Time For The Circus To Move On

Hard to believe that on 21 March at the conclusion of the Paralympic Games it will all be over.

Vancouver’s Olympic Games started with the horrifying death of an athlete and was followed by a series of glitches, none of which was lost on the British press. That venerable institution, The Times ridiculed Canada’s “Calamity Games”, but as time went on was forced to soften its tone as the Games got into stride. The rest, of course, is history.

And then there is Sochi, the Black Sea port city that will host the next Winter Olympics in 2014. Russia, uncharacteristically, had a poor medal showing at the Vancouver Games with the Russian President abruptly cancelling a scheduled visit to the closing ceremony, apparently in disgust. Their hockey team’s showing must have been the final straw.

“The Canadians came on to the ice like gorillas out of a cage” – supposedly a quote from the Russian goaltender. Canada won convincingly and the Russian superstars looked as though they were in shock.

Many of the Russian contingent I met in Vancouver didn’t smile a lot or spend much time on the usual pleasantries. In fact it became a bit of a game for me, as I tried to make eye contact and get a smile. The day of the Canada/Russia hockey game I smiled to those who met my gaze and muttered “Go Canada Go ---- but may the best team win”. Not much reaction.

The next morning I saw the same group of people, and one of the more stoic, took my arm and squeezed it slightly – “Your team better” he grimaced seriously.

Science World was Sochi House for the duration of the Games. The line up for the pavilion was long but people around us chatted amiably. It was a Spring-like day and there was lots to talk about as we slowly reached the entrance.

Once inside a young lady explained where Sochi was – most of the crowd didn’t seem to realize it was on the Black Sea. Movies were being shown, in Russian. Folk singers were in full voice, entertaining an appreciative crowd.

And then we went to the shop where official, and extraordinarily expensive, Russian team merchandize was on sale.

One of the other “must sees” during the Olympics was the Russian tall ship Kruzenshtern docked at Lonsdale Quay.

The Kruzenshtern, built in Germany in 1926, is one of the tallest sailing ships in the world and had to enter Vancouver's inner harbour at low tide.

This enormous vessel was absolutely magnificent and the Vancouver skyline provided a stunning backdrop that sunny afternoon. And yet while ship tours were being offered little English was spoken.

What a missed opportunity to learn more about one another - some good old fashioned PR would definitely have helped the cause.

So as the Olympic flag was passed between Vancouver and Sochi Mayors and the Moscow State Chamber Choir sang a stirring rendition of the Russian Federation anthem, I wondered what the next few years would bring as Sochi, and London, prepare for their "big shows".

When the circus comes to their respective towns in 2012 and 2014 I wish London and Sochi well - in their hearts they know that Vancouver 2010 set the gold standard and will be a very hard act to follow.

Golden Moments, All Fourteen Of Them

When Alexandre Bilodeau won gold in the men's moguls, you could almost feel the collective relief expressed by every Canadian - finally the curse of Canada never having won gold on home soil had been lifted.

And indeed it would have been soil had the Organizing Committee not been forced to truck in snow from Manning Park to keep winter on Cypress Mountain, fighting nature and one of the warmest winters on record. But they did it.

And the gold medals kept on coming.

But perhaps the sweetest golden moment of all was on the final afternoon of the Games.

The gold medal hockey game was the one we desperately wanted to win and if Canada had only managed to win one gold throughout the entire Games, this had to be it.

Canada's progress to the final game had been a nail-biting experience and this did not let up. As we watched Canada battle the USA in the winner take all final, stress levels mounted. And when the TV ratings were revealed it appears that practically everyone in the country had been compelled to stop what they were doing to watch and will the right outcome.

During a break in the coverage a panoramic view of Vancouver flashed across the screen and the announcer remarked on the eerie quietness of the city that sunny Sunday afternoon - where were all the people he pondered - where do you think .....

Thank you to the hockey gods for putting us out of our misery, even though the game went to sudden death overtime!

It was a fitting end to what had been a wonderful Winter Games on so many levels.

The zip trek lines that started before six in the morning, three hours before opening time at Robson Square.

