Tag Archives: Olympics

Friday at the Olympics

February 19, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

We decided to brave the crowds and check out the Olympics in Downtown Vancouver on Friday. We had tried to get downtown on Thursday, but found no parking at the Park ‘n Rides for the Skytrain so we decided to give it a try on Friday, by driving all the way downtown! We parked close to where we used to live, and grabbed the train at the Broadway Station. The flowers and cherry trees are blooming all over the place. Not really Winter Olympics, but hey, we’re cool with that!

The trains were packed tighter than sardine cans, but nobody seemed to mind. Everyone was in a good mood. There were TONS of national flags from many countries. It was exciting and quite moving, really. We don’t often see such patriotism in Canada, but we saw so many Canadian flags, painted on faces, on hats, coats, and of course the mittens. People wore the flag like a cape – which Pam did too, of course!

We checked out the Cauldron, and it is MASSIVE. It stands 20 or 30 feet high, and is incredibly large. I didn’t think it would be so big, but man, it really dominated the skyline. There were just tons of people everywhere. The square was full, and people just kept coming!

We turned around and made our way up Granville Street. Granville is a major street in Vancouver, and it’s been shut to cars and other vehicles and it’s just loaded with people. The whole street is filled, and the sidewalks are overflowing too. There is a guy in a top hat and tails, doing card tricks. A musical duo, a drummer and a guitarist are playing Dire Straits. Guys on stilts make kids laugh with their antics. There are pin traders everywhere, with little stands with hundreds of pins from Olympics past and present.

People are in costumes everywhere. Canadian flags are over people faces, the Dutch are painted in orange, with orange jackets and orange pants. Russians are dressed in the real cool Russian jerseys, wearing outrageous red/orange wigs that make them look Shaun White, the USAs dominant snowboarder. Danes are wearing Viking helmets, blowing trumpets, draped in flags. The Swedes are resplendent in the blue and yellow of their flags.

Everywhere, people are happy, cheering, high fiving. They stop each other in the street to take pictures, posing for each other, outrageous, and crazy and happy.

We reach Robson Street, also close to traffic and we find the square behind the Art Gallery is filled to overflowing, people fascinated with the Zipliners… They have constructed a tower near the Law Courts, five stories high. You get in a harness and you fly across the square, across Robson Street to the side of the Art Gallery. Some people try to do flips, some simply scream! It’s truly something to see.

There is an outdoor skating rink, bigger than the one that used to be there, at the base of the Art Gallery. People can skate for free, bring your own skates, or get some from there. It’s a gas seeing them boogie around the place, young and old.

We grab a hotdog ($4 – 3.50 cheaper than at a hockey game!) from a street vendor and turn back onto Granville Street, meeting some crazy fans, dressed up like who knows what! There are huge displays of public art, and more pin traders. We offer some grapes to the cops doing traffic duty, but they decline with a laugh. The Bay has huge portraits of Olympic athletes, five stories high! Very very cool.

There are displays of Native Indian art all over. There are several pavilions with the Four Host Nations featured prominently all over downtown. We sample some delicious venison stew ($5), but have arrived too late for the bannock bread ($2) much to Pam’s disappointment! We make our way back to the Bay to check out the Olympic Super Store, but there is an hour’s wait to get in, so we decide to head home. It’s been an awesome day. I never dreamed it would be so much fun, but it’s very exciting. We will definitely be going down again. It’s just too much fun to miss!

Commentary

Opening Ceremonies

February 15, 2010 Maurice Leave a comment

I watched the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies and I loved them. I thought they were amazing, a display we Canadians could all be proud of… but like true Canadians, we experienced considerable angst over them.

Quebec complained there was not enough French; Chinese and East Indians complained there was not enough focus on immigrants; Native Indians complained only the Four Host Nations were adequately represented, and on and on…

[First about the French – during a first viewing of them, I felt French was more than adequately represented. It was the first language spoken by the narrators at every turn. French was the first language used when countries entered, and it was used quite extensively. On a second viewing with Pam (I recorded it because she was working) I see where their complaints had some validity. The “story” was often only in English, and that could have been better done. Does that bother me? Only slightly – these are OUR games here in predominantly English speaking BC, and we will foot the bill when they lose money. French was spoken enough.

And let me say this — do you think China even considered using a pop-tartlet from separatist Tibet to sing their national anthem during the 2008 Olympics? I seriously doubt it. We considered it, and we let a singer from Quebec, a separatist province, sing our National Anthem here. And I felt she did a truly poor job… For me, this was a major disappointment with the Opening Ceremony, but you know what? It’s ok – we’re fine with it, I wouldn’t change it, because we want all Canadians to feel part of these Olympic Games, even the separatists.

The complaints of the other Native bands was silly. Native elements dominated the story line, and if they felt more Native representation was needed, tough. Deal with it. The Native community in BC is vibrant and alive and those nations whose land is being used were excited and pleased with their showing. The Native elements all over Vancouver for the Games is exciting for all of us, and in no way were Natives denigrated.

