We're feeling pretty healthy here but many are developing nasty sore thumbs due to rapid fire channel flipping to catch everything.
It looked like the winter Olympics, on the mountain at least. Vancouver lost it's bright cloudless blue skies to show what west coast "normally" looks like at this time of the year. On Cypress Mountain, fat snowflakes obstructed the habitual clear view of the skiers as they blasted away in the skicross competition. If our vision was unclear, imagine skiing down the hill really fast, in a predetermined path with jumps and banked turns. There are 3 other skiers beside you who are doing the same thing, trying to catch the best line down, the inside turn or the faster flat snow off the humps so they can pass you. It finishes off from a very steep jump that most of us wouldn't dare ski off. They don't have windshield wipers on their goggles.
Ashleigh was the 2009 World Champion in this discipline and she did not disappoint the crow. She took control from the start and finished off that last jump with the Olympic rings underneath her, a perfect tuck to land in a sea of red screaming fans, including her parents. Gold. Maelle Ricker had nailed Gold on the same course, in beautiful sunny conditions though, in the snowboard cross competition last week. It seems like forever in the past now. Time is a bizarre measure here as most have no idea how long we've been here for.
I loved Ashleigh's description of her event given on CTV a mere few hours after the win. She says skicross has existed forever. "It's what all of us have been doing for years as kids skiing together and seeing who gets to the bottom first". It's a perfect analogy. It's what people do on every ski hill and hopes they don't get thrown off and lose their lift pass. They're the ones safe skiers like us see blast down in a tuck and cut us off while we're trying to be safe. We all say : "Hey, you crazy fool...". Then they grow up and win Gold Medals!
Although it would have been better to get to bed, we heard there was a skicross party at one of the downtown clubs that evening. They were all celebrating the end of the competition and Ashleigh would be there with her medal. So we went over at about 11:30. The place was packed!!! You could barely move, tons of people were wearing Canadian regalia and everyone trying to get a picture with Ashleigh. I never got close (and I didn't bring my camera) and after about an hour we returned to the Village. I guess I like the quiet more than the club scene.
That was a brief experience of the "Olympic experience". The Games go on, people win, some lose, there is training, there is competing, there are meetings, you eat you sleep...and there is the partying. Vancouver has taken on these Games with intensity from all sides. The streets are packed with revellers every evening. Every day is like New Year's eve in Times Square. People are really enjoying these Games. It's called Olympic fever and it is contagious. I hear of some family and friends who had not made plans to come close to this place and now are unable to resist and simply pack up and show up. Hopefully get in some venues with last minute sale of tickets.
Don't even try to go to HBC downtown to get some Olympic clothing. At 7 pm last evening, there was still a line up to get into the store. It wrapped around the corner! There's a line up from opening to closing. You could be there for over an hour.
Joannie was on ice this evening.What a warm welcome she received at the PNE venue. She skated a great program and, as we all saw, broke down in tears upon finishing. We don't have to ask. We all know where those tears came from. Skaters' emotions often run high and will frequently have tears at their finish. It may be because they nailed a fantastic performance , think Scott and Tessa the other night. It may be because they had a fall or made mistakes they can't go back and correct and are disappointed. For Joannie, I am sure it was related to the absence of her mother for her performance. She has been strong but what a difficult period she is experiencing. The height of her competitive career at the Olympics in her own country and the loss of her mother.
Everyone is talking about "the Guys" game. We all know they're talking about the men's hockey game against the Germans. We have won decisively. 8-2. No questions regarding who was the better team. Today is serious: the Russians. Oveshkin and Crosby. Wonder what you'll be doing at 7:30 tonight........
Big events like hockey unfortunately take away from some really good stuff occurring all over the place, hence the sore thumbs on the TV remote. We have Canada 1 and Canada 2, women's 2 man (...now that's an odd name for their sport.....) bobsleigh. We are in 1st and fourth after 2 heats. Finals tonight.
Busy day ahead. Are you getting any work done?
(borrowed picture as I wasn't at the venue. It's Ashleigh's coach showing a little enthusiasm after as Ashleigh just won Gold)
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