Hudson's Bay Fever, as people lined three and four deep around the store to purchase their Olympic merchandise - who could leave town without a pair of those iconic red mittens.

Three to eight hour long waits, depending upon your line-up strategy, to get into the Mint's medal room to see and touch the Olympic and Paralympic medals.

The medals, worth about $1.8 million, based on current metal prices, depict contemporary First Nations artwork of an orca and a raven. Each medal is one of a kind, displaying a section from the artwork. Picking the medals up with special cotton gloves, we were surprised to find them heavy, wavy and spectacular.

In our easy going city, where walking along the seawall near Science World - or Sochi House during the Games - two familiar faces passed us in Team Sweden uniforms - Messrs Sedin and Ohlund were deep in conversation. But no one paid attention to these beloved hockey stars, how very Canadian.

The friendliness of the horses and the riders in Canada's fabled RCMP musical ride - one of the highlights of Surrey's Olympic Celebration Site at Holland Park.

And the sea of red and white everywhere, impromptu renditions of our National anthem and street hockey games that seemed to break out in exuberant moments of pure joy as another medal was nailed down by Team Canada (in addition to 14 gold, we managed 7 silver and 5 bronze medals).

Even our financial institutions jumped on the bandwagon with this amusing banner - and yes - RRSP deadline is looming fast.

Neil Young's "Long May You Run" was a fitting refrain as the Olympic flame was extinguished during the Closing Ceremony at BC Place. The flame in the cauldron on the waterfront expired at the same time - people remarked that if you had blinked you would have missed the moment.

And then the spectacle was over and it was time to draw breath on this escape from our collective realities.

To our Canadian Olympic athletes, you did us proud. Thank you. Now it's time for our Paralympians to take centre stage and compete for their own golden moments. I can hardly wait.

Not Very Canadian, Eh?

The Olympic Cauldron will become a permanent landmark on Vancouver's waterfront after the Winter Games are over at the end of February.

A magnificent structure in a spectacular setting – no doubt about that.

The Olympic flame which Wayne Gretzky used to ignite the outside cauldron (a ceremonial cauldron was also lit within BC Place Stadium) began its journey to Canada from Olympia, Greece some months ago after much pomp and ceremony.

After its arrival in Canada, the flame journeyed across the country and back through the longest domestic torch relay in the history of the Olympic Games. The relay inspired many – embodying the purpose of the Olympic flame – which is supposedly an ancient representation of peace, friendship and brotherhood.

Watching much of this activity on television, we were keen to see the Cauldron aflame for ourselves and savour the moment but were disappointed to find it secured by ugly chain link fencing.

Everyone around us hoping for that experience too also expressed their disappointment. All resorted to using what means they could to get a picture through the fencing.

“Its those protesters, they spoil it for everyone” was the explanation of the sole RCMP officer on the other side of the fence - a delightful lady from Halifax whose temporary home along with the other security forces is one of the cruise ships docked at Ballantyne Pier.

In one of life's ironies that day I mention “The Mechanics of Man” Leonardo Da Vinci’s priceless pen and ink drawings of the human body. These 500 year old drawings are part of Queen Elizabeth’s permanent collection at Windsor Castle and on loan to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Apparently Da Vinci’s drawings are still used as reference in sports medicine today – such is their intricacy. And we were able to get up close and personal, touching - admittedly through glass - but nevertheless feeling as though a connection could be made with the creations of a genius.

No such connection could be made at the site of the Olympic Cauldron though.

The chain link fence isn’t the Berlin Wall - but really - it has to come down. What are we afraid of with all that security in town. This IS Canada after all!

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

When I was a kid, the whole family loved Rolf Harris, an Australian who entertained through his clever cartoons, creative murals, songs and storytelling. One of his songs, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport was a big hit in the 1960s.

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport tells a sardonic story about an Australian stockman on his deathbed and has become an Australian anthem right up there with Waltzing Matilda.

So, imagine the furor when Team Australia hoisted another of its country's icons on the balcony of their home for the Winter Games in the Olympic Village - the Boxing Kangaroo.

The International Olympic Committee was not impressed and verbally ordered the team to remove the offending banner citing it as "an inappropriate commercial trademark".

