02.21.2010 - Day 11 - 2nd Day off!

The buzz today is the men's USA vs. Canada game to be played at 14.30...
Went to breakfast down in the hotel; no meeting today.
Went with MA down to the ticket booth on Howe Street, but there wasn't much of anything available. While we were in line we talked to a guy who said at the curling venue there were many tickets for sale, so we headed over there. We took the Subway and walked about 15 mins after getting off through some beautiful houses. We were told by the guy who grooms the curling ice that the scalper tickets are sometimes cancelled when you get up to the ticket door so we checked with the booth outside the venue and scored tickets to the 9-12 session on the 23rd.
We headed back into town did some laundry in the tub and caught a ride to Canada Place. I was 1.5 hours early for the USA vs. Canada game and had to wait in line on the 2nd floor to get into the 4th floor VIP area that didn't open till an hour before the game. This was the line outside...
I hung out in line with Sebastien from Rona and we stood in the back (as the stools were gone) and I joined forces with some Americans from Coke; Matt and Scott who told me I was the Lindsey Vohn of hockey officials, but they didn't have pins:) The game was a nail biter, but the US pulled it off and won 5-3.

Photo with Jarmo
I ran into Anika and we went downstairs to the officials lounge, she showed me where the officials room is for tomorrow and we hit the store at the rink, again. We went back up and secured our spot for the Sweden (3) Finland (0) game. While we were there we talked to Bengt Walden (USA Luge), Nate Holland (USA Snowboard Cross -4th place), and Marco Sullivan (USA Alpine Skiing). The Swedish King, Queen and Prince were there; Anika pointed them out as well as the Finish president.

Walked back to the hotel with Anika and into bed; game day tomorrow.

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.

02.19.2010 - Day 9 - Day off in Whistler

Breakfast at the hotel.

Left on a 9am bus for Whistler that Joy set up with our new friends at the City of Vancouver for a fee. We took the scenic, winding, 2 hour trip up and the weather was perfect and clear. Our first task was purchasing tickets for the gondola that took us up the mountain for the photos; beautiful!

MN Connection

Taylor over the years has taught me how to take "proper" photos!

The Whistler village was packed with people.

Got down off the mountain and walked around a bit in the Whistler Village before heading back to downtown Vancouver.

I tried to purchase tickets for curling on Sunday as on the Internet there were some available, that we couldn't book online, but they were gone before I got there. I did run into a woman, who totally ripped me off and sold me medal ceremony tickets for a bundle...

Met up with Cory and we walked down to the torch and waited in line about an hours to take photos above it. We also took a long walk down to the other side of the harbor and found a dark chocolate, strawberry crepe on the way back.

02.18.2010 - Day 8 - A day with Cory

Went down to breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting with group at 9.30 and crew review (we got our review from Jarmo last night right after the game).
Met up with Cory and walked to Canada Place and watched the men's USA vs. Norway game. We bought a jersey for Dwight and walked back to the hotel.
Ava is not feeling good she has a cough and had a fever last night, Dad went golfing and Mary Jo is recovering from her knee surgery, yesterday, that she waited 3 years on a list for surgery so they are staying at the house today.
Walked around a bit, shopped and got Cory some Sushi. Went back to the hotel to dump the stuff we purchased, including a duffel bag for me to send home with Cory loaded with stuff.

The small covered outdoor open skating rink in the square with the orca boni and the referee patrolling the skaters.
People gathering everywhere to see the Olympics on TV; this is in the middle of the mall...
Cory took off to the men's game Slovakia vs. Russia and I shopped on the way back to my meeting at the hotel with the girls crew. After our football meeting cut short we walked to the concert that Joy set up for us to get into; only it started at 8pm and the last act went on at 9:15 and according to the security guard the fireworks are even over! Then back to the hotel and into bed. We will be taking a 9am bus to Whistler tomorrow to see the sites.
We received our game assignments for the next few days; tomorrow off for all and I skate again on the 22nd Canada vs. Finland at 17.05 (Vancouver time) with Nicole (Germany) and Malena (Denmark).

02.17.2010 - Day 7 - Game Day

Breakfast in the morning at the hotel.
Meeting at 9.30 with the team and game supervisions with the crews.
Mom, Dad, Katie, Ava and Cory went to the men's game Finland vs. Belarus at the Canada Hockey Place.
I leave for my game Canada (13) vs. Sweden (1) at UBC for a 14.35 start time. We (Referee Leah from MN / Lines Anna from Finland) got a pep talk from Jarmo as these two teams fought last time they were on the ice in Canada in Sept. We had some back and forth, banter (things I can't put in print were said) and slashing on changes in the 1st period, but Leah did a nice job keeping them in check and Anna and I were between everything right away. It certainly didn't feel like a 13 to 1 game except the small stretch in the 3rd when there were back to back to back goals and we waited for the review to happen and the light to go off so we could drop the puck.

MA (Canada) giving us a pre game pep talk! Self proclaimed "Puck Bunnies"; yes, they had a sign too!

Went back to the hotel and met up with Cory then Anna Cory and I went out to dinner at Joey's which was very good. Then back to the hotel and to bed early; I fell asleep with the men's late game on the TV.

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!

02.15.2010 - Day 5 - Game Day

Breakfast at the hotel.
Meeting at 9.30 with group and review of games with supervisors.
Off to the rink skating the Canada (10) Swiss (1) game with Nicole (Referee from Germany) and Anna (Lines from Finland). The rink was super loud and the crazy. They did the wave during our game; we usually don't have enough people in the building at home to accomplish this. My family could not get tickets as all the Canada games are sold out but they watched me on TV and many people at home! Somewhere in between Ken, one of our hosts took us to meet his daughter Sara, who is one of the mascots!
Went back to the hotel and changed after the game then back to the rink to watch the late game.
Eric; please note that I am smiling when I am skating hard on the ice, not just on your treadmill!