Volunteer Swag!!!!

Jean-Paul Plat

Geocaching JP

My roomy JP is a geocacher. I had never heard of such
a thing.

BTW JP wants you to know JP is short for Jean-Paul. His
family came to Halifax Nova Scotia Canada from
France and re-located to Montreal
after his mother gave up trying to learn English!

JP lives in St. Hubert, Quebec where he has overcome
adversity to be retired(insider joke from watching the tear-
jerker stories it seems every Olympic athlete has).

Geocaching is a worldwide high-tech treasure hunting game played
by adventure seekers equipped with a GPS device.

The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches.

Go to: Geocaching.com for an interesting stroll through
the sport.

It is played by people from around the world with an
emphasis on community and support for the environment.

The attached picture shows JP's find while in Calgary, Alberta
to attend the Grey Cup game.

The top of his hand holds the travel bug purchased and registered
by the hider. Registering it allows for tracking. The bottom is the
cache, a football helmet medallion. The hider wanted the cache
to visit as many stadiums as possible. JP then took the cache to
Montreal and hid it there. Nobody but thieves(muggles) keep
the caches. They are for everyone to enjoy.

Muggles are a problem, so one must be mindful of who is around
them when they hide or find a cache. Keep an eye out for JP he
might be in your neighborhood and you don't even know it. JP
has found two geocaches while in Whistler. He left three coins
but did not take any.

Czech Mates!

On the left is Cestmir Prochazka from Litomerice, Czech Republic,
and Lukas Tousek from Cesky Krumlov-Vetrni, Czech Republic.

"Chester" is a wakeboarding and water ski instructor back home and
has been thrilled to meet athletes from his home country.

Lukas was a mountain guide before coming to Whistler and his goal is
to discover Canada. He has discovered more than that!

He loves beach volleyball so go figure!

They both speak at least three languages.

International Meeting

Our 4 country group working the Slide Center Shuttle.

Left is Benedikt Bremer from Fulda Germany. Benedikt graduated from high
school last year!! He is 19 years old, amazing bravery to travel the world. Benedikt
is a paid workforce member.

Bruce Tanner hails from near Calgary and is a hoot and a great photographer.

Maria Andersson is a paid worker from Sweden. Interestingly she told us that
once you work for a company for 5 years you can take a leave of absence for
one year to follow your dreams!! When you return you have job
with the same company. It may not be the exact same job, but you are guaranteed
a job. That would never happen in America! Heck we can't even get health insurance
in America!

Women's Giant Slalom

There were 86 participants representing 47 countries!!

The fastest 30 ski for the gold Thursday as the final run
was fogged out today.

Lindsey Vonn crashed out in a bad fall.

Women's Giant Slalom

Fogged out!

Whistler Creekside

Which One Is The Mascot???

Smurfs

Some think that the people dressed in blue are
all volunteers. Not so. All accredited Olympic
personnel are required to wear the outfits
affectionately knows around here as Smurfs.
They can be officials, workforce, volunteers
and physicians.

Switzerland Horn

Tracy from L.A.

Tracy from Los Angeles, the owner of Fancy Tails,
dog walker to the Stars, came to Whistler with no
pins! She made Couture flower petals to trade for
pins. Looks like it worked.

Why Not???

With some of the sports here, Turkeys on Ice (Ice Dancing), Belly Shuffle
Board (Curling), Clowns on Ice (Ski Cross), why not Beer Drinking? An
ancient European winter sport for sure!! Grandpa, get a shave!

Fallen Olympian Memorial

DEVO PLAYS THE OLYMPICS

Believe it or not, Devo, a legendary Akron Ohio rock
group, played tonight! One of only a few acts to play
in the Olympics. Almost all the groups are Canadian.
They whipped it into shape in front of a large sing
along audience.

Frenchmen!

Mittens? Who Needs Mittens?

Mitten Mania has been sent to the penalty box in
favor of Tee Shirt Tidal Wave!!

The newest craze is the panic of trying to score an
authentic Sea to Sky B.T.B.W. tee shirt.

This limited edition shirt was designed in Ohio and
produced by the legendary merchant JLM Enterprises.

Mountain Women

Miss Blackcomb and Miss Whistler with some old dude!

Mitten Mania Update

Chances of obtaining those coveted red gloves have dwindled.

The door guard at the Official Olympic Store now sees me
coming and just gives a big Canadian "Sorry American" smile.

Not sure if it is a conspiracy because of the big hurt the Yanks
are putting on all these "Winter Sport" countries, but I am not
giving up!

Saturday

American Fans! Or is it Evil Kneivel???

Saturday

The pictures are of the Whistler Olympic Park where the
ski Jumping events take place.

