HOCKEY GOLD!!!!!!!!! (And many more!)
Wish I could have been on the streets of Vancouver after the spectacular, though nail-biting end of yesterday's game, but instead I was inside, glued to the tv and jumping up and down screaming with joy at the way it all ended! :) About 15 mins before that, I was in disbelief when it came down to the final seconds and it changed just like that.... I'm sure no one was as grateful to Sidney Crosby as Roberto Luongo... ;D
More updates soon, but CONGRATS CANADA!!!
The Vancouver 2010 Olympics experience.
ReplyDeleteCanada made history on Sunday, winning the gold medal in men's hockey and having a record 14 golds to end the Olympics. It was bitter sweet to see it went by so quickly.
I thought I would share a little bit of my experience with your student. At first, I thought the Olympics was going to be a disappointment. I was indifferent about it and did not think I would enjoy it. Because of the political undertone associated with the Olympics, it brought on a lot of concerns for the residents of BC. The Olympics had a cost overrun and coupled with the recession, people were getting anxious that this was going to be a waste of money. For myself, I was thinking how the Olympics is going to affect my tax rate, the people living in the Downtown Eastside, and budget cuts to many important government funded programs.
When the torch run went in to Coquitlam, I began to feel the excitement in the air. The people gathering together created an atmosphere of solidarity. It brought everyone together and the community together. The only thing that would be comparable is how Football (soccer) World Cup would bring people together in Europe to celebrate. After watching the torch run in my community, I started to get into it and truly appreciate the events and the athletes' ability to "wow" us. From the last day of the torch run to the final ending of the men's hockey gold, the city was alive with an air of excitement. It was a celebration to appreciate the Olympics and its athletes without any politics attached to it. There were many free events, which were fantastic. Unfortunately, there were always a line up that was 2 to 5 hours long. The games on the ski hills and in the ice rinks were phenomenal. There are too many competitions to list here but just to name a few: curling, ice hockey, figure skating, snowboarding, and cross country skiing were part of the Winter Olympics. I did not get a chance to go to any of the competitions but watching it on TV was just as good. Knowing that it was happening in my backyard, made it even more real.
On Sunday, the last day of the Olympics, I went with a group of friend to watch the final men's gold medal hockey game in a pub in Yaletown, a couple of blocks away from where the game was taking place. Game started at 12:15pm but there was already line up at the pub at 8:30am. Every pubs and restaurants had a line up a couple of blocks long. The nail biting games made us sit on our toes near the end until Sid the Kid scored in overtime. The pub and the city erupted in cheers. My hands were sore from giving strangers high-five. We took over the downtown core, blocking traffics, car honking, people cheering and yelling, to celebrate the win over our main rival, Team USA. I have never seen anything like it in Vancouver. Basically the whole downtown was filled with people on the street. Just imagine the Celebration of Light times 20. It was an amazing ending to close the Olympics for Canadian.
Just to end this note, the volunteers did a fabulous job. The organizers and the security made this happened without any major problem. Now that it is over, I am sad that it is gone but glad that I got to enjoy it when it happened. It was truly an amazing experience.
Thanks Jack!!!
ReplyDeleteEven seeing the sports on tv made me feel really proud and I'm kicking myself at missing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences!
I'm sure the non-Canadians will be very interested in reading these insiders' stories!
Anyone else--please comment! :)
http://canucks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=40177
ReplyDeleteXD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the streets were so crazy that day..i could only stand being downtown and sober for a few minutes. :P
a note on sidney crosby though..i still don't have a very good impression of him even though he scored the game winner b/c the one night where i worked at the gate where their bus came to hockey house, he had little kids with their faces painted yelling his name and wanting an autograph. he (douche) blatantly ignored them and bolted past everyone and onto the bus. not even a wave or a hi. he failed to acknowledge anyone and those kids were waiting there since the game ended. iginla, on the other hand, was my hero. he smiled, waved, said hi, took pictures and signed autographs with the small crowd (who managed to figure out which gate we were sneaking them in) both on his way in and out of the MCHH.
so, therefore, you can see why i still do not like "sid the kid" even though he scored the game winner. too bad it wasn't iggy who scored. ah well. i heard that they showed crosby's goal at the penguins' home game and he got boo-ed. ha, typical though, since they're bitter americans. =]
http://canucks.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=40177
ReplyDeleteXD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the streets were so crazy that day..i could only stand being downtown and sober for a few minutes. :P
a note on sidney crosby though..i still don't have a very good impression of him even though he scored the game winner b/c the one night where i worked at the gate where their bus came to hockey house, he had little kids with their faces painted yelling his name and wanting an autograph. he (douche) blatantly ignored them and bolted past everyone and onto the bus. not even a wave or a hi. he failed to acknowledge anyone and those kids were waiting there since the game ended. iginla, on the other hand, was my hero. he smiled, waved, said hi, took pictures and signed autographs with the small crowd (who managed to figure out which gate we were sneaking them in) both on his way in and out of the MCHH.
so, therefore, you can see why i still do not like "sid the kid" even though he scored the game winner. too bad it wasn't iggy who scored. ah well. i heard that they showed crosby's goal at the penguins' home game and he got boo-ed. ha, typical though, since they're bitter americans. =]