cup and everyone is watching footage of the winning goal over and over again for 24 straight hours.
My day yesterday focused on writing, hugging the Stanley Cup as it sat in the media centre, and then being a guest of two beer companies: Molson and Budweiser, who both hosted fantastic events.
I went to a tasting event for Rickard’s Dark, the brand’s new porter. It was light-tasting for a dark beer and went down smoothly. Attendees were blindfolded (to heighten senses and flavour profiles) as Chef Lee Humphries of the Irish Heather presented us with three courses, all prepared with or for pairing with Rickard’s Dark.
Someone commented after the first two courses that the only thing missing was bacon. They must have been on the same wavelength as Chef Humphries as he included bacon in the last course – dessert. I’ve never thought of trying bacon ice cream (and pairing it with a dark beer) but this just worked.
Later in the evening I hit the red carpet to cover Club Bud‘s Burton Party with my gal Keira-Anne.
The event is by invitation only so if you had a your ticket the wait in line was minimal and once inside the Commodore, the free Budweiser was flowing. However before partaking, we spotted many famous Team USA athletes from current and past Olympics out on the red carpet before they headed in.
Guests of honor included: Nancy Kerrigan, Vernon Davis, Heather McPhee, Bonnie Blair, Chris Spencer (Seahawks), Carl Lewis (legendary sprinter), Seth Wescott, Graham Watanabe, Trisha Burns (snowboard/agent), Gretchen Bleiler, Lindsay Jacobellis, Stacey Cook, Alice McInnis, Elijah Teter, Mike Jakowski, and Johnny Weir (figure skating).
Inside, the Commodore was transformed into a winter wonderland complete with ice sculptures, white drapes, lighted ceiling, and icicles hanging precariously from a seemingly frozen stage where scantily clad dancers got the crowd moving. John and I are heading back to Club Bud tonight for their NHL night that will see many more stars, from Hollywood and the NHL.
Medal Count for Canada – February 19, 2010
Gold: 4
Silver: 3
Bronze: 1
View full medal count by country
Last April it was announced that the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad‘s crown jewel performance would be Robert Lapage’s The Blue Dragon. Premiering at SFU Contemporary Arts at Woodward’s the visually stunning play will run until February 27th.
John and I had the chance to see it on opening weekend and it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I’m not sure what I was expecting going into the show however it blew me away with modern themes, humour, and dazzling visual effects. If you saw the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony on TV and were mesmerized by the floor to ceiling projections, imagine the same technology but in a small, intimate theatre setting.
Both John and I really enjoyed the performance although if you have young ones this may not be suitable as it has mature language and subject matter.
Should you have the chance to check it out before its run ends, I highly recommend doing so. Tickets start at $30 and are available online.
Nova Scotia handed out scarves, Alberta decked out downtown in Calgary Stampede hats, and the Northwest Territories served up tea and bannock at Canada’s Northern House.
Every day during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics a province or territory is featured. I’m a bit late to post this list but so that you can enjoy all the themed treats that are to come, here’s your master list:
Saturday, February 20th – Yukon Day
11:00am – 9:00pm Performances all day at Canada’s Northern House
11:00am – 3:00pm What the Land Remembers – Tales of Raven & Wolf at the Aboriginal Pavilion
1:00pm – 10:00pm Performances at Grouse Mountain all day
6:30pm – 7:00pm The Yukon Experience at the Victory Ceremony (BC Place)
8:00pm – 2:00am Yukon Showcase at the Railway Club
Sunday, February 21st – Nunavut Day
10:30am – An hour-long look at Nunavut Tourism at Canada’s Northern House
12:00pm – Visual arts demonstration at Canada’s Northern House, including fashion designers, doll makers, jewelry makers and carvers
All Day – Nunavut film showcase at Canada’s Northern House
Tuesday, February 23rd – Saskatchewan Day
6:30pm – 7:00pm Victory Ceremony (BC Place) hosted by Brent Butt
12:30pm – As a side note there’s a rally at the front of the Vancouver Art Gallery in support of making MukMuk an official mascot of the Vancouver 2010 Games (as he’s currently a sidekick).
