Vancouver 2010 - Part 3

I've been to the German Fan Fest, had my free sausage and beer, watched the final 20 minutes of the Canada - Switzerland game and cheered with the crowd (pretty much all Canadians or at least pretending to be) and got out alive and in time to pick up the first of three guests that were to arrive last Thursday night. That's because I promised to talk about the GFF.


No live ski cross for Francis and I due to our cancelled standing tickets, but guess who got $25 (and that's cheaper than what VANOC sells them for because I didn't have to pay fees and taxes) tickets for cross-country ski relay? That's right, I grabbed four tickets for $100 off craigslist because I wanted to see an outdoors event very badly. To my credit, there wasn't much left for sale on the official website except for some pricey tickets for a couple of hockey games.

I went with Francis and my mom, and sold the fourth ticket to an eager asian guy who took the train from Seattle to Vancouver and hung around the city from midnight to 5am when I met him at the bus station just before leaving for Whistler (where the cross-country ski events take place). He wanted to pay me in US dollars so I even made a little profit, assuming I spend them when the US dollar is high...
In any case, we had an a.m.a.z.i.n.g. sunny and warm day in Whistler Olympic Park on Monday. Miga and Quatchi thought so too:


You can't tell from the picture, but I got the biggest, fluffiest hug from Quatchi just before it was taken.

A team of Romanians participated in the men's cross-country ski relay event but they didn't do very well. Neither did the Canadian women, although they did qualify for the final. The Canadian men's team was rather lopsided, as Alex Harvey was able to go from sixth to first place during his last round (he's first in this picture, near the end of the round)

but his partner lost the position when he took over for the final round of the relay and finished fourth. Germany, Norway, Sweden and Russia owned the podium during this event but we had the best value for our money nevertheless, what with the great weather and exciting race.

Today Canada got four medals, all from women's events! Did you know that we have a medal in women's snowboard cross, women's ski cross AND men's snowboard cross? What about men's ski cross, you ask? Well, we would have had a medal there too if Cristopher Delbosco hadn't crashed and burned while in third position just before the end of the course. I should not tease because this guy has been through a lot, but ... the symmetry! So close.

And now, a little something I've been meaning to mention since the first olympic post. It's easy to tell who's a volunteer at the Games because they wear sky blue jackets with the Vancouver 2010 logo. While travelling by public transit during the Games, I've noticed a lot of passengers starting conversations with volunteers on the bus. People ask them how their day went, what kind of tasks they have to do, what the perks are, and the volunteers are more than happy to oblige with detailed answers. This may not seem out of the ordinary, but when you consider that in Vancouver people pretty much never talk to strangers (and if they are asked anything they do their best to answer briefly and indicate that the conversation is over), this is quite remarkable.

As I expected, it's been difficult to post regularly since we try to get out and about the city as soon as we can every day and we've been having evening plans daily as well. Before I sign off, I'd just like to draw your attention to Joannie Rochette's figure skating performance tomorrow. She is an extremely talented skater and currently ranks third (after the short program). Her mother passed away suddenly on Sunday, right after arriving in Vancouver to watch her skate. Most of you probably know the story by now, and it's very inspiring that Joannie pulled off a great short program yesterday despite this. Let's all wish her all the best for tomorrow!

Vancouver 2010 - Part 2

The day of the opening ceremonies had a shaky start to say the least. I watched the ceremonies at a friend's place, and although we spent most of the time joking and explaining what was going on to the two americans in attendance, I think the event succeeded in lifting the mood of the spectators. The mishap of the pillar that wouldn't rise (because the trap door wouldn't open actually) was partially offset by Wayne Gretzky carrying the torch through downtown and nearly getting mobbed by surprised and excited fans.

At this point I should mention the helicopters we can hear almost all day and night, and sometimes jet planes as well. Last week while biking I could still hear one when I was halfway to UBC. I worried that if it started raining and someone pulled out a dark umbrella the wrong way, they might get shot!

I haven't gotten around to submitting a Vectorial Elevation design, but here are some highlights of my Olympic experience so far:

Saturday evening saw us attending a Mes Aieux concert at the Place de la Francophonie on Granville Island. There are concerts in French every night during the Games. Here's a video that might ring a bell. Every now and then you'll notice the pouring rain that did not manage to disperse the crowd. Despite the rain, and although half the audience did not understand French (the band took a poll), I was pleasantly surprised by the successful request for an encore.