The official response from Team Australia was that the kangaroo would stay, at least until a formal letter was received from the IOC.

With the gauntlet dropped, the incident has become a rallying cry with all sorts of people stepping into the fray. Many have offered their opinions, all in favour of the Australian point of view, and some not too polite. As I sipped my morning coffee I found myself bursting into laughter when I heard my favourite retort from an unhappy Australian - "The Kangaroo stays Jacques, put that in your Belgian pipe and smoke it".

Whatever the outcome of the boxing kangaroo debacle, I hope it softens the hearts of those who are indifferent about the Winter Olympics and spurs them on to enjoy the Games, just seven days away.

So tie the kangaroo down, the fight isn't over yet. At half time it was Australia 1, IOC nil.

When the final whistle blew, the Aussies were victorious. The result - a TKO.

Let It Snow .... Please

While alpine skiing, bobsleigh, luge, skeleton, biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined events and ski jumping will take place at venues in Whistler, Blackcomb and Callaghan Valley, Cypress Provincial Park in West Vancouver - just half an hour from downtown - will host freestyle skiing (aerials, moguls, ski cross) and snowboard (half pipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboard cross).

Snow has been plentiful in the Whistler region several hours away from downtown Vancouver, but there is some nail biting going on at Cypress right now.

It had been a promising start to the winter on the local mountains with a good snow base forming until January brought milder temperatures and rain, lots of it.

Cypress Bowl is an attractive location for freestyle and snowboard events, but with an elevation of 915 Meters the snow level slowly dissipated as the rain persisted.

Extreme measures were warranted to ensure the events would go ahead as planned.

At the end of January we had an opportunity to see first hand the herculean efforts underway – helicopters had been airlifting in straw to form a strong base for the runs while large vehicles trucked in snow from higher elevations, and from further afield.

Cats groomed the slopes and gravel was brought in to smooth the way for spectator walkways which should have been hard packed snow.

The two temporary stadiums draped in Olympic colours stood empty in anticipation. The athletes say they are used to competing in poor snow conditions and seemed unfazed. So long as the runs are properly prepared they will go for it, even though the terrain around them could well be bare.

A little snow from natural sources, would however be appreciated in the next week or so. Is there such a thing as a snow dance?

Fourteen Days To Go!

The draping was underway in earnest and I found myself fascinated as I walked along Georgia Street to Burrard during that last week of January. The Olympic drapings were bold and colourful, somehow giving the city another dimension.

The Olympic clock that had been silently counting down the days since Vancouver-Whistler was awarded the 21st Winter Olympics in 2003 reminded me that it was just fourteen days to go until the show begins – the circus was indeed coming to town.

I felt a sense of anticipation, excitement and pride.

It didn’t feel like winter and those iconic red mittens weren’t needed today. January had been unseasonably warm and the North Shore Mountains which peeked though the breaks in the office towers of downtown were short of the white stuff.

While Whistler and Blackcomb had plenty of snow, a powdering of the local mountains over the next ten days would be nice – just enough to dress everything up for all those visitors to the region and the millions and millions of television viewers.

We are looking forward to the Games and hope to have stories to tell about the people we meet and their impressions of our city.

And of course not forgetting the purpose of it all - our athletes - Go Canada Go!

Olympic Gold

Why do countries want to host the Olympic Games?

Even before a city is awarded the Games there is considerable cost associated with marketing, travel and the endless effort - for what? Permission to host a sporting extravaganza for a few weeks.

The lead up to the Games involves massive investment in infrastructure - creating an athletes village, building new sports facilities and upgrading existing ones - all costing billions of dollars that many feel could be better spent on other things. Who pays - you do, I do, we all do.

When the Winter Games comes in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010 our communities will be crowded. There will be traffic chaos and security will be tight. Forget making a dinner reservation at your favourite restaurant or going for a solitary stroll along the waterfront. Hassles or not, it begs the question - why?

Everyone has a view on whether the Olympics are a good thing or not. Personally, I believe its the best thing that could possibly happen for our community and indeed our country. It is about being part of history. Who would have heard of places like Lake Placid, Lillehammer, Nagano or Albertville before the winter Olympics came to town.

