Over and Out

Figure Skating Medalists

The last shift of my Olympic journey is officially over. Bummer. It was really hard to leave the coliseum (PAC) Thursday night; it feels as though I just had my first shift yesterday! Luckily, I got to work inside for my last shift, which was the Ladies free skate. Seeing Joannie Rochette win that bronze medal was a great way to cap-off my time there, even though I had one of the most stressful shifts of this experience! I worked in the section with the $450 seats (translate: ‘elite’/demanding clientele), and there were some broadcast/press seats in my section as well.

The broadcasters and press are an interesting group – they will try and get away with just about anything and do a really good job of convincing you that they have the correct information and you don’t. It’s easy to fall for it here because rules/policies change every 2-3 minutes, and answers always seem to depend on who you ask! But, I stayed firm but polite and throughout this experience, I have learned to pick my battles. I even made friends with a few of the NBC broadcasters; this was the 14th Olympics that one of them had covered! Additionally, this means that I was standing right beside the NBC broadcast booth where I was about 2 feet away from Scott Hamilton – very cool.

Pacific Coliseum: on the ice!

At the end of the night, a few of us volunteers went down to the kiss & cry area, and I made my second attempt at getting my picture taken at centre ice – success!! Just in time before we got kicked off. Definitely one of the most memorable experiences here. AND, I’d like to think that perhaps my standing on the ice had a positive effect on the men’s short track team who skated on it tonight – WOO HOO! Gold, Gold AND Bronze!! Judy and I were at the Great Big Sea medal ceremony at BC Place tonight, which was AMAZING (those boys never fail to disappoint) – but – I did find myself wishing that I had gone down to the coliseum for the short-track events instead. However, as I’ve learned from this adventure – you cannot be in two places at once.

Judy and I walked down to Yaletown after the medal ceremony, which was the same time that the hockey game let out. I would like to think that I’m good with words but, really? There’s nothing I can write here that will capture or describe what the vibe in this city was like tonight. With four medals won today, a forthcoming gold-medal hockey game, AND securing the top-country spot for gold medals – people were in celebration mode! My tolerance for completely obnoxious/drunk people has sky-rocketed since I’ve been in Vancouver, to the point where I can’t imagine what it would be like here without them! Judy and I sat on a heated patio on one of Yaletown’s main streets (Yes – a patio in February : ) and just watched as people danced and partied in the streets, having a great time. We made friends, high-fived all over the place with strangers, and it wasn’t uncommon for chants of “Go Canada Go” to break out completely spontaneously all throughout the night. It even continued when we hopped on the sky train – this group of guys just blew bazooka horns and whistles and yelled “Go Canada!” at the top of their lungs during our entire 15-minute ride home – and no one told them to put a sock in it. Heck – I would have told them to put a sock in it under normal circumstances, but, I loved every minute of it and high-fived them all as we got off the train….these are the moments I will miss the most about being here.

Me and Aunt Judy celebrating Canada's medals on a patio in February!

As this trip winds down, I’m trying to get in a few ‘last’ visits to some places and say some ‘last’ goodbyes to friends, in addition to squeezing in a few of the sights I haven’t seen yet. I met an old high-school friend (Kurt) and his girlfriend today for breakfast at a great little breakfast/brunch spot called Provence Marianside. It was great to catch-up with an old friend out here in Vancouver. I still haven’t been able to get to Grouse Mountain OR the Canadian Mint to see the Olympic medals (lines have been about 5-7 hours long) but Heather and I did make the trek out to the Richmond Oval after breakfast to try and get scalper tickets to today’s team-pursuit event. No luck, as it doesn’t appear the scalpers like to make the long trek out to Richmond. Instead, we hopped back on the Canada Line and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Granville Market. I’d have to say that the market is at the top of my all-time favourite places that I’ve been to/discovered since I’ve been out here. Yet again, it was tough to leave not knowing when I’ll be back for all that fresh food once again…

I’m hoping to squeeze in a trip to the Mint early Sunday morning before the hockey game, and Judy and I are heading out to Victoria for the day. Looking forward to the ferry ride as I’ve heard it’s beautiful.