The story line was moving and interesting. I’m sorry that not every single aspect of our culture was made clear – like the oppression of Irish settlers, the prejudice against Hutterites, the sacrifices of the Calgary Highlanders, a volunteer regiment of mostly Scottish men… but you know what? You only have so much time in an Opening Ceremony and you can’t include everything. I’m sorry Chinese and Indians felt left out. But I’m not sorry for the way the event unfolded.

I loved the dude flying over the wheat fields, loved the floating bear, loved the whales breaching in the stadium! SO much was RIGHT with the ceremonies, I’m saddened that people feel the need to complain all the time. It was a joy for me and for Pam and we enjoyed it immensely. The fiddling was fantastic. Loved it. Ashley MacIsaac was awesome.

kd Lang’s version of Hallelujah was fantastic, breathtaking, a bravura performance. It made tears stream down both our faces. We had to rewind it to listen to it again. But hey! Did she look a little too much like Wayne Newton or what? Terrific, terrific performance. Each note was perfect. Thank you so much kd. Really and truly, thank you so much.

It was a shame that the fourth pylon for the Olympic Cauldron failed to rise from the floor, but stuff happens right? It was still a great event. I’m glad I got to see it. Not sure I would have had Wayne Gretzky hop into a truck to go light the outdoor cauldron, but hey, picky picky…

And I’m glad I have it recorded! Well done VanOc!

All About Max

First blooms

February 10, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

The WINTER Olympics are set to kick off on Friday, so it’s nice see the crocuses finally starting to bloom in the garden!

Yep, it’s tough I know, especially knowing that Washington, DC and other points east are covered – deeply! – in snow. So while you’re out shoveling snow, at least you can come and look at the crocuses blooming here in Surrey!

It’s odd though, usually the yellow crocuses bloom first, but we don’t have any yellow ones up yet. We’ve got about 30 or so purple ones, and just a couple of white ones.

Not sure what happened to the yellow ones, but hopefully they’ll be popping open shortly. The grape hyacinths are pushing open too, with small little buds ready to pop open in to their full purple glory in the next couple of days.

Maybe the yellow ones are waiting until Canada wins their first gold in the Olympics!

Commentary

Olympic Flame, Day 102

February 8, 2010 Maurice 2 Comments

The Olympic Flame came through Surrey today, and Pam and I were there! It passed within a couple of blocks of our house. We got over to the intersection of King George Highway and 72nd Avenue, and the place was packed!

There were people lining King George Highway, dressed in Hockey Canada jerseys, waving flags, and wearing their red mittens. The mittens have been a symbol of these Olympics and all the torch bearers have been wearing them.

People of all ages were there, from kids in strollers, to grandmothers in wheelchairs. People from all walks of life, people from every culture, people just proud to be Canadian, and proud to be a part of these Olympics.

First came big trucks, sponsored by Coca-Cola, carrying people telling us that the Torch Bearer was mere minutes away, to get ready to cheer and clap! But truthfully, they didn’t need to tell us; people were excited to be there and more than ready to bask in the glow of the Torch. Next came a bus, loaded with people who would be Torch Bearers.

Then, we caught a glimpse of the Torch Bearer, and the cheers started through the crowd. It was awesome. The man running with the torch was beaming, his smile wider than the mouth of the Fraser River! It was obviously a special moment for him, and it certainly was for us.

We ran along with him and then cut through a parking lot so we could see the next runner. Her smile was even wider than the first. It was remarkable to see. We headed quickly to our house and caught the Torch Bearer one more time as she ran down 72nd Avenue right at 141A street.

I am very glad I got to experience it. It was moving, and uplifting, and joyous. A remarkable time, shared with so many people. The streets were lined with people! All cheering, proud, excited and eager to see the Torch. It was a community event, and the community embraced it!

Here are a couple movies of two different Torch Bearers. Enjoy!

The Torch Bearer carries the Olympic Torch down 72nd avenue in Surrey, February 08, 2010.

Commentary, Holidays

Lighting the Olympic Flame

January 20, 2010 Maurice 1 Comment

Vancouver 2010 With the 2010 Winter Olympics set to open in our town in just a few weeks (give or take a day or two), speculation about who will be the person chosen for the honor of lighting the flame has taken on crazy proportions.

The one lighting ceremony that remains in my memory, is the image of Muhammad Ali lighting the flame in Atlanta. He has always been someone I admired for standing up for his beliefs, for his sportsmanship, and for his humanitarian work. He held the torch aloft, proudly, while struggling mightily to contain his Parkinsons. It was really emotional watching him climb up to light the flame.

Vancouver’s Olympic committee has promised us something special, who will makes us proud, and who we will admire. They are, of course, keeping it secret until the moment when the whole rest of the world will find out together. But they are promising a “WOW moment.”