Since Athens hosted the first modern summer Olympics in 1896 almost every two years the world has come together for this extraordinary event.Today the Olympics are a celebration of more than 200 countries, providing an opportunity for mankind to learn from one another. The Olympics are a conduit for excellence, fairness and mutual respect. They bring us together as citizens of the world, giving us a window through which to witness not only the victories and the close calls but also to celebrate every athlete and their personal road toward the Olympic dream.

Remember the 1960 summer Olympics in Rome. Here a 19 year old Cassius Clay danced like a butterfly but stung like a bee to take Olympic gold and shoot to stardom. Sprinter Wilma Rudolph took three gold medals and what an incredible inspiration she was. One of 22 children she couldn't even walk without braces until she was nine years old. Rome also showcased other stars like barefooted Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila.

Olga Korbut stunned us all in Munich in 1972 with a sensational routine on the uneven parallel bars. Back home in Belarus she received so much fan mail that the post office had to assign a special clerk to sort it out. Four years later at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal a fourteen year old Romanian Nadia Comaneci dazzled everyone on the balance beam performing pirouettes and back flips on a piece of equipment that measured four inches across. She achieved a perfect ten from the judges, becoming the first gymnast in history to know what it was like to be judged a perfect 10.

Sarajevo in 1984 when British ice dancers Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean captivated everyone with a sensual interpretation of Bolero (Ravel) - it was breathtaking to watch.

What about Canada's first Winter Olympics in Calgary in 1988 - dubbed the Friendly Games? There were certainly some characters there with an Olympic dream - like the Jamaican bobsled team. And who could forget Eddie Edwards, the inept British ski jumper who earned the nickname Eddie the Eagle. He finished dead last in his events but won the hearts of everyone for his spirit. At the closing ceremony the IOC President said of Calgary's Olympics people set new goals, created new world records and some even flew like an eagle.

In 2002 in Salt Lake City Canada's men's and women's hockey teams became Olympians, wowing us with their performance and filling us with National pride. I will bet that not one NHL hockey player would have traded his gold medal for a Stanley Cup ring.

How much time, commitment and effort does it take for an athlete to reach the peak of their sport to be ready for the challenge when the Olympic starting pistol fires or whistle blows. To have participated at all is the thing. Few have the opportunity to stand atop the podium while their National anthem plays.

While the overall good of the Olympic spirit cannot be denied, there is also a dark side - cheating, biased judging and political interference. Who can forget when Ben Johnson won the 100 meters in a stunning 9.79 seconds at the Seoul Olympics. Three days later, stripped of his gold medal he was on his way home in disgrace after testing positive for anabolic steroids, putting a black mark on the sport and on Canada.

There have been many other dark moments in Olympic history like the Munich terrorist attack on the Israeli team.

At the 1936 Olympics awarded to Berlin before Hitler came to power, it provided the perfect opportunity to showcase Nazi Germany. Germany's athletic superstar of the day was Lutz Lang, a brilliant long jumper. But African American, Jesse Owens caused the upset, winning four track and field gold medals, breaking 11 records and defeating Lang in a very close long jump final. Hitler refused to hang the medals around Owens neck.

There has also been poor behaviour from those appointed to oversee fairness - like the French judge in Salt Lake City in 2002 who temporarily denied Canadians David Pelletier and Jamie Sale their golden moment.

We were in Sydney, Australia a year after their summer Games. During a tour of the Sydney Opera House our guide talked about how Australians had embraced the Olympic Games. He said that, like the Opera House, there had been loud opposition because of the cost as well as opposition from environmental groups. But he added with a smile that when the traditional relay of runners bearing the Olympic torch approached Sydney’s outer limits it was as though a blanket of universal acceptance cloaked the country, growing into wild enthusiasm.

So my question to you is - where will you be on 12 February 2010 when the host country's team enters the Olympic stadium at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I am confident that wherever you are, you will never forget that moment.

Olympic Gold was written in June 2005 as material for a Toastmaster Speech the purpose of which was to inspire the audience