The jump on the right is the Normal Hill.

On the left is the Large Hill.

Saturday's event was the Large Hill Gold Medal Event.

The winner jumped 144 meters or about 477 feet!!!!

Over 1 1/2 football fields in length in the air!!

It was truly amazing as was the crowd. You can see
the massive gathering in the next picture.

Saturday 20 February

Saturday Day 9 Highlights

Village Square Concert.

Check it out, Columbus Blue Jacket player Rick Nash
has a fan!!

DON'T FORGET!!

TO CLICK ON OLDER POSTS AT THE BOTTOM OF
PAGE. SOME DAYS THERE ARE MORE POSTS THAN
YOU SEE ON THE FIRST PAGE.

Two Man Luge

At the Whistler Sliding Center. Everyone laughs
the first time they hear that name. However,
when you see the track it takes your breath away
and nobody is laughing. It is so intimidating. It
snakes along the mountain valley.

WHISTLER SLIDING CENTER

In this series of pictures I try to link the track
that is used by luge, skeleton and bobsleigh.

The track is around 4750 feet long, drops nearly
450 feet or the same as a 45 story building!

Walking from the bottom to the top takes nearly
half an hour. You lean so far forward you think
you are going to fall over. When you head downhill
you lean so far backward you think you are going
to fall on your fanny!! Baby steps, baby steps!!!
Pictures don't really give justice
to the danger you feel when you are next to the track.

Riding The Wall

This is turn 6. You can see a man working by the Olympic Rings.
He is scraping the ice, not painting the walls!!! The speeds are
so fast that the sliders "stick" to the track even though it is straight
up and down!!!! Amazing thing to see.

Turn 6

Sliding Sideways

Finish Line

The picture below shows the track as it heads straight up the mountain.
This is the finish line and the incredible speeds necessitate that the
end must go uphill. This is the location of the luge accident.

View Up Track With Blinds Drawn

GRANDSTANDS FACING FINAL TURN

At this time of the day the blinds drawn to protect the track from the sun.
At this point the sliders can reach speeds of nearly 90 miles per hour.

END OF TRACK THUNDERBIRD CORNER TURN 16

On the left is the location of the finish line,
it goes straight up the mountain to slow them down.
It is at this point the Georgian slider ejected and
was killed when he contacted the pole.

Chi Town Driver

This is Michael "Boom Boom" Lyle !

Michael is from the Windy City of Chicago.

Last year he lost his job as a bus driver.

He went to a job fare and guess what? Next drop off...Whistler Canada.

I nicknamed him Boom Boom because we were sitting on his bus the first
morning and the blasts were going off around the mountains because
there was snow the night before. It was avalanche control. Michael
thought we were under attack!!! I laughed so hard.

The Man!

Meet Mankai Wong a workforce bus lot attendant. Of course he is Man!

Man was born and raised in Hong Kong.

Because his family was not wealthy and influential Man and his brother had
no chance to attend college.

Their father sent them to Vancouver for opportunity and education.

Now nearly three decades later Man has a college degree and is in
information technology. Quite a success story. Man is an interesting and
nice man.

MITTEN MANIA UPDATE!!!

Mitten Mania is still sweeping through the Olympic venues. Of course it has its controversy
since the mittens are not made in Canada!!! They rarely get a shipment and we are anxiously
waiting each morning when the store opens at 9. Stay tuned. I wear a helmet every day in
case they have arrived. I don't want those crazy Canuck women getting the best of me.

Jamaica House Mon!!!

Russia's Clothing Store

The only store, along with Canada of course, that sells their own gear.

SWISS HOUSE

Many Countries Have "HOUSES" Here is Switzerland's

A Walk Aroung Whistler THOSE CRAZY FRENCH!

Those crazy French!!

Feist Concert

Canadian Indie Rock singer Feist performed at the Whistler Medals Plaza tonight.
She is the 2008 Juno Awards in Calgary Alberta winner for Songwriter of the Year,
Artist of the Year, Pop Album of the Year, Album of the Year and Single of the Year. WOW!
Check out her songs Mushaboom and 1234.

Tuesday February 16th

Mitten Mania

Canadian women are no different than the women at Filene's wedding dress gold rush! As fast as the gloves come in, they go out! You take your chances while shopping for them. Google CANADIAN MITTENS and enjoy the stories. Each pair sold helps support Team Canada.
I hope to score some pairs....so place your order! $10 + tax.

""Oh Canada, our home" of ice cold hands............

MITTENS!!!!!!!!

