the winter olympics: 2010 redux, days 0-1

day 0: after arriving home from a business trip the night before, i didn't exactly feel ready to leave again, but was excited for a little vacation. i spent friday doing laundry, running errands, and repacking for 'winter' weather.

my flight arrived in portland in the late evening and dylan and kelly played chauffeur and hosts for my overnight. our time was short, but i enjoyed the opportunity to see them, however briefly.

day 1: spencer picked me up early, and i'll admit that it felt like TOO early. nonetheless, since we'd be attending our first event that evening, we wanted to get to vancouver in plenty of time to pick up our tickets, get our bearings, and a feel for the scene.

we made the drive in an unexpectedly low 4 1/2 hours, and breezed through canadian customs.

waiting in line at canadian customs

we decided first to head to the ticket office in downtown vancouver before heading to our home away from home for the weekend. what we didn't realize was that the ticket office was pretty close to the downtown hubbub, and had i known, i might have been unnecessarily concerned about traffic and parking. while we did hit some traffic, it was quite mild given the circumstances, and we found cheap parking easily. our ticket pick-up was equally as simple, after which, we headed back to surrey, which lies just beyond the us border, and was where we would be sleeping for the next few days.

since we had gotten an amazing deal on our rental ($125/night), there was mild trepidation, while we waited to confirm (hopefully) that the place was as good as it looked online. that trepidation remained when we arrived and realized that our 'apartment' was a converted garage. ruh-roh!

when we walked in, however, all our fears dissipated, as we found an outstandingly beautiful conversion. it looked exactly like the photos we had seen, and i was especially pleased at the bathtub, which probably could have fit four people in it! the apartment consisted of a good-size living room (the couch also serving as a pull out second bed), a small kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom. i was quite impressed with the style and taste level, as well as the amenities it offered. truly, it was perfect and we felt like we had gotten a steal!

after settling in a bit, we decided that we would head over to olympic centre for our first event of the games: curling.

we were able to find free street parking about a 1/2 mile away from the venue and the walk was enjoyable, as the weather was extremely nice.

we made it through security (the mag&bag, as we called it in my salt lake days) and headed in to the arena. having looked at the seating diagram prior, we were nervous that our seats weren't very good, but after settling in to them, we realized there wasn't a bad seat in the house!

before the games get started

three pairs of teams would play simultaneously; china v. sweden, switzerland v. france, and the hot matchup of the night, canada v. great britain.

canada v. great britain

i can't be completely certain, as my salt lake experience was a little unusual, but my impression is that the patriotism, pride, and exuberance of canadians at these games surpasses those of the americans in salt lake. possibly we were just more subtle about it, but the canadians are so excited and so proud to be hosting these games and to have drawn the world's focus. that excitement and pride reaches fever pitch, however, when a canadian athlete sets out to prove him or herself on that world stage.

canadian pride

curling was no exception, and the mostly canadian crowd might have just as easily been at the second-coming for all their love and devotion to their team. since great britain is the originator of the sport, and canada was undefeated going in to the match, there were high hopes for canadian success. and those hopes were not disappointed.

the match was excellent, and spencer and i found ourselves in awe of the finesse demonstrated by both teams. their ability to manipulate the stones into the exact pathways of their choosing was pretty amazing. the game was a close one, won on literally the last canadian throw. nothing like a little suspense to make a game more interesting!

team canada

i learned a lot more than i ever knew about curling, and the highlight of the evening was when the crowd spontaneously burst into 'o canada' (video below). it was an unusual experience, and later, while watching the canadian tv broadcast (ctv) they recapped the event and commented on just how unusual, also showing a clip of the stone thrower talking to his teammate when it happened, musing that he'd never heard anything like it before.

i mean, let's be honest, curlers are the nerds of the sporting world (although i don't know when they got so cute!), and to have the crowd respond to their performance in such a way, was quite moving.

after the games were all completed, we took some self-portraits next to the lanes and made our way 'home'. surrey is roughly 30 minutes outside of vancouver, so we decided to try and find dinner closer to our destination. almost everything was closed, so we ended up at a tim horton's 'restaurant.'

after the victory

tim horton's seems to be the mcdonald's of canada - they are everywhere! to be honest though, we had no idea as we passed by multiple other tim horton's earlier in the day that they were a food establishment. in fact, spencer thought they sold socks.:) we only figured it out because it was attached to a wendy's (think kfc/pizza hut combination joints). the wendy's was closed but the tim horton's was open, so we discovered it's joys first-hand.

a strange kind of fast food place, to be sure, seeming to specialize in donuts and sandwiches, but not a bakery. i opted for chili, which was quite good, and after eating, we headed home.

before heading to bed, we reviewed and uploaded photos, and i enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate while watching the ctv recap on the flat-screen in front of the fireplace, before calling it a night.

and so it begins...

as i sit here in my hotel room in las vegas, just having devoured my room service meal, and watching the second run (thank you nbc!) of the opening ceremonies, i can't help but be choked up at the recollection of my own olympic experiences.

i am reminded of just how special these 'games' truly are. it is the one opportunity we have as a global community to come together in triumph and joy, rather than in destruction and despair (i.e. haiti).

lessons learned over the course of the next month will far surpass the nature of sport. we will be taught about excellence, dedication, passion, and sacrifice. we will watch the rise and fall of heroes. we will find ourselves rooting for underdogs and giving our hearts to strangers. we will want to be better than we are.

at least, i will.

i'm so grateful to have the opportunity to participate once again, in a city that i have always loved, in the amazing spirit that embodies the olympics.

2002: part 6

Tuesday was Sara's day off, which turned out to be crazy. Monday night there was a huge controversy in Pairs Figure Skating when the Canadian pair who were pretty much flawless, were denied the Gold, in favor of the Russian Pair who had errors. There was discussion about judges being influenced, investigations being launched, etc. After our 10:00 SLOC briefing, I learned from the COA that I had 15 minutes to put on a press conference for them. It was quite amazing though, how fast the media was in that room. Talk about swarming! The mood was tense, and our volunteers had to struggle to keep their wits. But we made it through. Then I got a phone call from the International Skating Union (ISU), the governing body for figure skating, wanting to schedule a press conference. They told me I had to keep my mouth shut about it, so when the COA started calling every 10 minutes (which they did) I would know not to say anything.

Since Wednesday was my scheduled day off, I tried to explain to Sara that maybe it wasn't going to be the best day for me not to be there. Having not been here, she didn't quite understand the magnitude, and insisted that I take a day. I was getting to `goofy' point anyway, but I knew things would be crazy.

They were. I spent Wednesday sleeping in, and visiting some friends, and watched some of the craziness on TV. I heard from Sara a few times, but they managed to pull it off, with the help of extra volunteers, and staff pitching in.

Thursday was of course, Valentine's Day…. We started with the SLOC Press Conference, which consisted of the Venue City Mayors. So Rocky Anderson was in-house, along with some other Mayors. The ironic thing is that the USOC was having a Men's Hockey Press Conference next door, in the smaller room, simultaneously, which was packed. The SLOC briefing was pretty empty. I guess it just goes to show that two hockey players are better than eight Mayors.

Following those two Press Conferences, we had the women's US bobsled team in—including the popular Jean Racine. All went smoothly, though there were a lot more `one-on-one' requests from broadcasters than there have been for most other athletes.

We started hearing the buzz early afternoon that President Hinckley and the Quorum of the 12 were going to be touring the building, and were scheduled to come at the same time as my Swiss Olympic Committee Press Conference with 2-Time Gold Medalist Simon Amman. That was actually a fun press conference. It was conducted primarily in German, so I used the headset to listen to the simultaneous interpretation. It is often difficult for me to concentrate on what is being said in any given press conference because I am so focused on where the volunteers are stationed, and whether or not the water on the dais has contraband labels on it, or how the sound is, or any number of other things, but when I listen to the translation it is a lot easier for me to focus on the content.

The Simon Amman Press Conference was probably the most fun yet, partly because of the translation, and partly because he was so adorable. He is this tiny little kid who looks like the fictional Harry Potter, and was even asked about his resemblance to the character, and his reaction to those type of comments. His response was that he did see the resemblance, but that there was no magic involved in his medal winning ski jumps. He was also asked a question about whether or not he had received very many Valentines, since in Germany, the ski jumpers were considered among the most eligible bachelors. He simply said that he hadn't had much time to focus on Valentines, but that he wasn't free anyway. One other amusing question came from a reporter asking about whether or not he had watched other ski jumpers as a boy. The entertaining part, was perhaps only entertaining to me, however, since he is still in high school, I though, `When he was a boy? What was that, last year?'

Anyway, the press conference went well, despite some challenges with a pin-crazy volunteer, and I was fortunate enough, afterwards, to see President Hinckley and the Quorum walking down my hallway. It was pretty incredible actually—volunteers were lining the hallways. They were all respectful, and just in awe at the opportunity to be that close to greatness.

Beth told a story about passing a volunteer who grabbed her and told her that she had just made her life. So on the way back the happened to pass the same volunteer, so Beth led President Hinckley over to her and said "President Hinckley, I want you to meet our best volunteer." The woman started crying, and was obviously touched, as were we upon hearing the story.

The Canadians scheduled a 9:30pm Press Conference, which was kind of a downer on everyone's evening, but at Staff Meeting, when we asked for volunteer help, there was an outpouring. I am continually amazed at what a team environment this is, and how everyone is willing to pitch in to get the job done. It is truly incredible.

The IOC/SLOC briefing went well. The IOC Director General, Francois Carrard fielded a multitude of question about the Pairs Figure Skaters, Pelletier, and Sale, and allegations about the French judge. It made for an interesting one, but things have been very interesting around here the last couple of days anyway.

After the IOC Briefing, ONS (Olympic News Service) started panicking because they were receiving angry calls from Press who were at SLIC (Salt Lake Ice Center) covering Men's Figure Skating, and could not cover the COA (Canadian Olympic Association) Press Conference. And shortly after that, the COA cancelled their briefing. Almost everyone was pleased--however, our sound guys had hockey tickets for the evening that they had already given away. They were understandably upset.


This morning in staff meeting, as soon as I had finished telling everyone what an easy day it was going to be, Bruce came in to tell Mark and I that the IOC/ISU had scheduled an emergency press conference at 11:00a. That sent everyone spinning. We weren't supposed to publicly announce anything until after 10:00am, but the call for volunteers went out and was answered.

I talked to the Japanese Olympic Committee to `ask' them to move their 9:30am press conference into Interview Room C (from B) so that we could turn over A & B and combine them. They said '`no'', so that is when I informed them that it wasn't an option, that it was at the IOC's request, and if they had problems with it, they could call them. I was a little more tactful about it, but I got the point across. Shortly after, the JOC contact arrived to tell me that they would be willing to make the switch. Very generous of her, I know….

So we moved them into C, and began the turnover, which had to be completed by 10:00am for the SLOC Press Briefing. The Salt Palace staff did a phenomenal job, and all was done in plenty of time. Volunteers started arriving, and as the SLOC briefing progressed, I handed out assignments, explained responsibilities and waited for the onslaught.

When things got started, it was a madhouse—in the sense of the numbers in the room at least. We probably had 500 reporters and broadcasters in there. NBC, CBC, BBC, and every other `C' you can imagine, were going LIVE with the press conference, which added an increased level of pressure. However, it was smooth as butta'. I heard afterward that CNN made an on-air comment about how it was crazier than a White House press briefing, and much better run. They said you would never know the mic-rovers were volunteers--that they handled themselves like pros. It actually kind of gives me goosebumps. Such specific compliments from people who would know, mean a great deal, and the fact that it was on-air, made it even more incredible.

The major announcement was that Sale and Pelletier would be awarded gold medals as well. The Russians will keep theirs, and there is no `silver medal'. In addition, they announced that the French judge in question has been suspended indefinitely.