Let the Sunshine In

Flowers blooming at Gord & Helen's

I cannot get over the amount of sunshine that we’ve seen here over the last few days. I know the mild weather is not good for these winter sporting events and all, but I’m rather enjoying it! Even just the few days of rain we had last week were brutal and miserable, but with the sun out, it brings about a change in attitude and makes Vancouver even more stunning than it has appeared.

Well, that icky sick feeling I was having last night has turned into a full fledged cold and I was NOT feeling good when I woke up this morning; sore throat, stuffy nose, headache – the works. I was glad that I hadn’t planned anything before work today because I needed a morning to sleep in a bit and have some time to just relax. My days have literally been jam-packed full from morning ’til night since I arrived, and as Judy, my spinning instructor says, you have to listen to your body (shout-out to Judy and my spinning crew!) I wish I’d done that a few days ago when I was getting the clear signs to slow down, but I didn’t – and now I’m paying the price.

Sheila, Gabe, Chris, Chris, Wes and Me

Yesterday I was back at work after three days off for events and family/friends visits! Two of my best friends, Gabe and Wes, arrived on Wednesday night so I got up early yesterday to meet them and their friends (Chris, Chris and Sheila) for breakfast at Waterfront. It was great to have a nice big breakfast of bacon, eggs etc. like the Sunday breakfasts I’ve been missing with my friends back home. We also spent some time at the Olympic cauldron and I was able to get some better pictures. Given that Gabe and Wes were only in Vancouver one day before heading up to Whistler, we spent the morning walking around in the beautiful sunny weather and seeing the major sights. We hit Robson Square, Canada Place, the Canadian Mint (they have an exhibit there where you can actually hold a gold medal but the line was 3 hours long! I will DEFINITELY be squeezing this in before I go though!) and the Olympic countdown clock (which is actually counting up now!) We wanted to hit some of the Olympic pavilions but the lines there were enormous as well. If you want to do anything in this city right now, you have to arrive early in the morning if you want to avoid 2-3 hour line-ups!

Me and Luc at spectator plaza - check out our view!

I left Gabe, Wes and the crew at the LiveCity Downtown to head off to work. Have I mentioned the beautiful walk in the sunshine? : ) After a quick call to my Nonna before starting work (it’s been impossible to find time to call home at decent hours!) I met up with Luc and Jodi for the pre-briefing and just my luck – we get assigned outside duty – AGAIN. This time we were working at the ‘plaza’ which is where all the spectators and sponsors arrive. Luc and I (who have become partners in crime) got posted at the sponsor tent so while it was a bit less busy, we also deal with a bit more frustration because there are no x-ray machines, and all bags, coats etc. must be checked manually. Translation: lots of security checks and lines don’t move as quick. But as always, good company and a little bit of sunshine made the time go faster : )

Me and Sara - cold but smiling!

After our dinner break, we were sent back outside where temperatures had dropped drastically. At this point, many of the entrance tents (called PSAs) had closed, and we were WAY overstaffed so there was a bit of milling around. Lucky for us this meant an additional break (we’re usually too busy to take our second breaks) so Luc and I timed it so we were able to catch Patrick Chan skate inside the Coliseum. Very cool, even though he didn’t do as well as we’d hoped. At the end of the night, we were the lucky folks assigned to direct spectators to the buses and sky train – a LONG walk from the actual exit of the coliseum. Luc was the ‘chosen one’ who got to use the megaphone to give directions, while myself and a fellow volunteer, Sara, were directing spectators into the bus line. By this point, we were freezing cold and somewhat delirious so Sara and I were laughing up a storm. I honestly can’t tell you how much the people here make the difference in this job – I’ve been stuck with some not so good people too and it makes me appreciate the fun ones even more. Even though we had a seemingly boring job (standing in the cold and dark, with a flashlight, repeating over and over “Games Express Bus to your right, Downtown bus to your left”) we managed to have a good time. I actually forgot how much I enjoyed working in customer service, and it was fun to joke and chat with the spectators as they were leaving. There were even a few spectators who stopped to thank us volunteers for standing out in the cold and directing people – it’s always nice to know we’re appreciated as the volunteer force here is huge, and we’re working our BUTTS off to make sure that the Games are a success.

When my shift ended at 10:30pm, I went down to Canada Place at the waterfront to meet my aunt Judy so we could take the bus home together, and what a cool vibe down there at night! It’s only a block from the Olympic cauldron and there are tons of people milling around just enjoying the Olympic spirit. I had a short walk from the bus top to waterfront and it was so fun to just people-watch; I’ve had a few of these moments where I’ve caught myself just witnessing the energy of this city and the Olympics, and trying to soak it all in….

Our team enjoying some ice cream in the warm sunshine!

After waking up to a cold but another sunshine day (I am thankful for Advil Cold & Sinus today), Gord dropped me off at Kilarney Community Centre for my shift today, a mere 10 minutes from where I’m staying. Kilarney is where the short track speed skaters are running their practices. What a difference from the Coliseum!! The staff here is very small so everybody knows everyone very well (a big change from the 100-volunteer workforce for each shift at the Coliseum). It’s also much more laid back so not as strict, and fewer access control points. Given the small venue and workforce, it meant we were able to move positions every hour instead of having to be stuck on the same post our whole shift. I got rotated between the check-in desk (inside), the PSA tent (outside), the media access control point and the athlete entrance (both inside the rink). The arena was absolutely FREEZING so today it was actually a nice break to get put outside in the sunshine. It was also great to have a more low-key shift today given that I wasn’t feeling well; things at the coliseum can get really chaotic, but this was the absolute opposite – some of the staff even took time out to visit the ice cream truck that came by!

I have to give props to the security teams that we work with here. Each PSA tent has a volunteer team and a security team. Today when I was working the PSA, the security team caught a gun and a knife through the X-ray machine. Turns out it was just a random security test but they passed with flying colours following all the proper procedures. I’ll admit that I was quite nervous at first when I saw what was going on and found out they caught a gun, because the guy came in as a member of the press. Next thing I know, I see the cops physically handcuffing him and putting him under arrest (our security and police teams don’t know it’s a test until the end of their shift). It’s great to know that VANOC is doing random checks to ensure tight security at all their venues.

I was lucky enough to be inside the arena to watch the Chinese skaters do their training, as well as to watch the Canadian short track team warming up. It was all I could do NOT to take pictures!!! (They are very strict about this – especially with the athletes). At one point, I was standing about a foot away from our silver medalist, Marianne St-Gelais as well as Tania Vincent and Kalyna Roberge. AMAZING. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe I’m here. Watching the short track skaters train was incredible. We were right up at the ice and you can hear the edges of the blades across the ice and really feel the speed they’re going at; a lot harder to grasp on TV or in the stands. It has been a super exciting sport to witness and I find it much more entertaining than the long track skating.

But, one of the best perks of my shift tonight? I won two tickets to the Medal Ceremony at BC Place the night that Great Big Sea is playing (Feb 26)! For those of you who don’t know, I am a HUGE Great Big Sea fan. I wanted to get tickets to this ceremony before even coming out here, but it was the first one to sell out. At the end of each shift, we can fill out a little quiz for a prize and I’ve NEVER bothered to fill out before. But, when I heard what the prize was, I thought “Why not?” Funnily enough, my name was actually drawn for the consolation prize (an Olympic mug) but the real prize-winner was not going to be able to make the ceremony/concert and so by default – I got the tickets!! So excited, and a great way to end my time in Vancouver.

I got home just in time tonight to finally witness Canada win a gold medal LIVE!! Yay for Jon Montgomery! I’m so proud of how our athletes are performing here. Virtue and Moir are also 2nd after the compulsory dance so I’m hoping I might be lucky enough to see their next skate on Sunday INSIDE the coliseum.

Now, off to bed to shake this cold. REALLY hoping a good night’s sleep will do the trick so I can catch Charles Hamlin’s race tomorrow…

View of North Vancouver near the Olympic Cauldron

International Brodcasting Centre near Canada Place

Some great sponsor ads all over Vancouver

Game On

Well, I’m sure there are glamorous volunteer jobs at the Olympics. Today, mine was not one of them! I will not complain because I am so happy to be part of this experience and intend to make the best of every situation but – I have promised to share the good, bad and the ugly on my blog here!

Today my day started with a wake-up call at 3:30am, in time to leave by 4:15 to get to my venue for my first shift at 4:45am. All I could think of when my alarm went off was: “Thank GOD they changed the rest of my 5am shifts to afternoons!” Luckily, my adrenaline was going and I had butterflies in my stomach like I used to get on the first day of school. I checked-in for my shift and made a stop a the Workforce Break Room, where we always have free coffee, tea, snacks etc. I  randomly sat down at table with two other volunteers and boy, did I make a good choice! Luc (a 42-year old partner at an accounting firm in Montreal – hilarious guy!) and Jodi, a mom of two, dental hygenist from North Vancouver; the three of us pretty much became the three musketeers for the rest of the day, and thank goodness for it…

Jodi, Luc and I got posted with a couple of other volunteers at one of the PSA tents (Pedestrian Screening Area). It’s our job to work with the security team at each PSA tent to check and scan accreditation for workforce, volunteers, athletes, media etc. Working in the dark, damp, cold wasn’t all that pleasant – I’m not going to lie – and that’s petty much what we did ALL DAY LONG. It also started to rain (after all these nice sunny days!) which did not help matters, given that I had not dressed appropriately to work outside. Additionally, competition hasn’t started yet so traffic through the PSAs was not busy at all, so there was not much to do to keep us occupied and warm. Luckily, Luc, Jodi and I were determined to make the best of it and did our best to stay laughing all day. We also had a great Team Leader today (Jared) who played along with us. Unfortunately, there were some other volunteers who did not adopt the same attitude and were miserable all shift. Sure, it was not pleasant to be bored for 8 hours in the freezing cold and I felt like being miserable too, but – we just kept reminding ourselves that the best is yet to come! Once competition begins on Saturday, we’ll be seeing a huge change of pace and traffic and I’m sure we’ll be longing for a ‘dead’ day like today. Additionally, we found out that typically we will get rotated between 1 shift/day outside and then 2 days inside, which was a huge relief. Jodi, Luc and I joked with Jared that the three of us come as a trio from now on

I did get posted inside Pacific Coliseum for about 20 minutes today and when Jared brought me in to show me around, he took me over to the top of the rink so I could see the field of play. For an Olympics junkie like me, this took my breath away. The speed skating team was just off the ice and the zamboni was going over the “Vancouver 2010″ logo at centre ice. I got the chills thinking about everything that’s about to go down on that ice over the next few weeks…SO amazing. I was posted in the lower area of the arena, controlling an access point near the print press area. As I got posted, the Canadian Short Track Speed Skating team was just getting off the ice to go through the media ramp…it was very cool!

When our shift finally ended at 3:00pm, I went with Jared and Luc over to BC Place to get our seats for the Opening Ceremonies Dress Rehearsal. Even though it was pouring rain by this point in the day, the spirit of the Smurf Squad was everywhere as almost all volunteers were heading down for this event. I don’t even know how to sum-up the feeling inside that stadium when everything got underway. We found out that we were experiencing a REAL dress rehearsal – the last of three that was taking place. This means that we got to see ALL of the HEADLINE PERFORMERS!!! I’m not going to spoil it for those of you that want to be surprised, but you won’t be disappointed (no Nickelback and no Celine Dion….some of you will be happy about that).

Once things got started and the RCMP mounties carried the Canadian Flag across the white stadium floor, my Aunt Judy and I looked at each other in complete disbelief and just started to tear up. It was hard to believe we were finally here and being in a crowd that huge, with so many proud Canadians – it was hard not to get emotional. The flag went up and the tears literally started streaming down my face (this will not surprise those of you who know me!!) Throughout the rest of the night, there were some amazing performances by quintessential Canadian musicians, and some of the effects are just incredible – mind-blowing! I’ll be honest in saying that it doesn’t beat the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing (I’m not sure anything will!) but it certainly did in the sense that the Canadian pride is all over this ceremony – I hope that everyone enjoys watching it on TV, as much as I enjoyed watching it live! I plan to go down to LiveCity Downtown to watch it again on Friday with a crowd of people (including Jonathan and Terri).

The ONLY thing we didn’t get to see tonight were the torch bearers and the lighting of the cauldron – this is top secret so we’ll see it with everyone else on Friday. AND – my first celebrity sighting!!! We saw Brian Williams heading into the media tent after the rehearsal. Have to say, I’m still bummed CBC did not get the bid for this Olympics, given how truly “Canadian” it is, however – I’m pulling for CTV to do us proud and hope to catch some of Brian’s broadcasts in Vancouver.

Unfortunately, no pictures to add to the post today. I left my camera at home for fear that I’d be tempted to use it on my shift (not allowed while we’re in uniform) and/or it would get confiscated going through security at BC Place. However, I’ll probably bring it next time because some the pictures I really wanted to capture happened when I was off shift. Looking forward to my next shift on Saturday – 1:30 – 9:00pm for the first day of competition!

Feeling Settled

It would appear that my Olympics work schedule is, at last, finalized. I started at BC Place, got moved to Pacific Coliseum, had to rearrange shifts that conflicted with my events tickets, had to remove my 5am shifts due to lack of transportation, had to, once again, request a change for shifts that interfered with events tickets, and FINALLY have a schedule that works.

The whole process of requesting changes to my schedule was making me incredibly nervous – I did not want to seem difficult but everytime I requested a change, they would forget to take into account my availability (which I had given them several times). There are only 3 days out of the 24 that I am not available to work and inevitably, those were the days I kept getting scheduled. I was certain that at any second they were going to move me to another venue, or just say “This girl’s not worth it!” and withdraw my volunteer offer. I was even willing to sell one of my events tickets when I got scheduled to work the same event, just to avoid having to request another schedule change! But, turns out that my family had given me an early Christmas present and upgraded that particular ticket (Pairs Figure Skating final) to one of the better seats in the house! (Thanks guys!)

Anyway, now that everything is sorted out, I’m feeling more settled and reassured that I’m not going to lose my offer – LOL. I’m starting to get really excited too, and am thinking about all the little things that I need to get in order before I go. Mostly, figuring out what I need to pack! I know that as soon as January 1st hits, the time is going to fly by – 54 days to go!!

Back On (Short) Track

Whew! I am feeling a ton of relief right now.

I have been reassigned (again!) New venue? Pacific Coliseum. For those that don’t know, Pacific Coliseum is where both the Short Track Speed Skating and Figure Skating events take place. Honestly? This could not be better for me. These are the two sports that I was the most excited to see at the Olympics, and two of the three events that I have tickets for (the third being hockey). AMAZING! If I had to give up a position at BC Place for the Opening/Closing Ceremonies and Medal Ceremonies, this venue was definitely my second choice. I feel so lucky and am so relieved that everything worked itself out (and so quickly!)

I should get my schedule early next week….can’t wait!