Meet Little Nan

While watching the opening ceremonies I met up with Jason Little and Christy Kirchner, Americans from Seattle Washington. As we watched the opening ceremonies we discovered our common love of bicycling. Jason's mom, Nan Little, was helping with refreshment distribution and joined in the conversation. Turns out they are part of the a Seattle cycling club named Cascade Bicycle Club, www.cascade.org. Well Nan said that she rides across Iowa in the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, ragbria.com with the specific purpose of raising funds for the support of Parkinsons Disease Research. Nan has Parkinsons Disease. There is a website, pedalingforparkinsons.org where you can go and find Nan's Blog listed on the left side. Nan tells us that with high speed cycling at a rate of 80-90 rpms, her symptoms have disappeared!! Truly amazing. If you get a chance read her blog. Go for it Nan!!!

So when was the last time you and your best friend went somewhere at 100 MILES PER HOUR???

Saaturday Morning the 13th

Yesterday's opening day emotions ran from sheer devastation, as word came down from the mountain above us about the death of LUGE athlete, 21 year old Nodar Kumaritashuili from the country of GEORGIA, to the exhilarating spectacle of the opening ceremonies. As you can see from the picture below, Whistler Plaza was packed with people from all over the world celebrating while watching the opening. There is great emphasis on the FOUR HOST FIRST NATIONS (www.fourhostfirstnations.com) participation at the Olympics. These Nations had to give permission for the Games to be played on what was once their territory. Each tribe allowed the Olympics to enter their land from a certain location. The Nations must accept the Olympics before the ceremony could begin. The respect given to Native Canadians, ABORIGINAL, INDIGENOUS peoples is amazing. Today we expect nearly 100 buses at our lot and I am working the graveyard shift of 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. trying to move spectators from Whistler to Vancouver and the workforce to their MONA LISA CRUISE SHIP docked in the town of SQUAMISH. The weather is unseasonably warm with some rain at the mountain base. There are significant competition cancellations as frankly the snow is really slush. The Village of Whistler is alive and vibrant as there are street performers, musicians and all kinds of entertainment. Go to www.whistler2010.com/whistler-live.com and follow along. Today if the first big day of competition so more to come!!

Friday Pictures

Friday

Tonight is the Opening Ceremony! Check your local listings.

Go to Whistler2010.com to follow the local events.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!

First Day Of Work

OH Canada1

You want Winter Olympics?? Stay in Cbus!! At 4 a.m. Saturday morning I got up to 6 more inches of fresh wet snow and had to shovel for 45 minutes just get out of the driveway!! Slow forward 6 hours and the pilot told us to look down and see the home of Bill Gates. Man, I never knew there were so many islands and waterways around Seattle and Vancouver! Mostly because every time I have been there it was raining! So we jump on a turbo prop plane to fly into
Vancouver. OMG! There is hardly any snow showing on the mountains and the grass is totally green. The pilot tells us that the Global Climate Change Deniers Party was to have a convention but canceled it to go play golf! Word is that at Cypress Mountain, the helicoptered in snow is melting as fast as they can fly it in. I hear Jimmy Buffett is to throw the green flag to start the Games! Off we head to Whistler via bus. Yes indeed there are people playing golf!!
There are no freeways in Vancouver so you must go through town. There are people all over the downtown area. Everything is in the blue/green colors of the Vancouver Games. Up we go for the 90 miles to Whistler. The view of the Pacific and the surreal islands is fascinating. If you have ever been to the Caribbean or the South Pacific, that is the look. Gorgeous water mountains with the sun setting over the ocean. As we approach Whistler we can see the blue lights that decorate every tree lined street. The coach turns into Whistler Village and all of a sudden the scene changes to highly illuminated police and traffic direction workers.
The areas are cordoned off for security reasons as you might expect. I am thinking to myself that it is way too cold for terrorists, however I am reminded of three years earlier when our ski
group crossed over the border via SUV at the checkpoint where they caught the only terrorist
sneaking into America. During the check in process of identification and authorization I met a man that tells me he the physician in charge of women's skiing. Now that is a tough gig! He swears we will take Lindsey Vonn out for dinner but I don't believe him!! He tells me he is from Alberta and I said I know a guy from Alberta and guess what? OH IO! That gentleman is
Ken Kilroe, father of Chrissy Kilroe. Chrissy is a legendary field hockey player at OSU and now
an assistant coach for the Buckeyes! Many of you know Chrissy and maybe Ken from my football
tailgate. Today was training day. I'll keep those thoughts to myself in hopes of.... Anyway, it was
warm today. Friday is the big day. I think we have at least 4 Buckeyes in the Games. Find them!!! USA USA USA

Final Week of Training!

Whistler 2007 Revisited

These pictures show us sneaking into Canada and Joey in his usual hospital ER pose..after DAY 1!

So his one day ski trip was quite memorable.