Pam and I have been talking about who it should be… It’s a tough call. For me, it has to be someone from British Columbia, or someone strongly associated with British Columbia. It should not be a politician. It should be someone who has a strong association with sport, and fair play. It should be someone who we admire and respect. It should be someone with world wide appeal, or world wide recognition.

That’s a big list of qualifications. For many Canadians, Wayne Gretzky would fit the bill. We certainly admire him, and respect his achievements in sport. To say he was twice as good as anyone else in the sport, is not hyperbole, it’s borne out in his stats. He led Canada to Olympic Gold in Men’s Hockey and has the respect of the international sporting community. For me, he is just not right, because he is not associated with BC in any meaningful way.

Some have suggested Trevor Linden, instead. Linden was the Captain of the Vancouver Canucks for many years. For people in this province, he’s one of our favorite sons, despite being born in Alberta. He came to us a boy, and grew to a marvelous man, giving his time for meaningful charities like the children’s hospice, Canuck Place. Does he have worldwide appeal? Perhaps, but not like Wayne Gretzky.

Some have suggested Rick Hansen. Hansen’s Man in Motion World Tour, his journey around the world in his wheelchair to raise funds for spinal cord research was an amazing feat. He has raised close to $200 million in a selfless manner. He has raised awareness of the difficulties that wheelchair bound individuals face every day. He’s made the world a better place with his tireless pursuit of making access to public buildings the right of everyone, even the differently-abled. Choosing him would not be a disappointment to the vast majority of Canadians.

Some in the lunatic fringe have suggested David Suzuki – PLEASE! What does this guy have to do with sport? His world wide recognition is based on his tiring assertions of global warming, with its use of suspect science, intimidation and outright lies. His choice would be a distraction, and bottom line, an insult to those involved in sport.

Or how about Pamela Anderson? She is from BC, her sports connection is obvious – Hey she was a Baywatch Babe! A life guard – not a winter sport, but sports, in a way, I guess…. Her appeal would definitely be world wide! But ah no, I don’t think so… a distraction for sure.

So where do we turn? My choice is Betty Fox. Who is she? She is the 72 year old mother of Terry Fox, the one-legged runner who’s Marathon of Hope to raise funds for cancer research, nearly thirty years ago still captures the imagination of Canadians every year. We turn out in droves, to run, walk, or wheel in the annual Terry Fox Runs in almost every city and town in Canada. The annual Terry Fox Run has collected over $400 million dollars for cancer research. His legacy of courage and inspiration is perfect for the Olympics.

If Rick Hansen were beside her, I think that too, would be fitting.

Commentary

Olympic protests

November 16, 2009 Maurice 2 Comments

DOWN with it! Our home province, British Columbia, last week introduced legislation to empower authorities in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler to enter homes and remove or cover up “unauthorized” signs during the Olympic Games. The Miscellaneous Statutes and Amendment Act states such actions can be taken “without the consent of the owner or occupier.” The proposed law would let authorities remove any sign on a person’s residence or property that doesn’t celebrate the Olympics.

This is an outrage! I had been a quiet supporter of the Olympics in Vancouver, even though I frankly couldn’t care less about any of the Olympic sports, including hockey. But I realize that the Games will showcase our great city to the world, and that’s a good thing. Or is it?

I didn’t watch one minute of the recent games in China. Frankly, I think it was wrong to attend the China games. The reason? They do not believe in giving their people the freedom to express themselves, let alone other basic freedoms we take for granted.

And here we have BC following the Chinese example? DISGUSTING!! This is not the way a democracy works. If the politicians in this province pass this legislation, my yard will become an anti-Olympic sign factory. I will fight this fascism til my last breath.

If the police intend to enter my home to remove these signs, I will resist. I will instruct my dog to attack anyone looking to abrogate my right to free speech. I will use force against any invaders of my property.

If this law passes, there will be violence. People will not sit back and let politicians take away rights for which we have fought and died. We fought the fascists in Europe. We will not be cowed by the fascists in suits in our own legislatures!

Commentary

One year to go….

February 12, 2009 Maurice Leave a comment

Well as of today, it is one year to the Olympic Winter Games in February 2010 in Vancouver and Whistler.

Most of the infrastructure is in place. The speed skating oval and most of the skiing venues are being used already.

Today they revealed the torch for the games – a most unusual looking device. Not exactly traditional…

There is a lot of controversy here in town about whether the Games are good for us or not, and you can put me down on record as being in favor of them. I think they will be an economic stimulus for the province, reaching areas the government never can with their stimulus packages.

Sure we’re likely to be carrying some debt, but I really think the Athlete’s Village will be a boon for the city in the long run. And I do think a bunch of the venues will be very well used after the Games are gone.

The speed skating oval, in Richmond, not Vancouver, is really something. It is clearly state of the art, with typically west coast architecture. I’m going to take a drive up there and check it out.

It was originally scheduled to be on UBC land, but I think there was a ruckus from the Native Indians because they claim the land, so they moved it over to Richmond. (I think that’s the story about the oval… certainly could be wrong about that.)