Halfway into the briefing, we learned that the COA wanted to do their own at 12:00p, which meant ½ hour later. The briefing was to include the athletes, and content to focus on their reaction to being awarded the gold.

They were even cuter in person than they are on TV. One reporter asked if they would have to return the silver medals, and Pelletier responded that he was actually hoping for a bronze to complete the set. At another time, the moderator asked a reporter to stand while stating his question…His response: "I am standing." It drew a huge laugh from the group, but he was in fact, already standing.

Anyway, things went well, and we have received a great deal of positive attention for our humble little press room. It has been on nearly every channel, and you may have even seen me a few times on the NBC's.

In addition to those I've mentioned, I've also had the chance to interact with people like Desmond Tutu, Michelle Kwan, Scott Hamilton, John Williams, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Prince Albert of Monaco, Todd Eldredge, Picabo Street, Shannon Bahrke, Eric Bergoust, and others. But I've also had the chance to work with perhaps the highest caliber of people I have ever known. Only nine days left of the games, and I am already starting to go through Olympic withdrawal. I'm selfish, I want this to continue on indefinitely. However, since that is not possible, I'm thinking I might apply to the USOC, ATHOC (Athens Organizing Committee), and TOROC (Torino Organizing Committee). I'm hooked on the Olympics--but I will eventually enjoy sleeping again.

the nanny diaries

this weekend i got the opportunity to serve as live-in nanny for the d kids.


i was slightly nervous, feeling like a bit like a substitute teacher, and wondering if the kids would try and take advantage of mom and dad being away. but, i should have known better. they were great!

it probably doesn't hurt that after living with them for a few months, i got to see mom and dad in action and had a pretty good idea of 'the rules' and of course, which buttons they might try and push. but to their credit, they played by 'the rules' all weekend, and we really enjoyed our time together.


i especially enjoyed taking them to my ward, hoping to start rumors about the four kids i had that nobody knew about (miserable failure, btw), and playing hookie on monday to take them to disney's california adventure. we had a great time, although i confess that i was exhausted when all was said and done. parents are amazing!

2002: part 5

On Monday, the Daily SLOC Briefing was by far the smoothest one so far. The SLOC Telecom group was well organized, and well prepped.

The next press conference wasn't until 1:00pm, so a bunch of us watched snowboarding in the office. We had four US ualifiers, which was awesome, and the cinematography was incredible. The shots were gorgeous, and there were some great tricks.

Our 1:00pm was the USOC Men's Hockey Press Conference, with the coach, Herb Brooks. It was a pretty packed house, and all went well. Afterwards, we had another break—this one four hours before the next press conference, so I got my haircut.

While I was in the chair, the US swept the medals in snowboarding, which was so awesome. Apparently, there hasn't been a US sweep since 1956, so it's pretty impressive. Plus, snowboarding is such a cool sport, that that made it even more fun.

Following the completion of the Snowboard events, Sara, Mark, Sean and I watched Curling in the office. Apparently Mark, being an Aussie, is a long-time curling fan, so he was trying to explain the nuances of the game—which were pretty entertaining. Sean kept reading from the Spectator's Guide, which was making us laugh even more. He was reading about the hog line and other such nonsense, which was quite entertaining! They seem determined to turn Sara and I into Curling fans, and I will say it can be addictive…

We heard from USOC Jeff (Howard), and he said he was going to try and get the snowboarders at the building around 6:00ish for a press conference. The buzz started going around the building, and people started asking questions. But we had another USOC Press Conference— Men's Slalom/Giant Slalom in the meantime.

It was confirmed that the Snowboarders would be coming for a Press Conference, and Jeff told Sara and I that we needed to do a photo opp with the guys. It is a fine professional line, as we are not allowed to take pictures, ask for autographs, or anything like that, but he was insistent. Jeff told me to get my camera, so I went to grab it, and the batteries were dead. Finally we realized that one of our AV guys had a digital, so we grabbed him. It worked out well, since he had been hoping to meet them anyway.