On Sunday Francis and I saw a women's hockey game: Finland vs. Russia. Most of the crowd cheered for Finland who of course won 5 - 1 (Russia's only goal, which was also the first, took a few good minutes to be confirmed). Some visual evidence:


The Fins (in white and blue) spent most of the game on the offensive, even during power play.

Finally, on Monday the 15th I used the figure skating ticket that travelled to Germany and back to watch the four-hour long pairs free skate event. I had an incredible time, and the disappointment of seeing almost each pair take at least one fall was offset by China's silver-winning nearly flawless performance. The only reason Pang and Tong did not take the gold (Shen and Zhao did) was their comparatively low score in the short program. I was sitting quite high above the rink and this is all my compact camera could accomplish:


I can't remember which country the couple in the top picture was representing, but it doesn't matter because they did not do very well. Neither did the Swiss (second picture). The last photo is of one of the several perfect figures executed by the silver medalists.

During another short trip downtown last night, we joined the crowd celebrating local Maelle Ricker's gold in snowboard cross. I finally bought a canadian flag so I could cheer and be patriotic. The aim of the trip was to purchase a couple of Olympic themed items at The Bay, but the 300-m long lineup discouraged us.
More on the celebrations later, perhaps after I attend the Deutsche Fan Fest tomorrow!

Finally, Francis and I are among the 20 000 disappointed spectators whose tickets were cancelled due to knee-deep mud in the standing room area at Cypress mountain. We got our men's ski cross tickets through the lottery and this would have been the third and final event I would have attended, and the only one taking place outdoors. I watched snowboard cross online and it looked like so much fun, so I was really really looking forward to it. I am very disappointed that they did not make more of an effort to remedy the situation. The girlfriend of an officemate is a volunteer and she says they have more important problems to deal with.
I am enjoying the Olympics in Vancouver and I keep cheering for Canada, but it is hard not to acknowledge that these Games are having a lot of issues. Ten more days to go, so hopefully things will go uphill from here.

Tomorrow I will go pick up my mom at the airport and try to have my picture taken with Sumi, Miga, Quatchi or Muk Muk (my favorite!). Check out the link and place the cursor over each mascot. Watch the Muk Muk video too!

More updates are coming soon, as we discover the city, Games and celebrations more in depth with our guests.

The Winter Olympics, (almost) live from Vancouver, Part 1

If I was ever to write something here again, the Olympic Games in Vancouver seemed like a good reason to do so.
Let's get to it.

If you draw a North-South line passing through downtown Vancouver, and an East-West line passing through the UBC campus, I live pretty much at the intersection of these two lines. Until this week I would not have been able to guess, during my daily commute, that the Games were starting this month. There was no visible increase in population, no unusual noise or lights in the area between my home and the university. A few exceptions:
Flags of various countries could be found glued to the sidewalk just a couple of blocks away, but in a direction opposite to the one I normally take. The numbers and routes displayed on buses alternated (and still do) with "Welcome World" messages. Every time I saw one, I looked around but could not see the "world".

However, this week everyone suddenly realized the Games are starting (today!) and began to act accordingly. On Monday, while cycling home, the Vectorial Elevation searchlights were being tested. Rolling down a long hill, I had to make a conscious effort to bring my eyes back to the road. A friend I was talking with the next day had the same "problem". They've been on every night this week, forming designs submitted by anyone who cares to do so.
In fact, I'm thinking of submitting one in the next couple of days. You can too, for free and in just a few minutes, at http://www.vectorialvancouver.net/. If I lie down on the couch, I can see them from my living room!
So far, no aliens have landed.

On Tuesday Francis and I went for a walk downtown, where Games celebrations were much more present. Here are some pictures:



The first picture was taken near the waterfront. In the second, Francis stands on Granville boulevard among trees whose "leaves" are drawings made by school kids and rolled into cylinders. Then another picture of Granville boulevard and finally the Robson Square skating rink, which has been open (and free to use) since November 2009.

There were lots of excited tourists (and likely locals as well) posing with cardboard athletes. The Olympic store was open at 10pm, which is exceptional for Vancouver because on weekday nights not much is open past 6pm. In fact, other than the Olympic store and bars, this was still the case.
We did get a bit of excitement not typical of Vancouver when we noticed a lady posing outside the store, wearing ONLY fishnets and completely painted in red and yellow. I didn't take any pictures.

And finally, on Thursday evening the Olympic torch passed by UBC. I'd never seen the campus so crowded! The torch passed and was followed by a mini concert by a UBC rock band I'd never heard of. I saw a total of one protested holding a sign, and he didn't seem very motivated in the midst of all those excited people. Here's a video of the torch and its carrier during one of the UBC stretches: