02.26.2010 - Day 16 - Almost time to leave

Early breakfast at the hotel and off to curling with Anna to see the Bronze medal game.

We got lost but made our way there. We watched China pull out a win over the Swiss and took Anna over to the curling store to go shopping. At the curling store we ran into John's sponsor Erin (on the CA men's curling team) and an autographed jersey that we got to try on! Thanks Erin!

We also met the Silver Curling medalist from Nagano. I will have to look up his name later...

We ran over to Canada Place after and met Johnny and a friend to watch the USA play Finland in men's hockey. After the game we met Johnny at the hotel and I was off to Gibson. The ferry wasn't till 5pm so we went and had a pop at the local stop. I wish I would have had more time to visit longer and see the sights in the daytime. We went over on the ferry and I got to visit with Mary Jo, her Mom and Johnny for a bit before Johnny dropped me at the ferry to get home. Good people.

I took the ferry and jumped on a bus to get back to the hotel. It went pretty smooth and dropped me just a few blocks from the hotel.

Found out when I got back that our 10am meeting was changed to 8:30am for group photos at the rink. Early to bed.

02.20.2010 - Day 10 - Family goes home (Seattle)

Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting in group and reviews in crews.
Mom, Dad, Katie, Ava and Cory stop by the hotel on the way back to Seattle, but there are extra game tickets to the 2:30pm game, so they delay their departure. Note: they are picking up a duffel bag that I purchased full of stuff; extra set of equipment and souvenir things.
I do some things around the hotel, run for a quick shopping trip with Anna and meet the family at the China vs. Swiss game. Ava is cheering for the team China because they are red and her new favorite color (in addition to the pink and purple) is red. After the game Anna and I walk them back to their mini van and see them off. Ava told me she wanted me to come home with her. Anna was a super trooper taking a ton of photos of us, in hopes of a good Christmas card photo, she was a ton of fun to hand out with!

... so you will most likely see one of the following on your Christmas card this coming year:)Anna and I caught the shuttle back to the hotel and catch a group leaving for the medal ceremonies at BC Place so we tag with. We get into the VIP section and have free food and beverages plus media area, box seating. The main reason the trip was made was to see the Great Britain female skeleton athlete receive her gold medal; one of the officials, Joy, is from GB. We only saw the medals being given out on the screen as all of them were presented in Whistler today; we will have to get back for another with live presentation. This ceremony was followed by a concert: Stereo Phoenix (not the name of the surround system) from Whales.

We ran into some of the male officials at BC Place, who had come from the Hockey House and were told it was easy to get in and get passes so we headed over there. We got past the main gatekeeper, but were stopped as you need a pass to get into each room and were denied. We walked back and Anna and I broke from the group and hit the official Olympic store; still no mittens. There is a coke pin you can buy off the wall of pins, you get your photo taken with the torch and then they put the sticker photo of you on the pin. We then walked back to the hotel and I ran into Mr. Matt and Anika in the lobby. A large group of us walked to Moxie's to eat and some of us went home after the food and I am heading to bed.

02.16.2010 - Day 6 - More Hockey!

Got up and went to breakfast at the hotel with the other officials. (This is going to happen most days...)
9.30 meeting to go over games as a group and then in small groups (crew the worked the game, back-up referee and goal judges; only for Canada games).
Ran, lifted arms and did abs.
Walked to Canada Place, the big rink, where the men played today. By the time I walked there, about 15 blocks and figured out that I was outside BC Place, which is where the opening ceremonies and medal ceremonies are held, but not hockey. So I walked another 5 blocks around the gates and over the bridge (check the security set up below), just next door, to Canada Place and caught the 3rd period of the USA vs. Swiss game then walked back and shopped on the way.I I dropped my stuff at the room and took a van back with the two men's NHL supervisors and watched the 1st two periods of the Canada vs. Norway game. Walked back to the hotel again with Meg and Leah and took the shuttle with Meg to UBC to watch the first two periods of the women's China vs. Finland game. Back to the hotel with a quick stop at Tim Horton's for milk and into be early.

Somewhere in there I got a photo taken with Tim, Rooney and the torch...
Lots of good hockey!

02.14.2010 - Day 4 - Family is here!

Met down for breakfast at the hotel with the crew and picked up game tickets for the USA (12) vs. China (1) game; the deal is the crew working gets first dibs on the tickets and we can use the left overs if needed. The good news is the family got to watch a hockey game the bad news is that I work the home country, Canada, tomorrow there are no comp tickets available and the people outside the rink wanted $300 a ticket! (Ben; I don't think that I will have much luck with the men's gold medal tickets... sorry...) Finland (5) played Russia (1) in the late game today.

Met Mom, Katie, Ava and Cory out front and had a harder time, but finally found Dad and we watched the game together. Ava loved chanting USA and dancing to Beyonce's single ladies and later telling everyone that she watched her auntie on the ice, but auntie did not skate today at the game. Joe Biden, US Vice-President was at the game and got booed when on the jumbo-tron. As you can see Cory brought the super duper lens, we rented, so that we can look like we were really close to the Vice-Pres.

We went and saw some of the things going on downtown, visited the Olympic Store and had a nice dinner at the Keg. Yes Adam, I said the Keg:)

Back in the hotel early and to bed so I can be fresh for the morning meeting and game.

The hotel internet connection is super slow and choppy so uploading pictures is not always working...