Wednesday, February 24th – Ontario Day
6:30pm – 7:00pm The Yukon Experience at the Victory Ceremony (BC Place)
Thursday, February 25th – Manitoba Day
6:30pm – 7:00pm Burton Commings at the Victory Ceremony (BC Place)
Friday, February 26th – Newfoundland and Labrador Day
Events all day at Atlantic Canada House
6:30pm – 7:00pm Great Big Sea plays the Victory Ceremony (BC Place)
I receive daily updates in the press centre so will update this post as these days arrive.
The following was written for Miss604.com by my 9 year old niece, Alexis. She interviewed her brothers to put together this post.
The Olympics. Week one. A kid’s perspective
To the kids in Vancouver and Surrey, the Olympics are very exciting because they are in Vancouver. They think the mascots are cute, the torch is very cool and they’re a lot of fun. Kids in Canada think we will win the Olympics because we have a lot of people who cheer for the Olympics. Some of the kids think the Olympic rings are very cool, the rings are a symbol of the Countries coming together in peace.
The kids like Hockey, Skiing and Speed skating the best. Snowboarding half pipe is also very popular. We also love the mascots, the most popular is Miga, then Mukmuk, Sumi and Quatchi. We like to watch the Olympic games. We have 3 gold medals and we can get more!
I was invited to hop aboard the Alberta Train yesterday, a luxury rail coach from North Vancouver to Whistler with double-decker cars and domed panorama roofs. The train experience is courtesy of Travel Alberta to showcase their Rocky Mountaineer route to the Rockies. There was plenty to do in Whistler this week and aside from Olympic events they were also hosted TEDx Whistler with a focus on sustainability.
However, before we even arrived in the mountain village, we had quite the journey on the train. I’ve taken the Rocky Mountaineer before but in the winter, and on the Alberta Train, it’s a whole other experience. Coasting past snow-capped mountains peeking out from the other side of Howe Sound, it was a blissful trip. Aboard the train we were served beverages, breakfast, and enough information about visiting Alberta (and the Calgary Stampede) to make me start pulling out the map book to plot a road trip.
We received a few goodies along the way including an iPod Touch pre-loaded with Travel Alberta videos, images, contacts, notes, and web bookmarks. If the decadent travel accommodation and swag wasn’t enough already, they also handed out ticket to watch the Olympic Alpine event over in Creekside. This threw a wrench into my plans to head straight to Whistler Village but I’m not sure I could ever pass up a chance to attend an Olympic event.
It was amazing to see Lindsay Vonn of the USA do her first alpine run of the day and to mix and mingle with fans from across the globe out on the snowy spectator field. In the stands, flags of all colours flew proudly while cowbells rung and chants broke up spontaneously.
Finally heading toward Whistler Village we walked around soaking up the scenery. The flame burned brightly in a lonely cauldron inside the celebration site, a set of giant Olympic rings made for great photo opportunities, and street performers were in their prime.
Meandering through the cobblestone village thoroughfares you could really see a mix of locals (out walking with their ski-seasoned dogs) and international fans draped in flags or trading pins. We eventually made it over to the Garibaldi Lift Company where MuchMusic is filming their On Demand segment all day until the end of the Games.
With little time left to make it to back to the train we headed for the station only to realize that we were an hour early for the departure. Luckily there’s a small pub nearby so we lugged our bags over there for a pint before leaving the bubbling Olympic alpine mecca of Whistler. After a few minutes two ladies asked if they could join our table, which sat at least 6 but I was only there with John Biehler. We welcomed them to sit and we instantly got to talking.
“She’s an Olympian you know,” said Marj, a woman from Toronto, as she gestured to her friend. Fascinated, we inquired and indeed we were in the company of Eleanor McKenzie Miller who competed in the 100m and 200m races in the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. They were both beaming, “this is our second Olympics!” Here for the long haul and at least another week, these ladies were sure in a celebratory mood.
Eleanor was glowing, wearing an Olympic scarf given to her by the City of Vancouver. Past Canadian Olympians were invited to take part in a dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremony, standing in for the current Olympians. After performing this honor Eleanor received the scarf and she wears it very proudly.
We didn’t have much time to stay and chat with the contagiously cheery BFF’s as we had to catch our train. Walking back to the train I knew I didn’t accomplish all I wanted to that day, or see all that I thought I could in Whistler. However, meeting Marge and Eleanor was an absolute highlight. This is huge part of what the Olympics are to me — meeting people. People with stories, with pride, and with an infectious spirit for the love of the Games.
Medal Count for Canada – February 18, 2010
Gold: 3
Silver: 3
Bronze: 1
View full medal count by country
