I credit Kirsi with the next awesome experience in my life, it was her that suggested that we try and get tickets fo
r one of the Bobsled events. Online to the scalpers we went and just a short time later we were in a motor coach being whisked up the Sea-to-Sky highway for the Women’s Finals of Bobsled.
The event was in the evening – this gave us the time to wander through the quaint alpine village of Whistler. I watched as Kirsi fell in love with the town, which is really not hard to do. In the main center of the village is a memorial to Nodar Kumaritashvili, the luger who tragically died on a practice run shortly before the opening ceremonies. It was both heartbreaking and amazing to see the out pouring of grief at the loss. (My friend Zoe was telling me about a bar t
hat she was in for the Opening Ceremonies; the crowd was rowdy and having a great time but when the moment of silence started, you could hear a pin drop. Although it wasn’t one of our athletes, Canada took the loss of Nodar Kumaritashvili to heart).
hat she was in for the Opening Ceremonies; the crowd was rowdy and having a great time but when the moment of silence started, you could hear a pin drop. Although it wasn’t one of our athletes, Canada took the loss of Nodar Kumaritashvili to heart).
As the afternoon came to a close we started to make our way to the Whistler Sliding Center which is located 
partway up the southeast slope of Blackcomb Mountain. The best way to access it…gondola! Of course there was a line up, but with our “special” hot chocolate courtesy of our fantastic hosts Matt and Zoe, time just flew by. Entering any of the Olympic Venues involves a series of line ups for security and ticket checks, generally fairly fast moving with everyone in great spritis, welcoming the guests with a smile. I was just getting my ticket scanned when I heard my name called out. This is just over the top I thought…to learn the names of ticket holders…wow VANOC, above and beyond! Quickly realizing that this didn’t make much sense, I turned to see a childhood friend of mine, Carol Evans, scanning tickets. Small world…Carol doesn’t live anywhere near here, she just came to volunteer for a few weeks.
partway up the southeast slope of Blackcomb Mountain. The best way to access it…gondola! Of course there was a line up, but with our “special” hot chocolate courtesy of our fantastic hosts Matt and Zoe, time just flew by. Entering any of the Olympic Venues involves a series of line ups for security and ticket checks, generally fairly fast moving with everyone in great spritis, welcoming the guests with a smile. I was just getting my ticket scanned when I heard my name called out. This is just over the top I thought…to learn the names of ticket holders…wow VANOC, above and beyond! Quickly realizing that this didn’t make much sense, I turned to see a childhood friend of mine, Carol Evans, scanning tickets. Small world…Carol doesn’t live anywhere near here, she just came to volunteer for a few weeks.
After a quick chat Kirsi and I trudged the rest of the way up the mountain in t
he drizzle into the bowl portion of the sliding track. I have never seen bobsled live before and had no idea what to expect…my advice, don’t blink. We were at the end of the track and by this time the sleds were reaching speeds of up to 150 km an hour – they would shoot by so fast it was virtually impossible to see them. Standing back from the edge of the track helped a little…gave you a larger viewpoint to try and follow the sleigh.
he drizzle into the bowl portion of the sliding track. I have never seen bobsled live before and had no idea what to expect…my advice, don’t blink. We were at the end of the track and by this time the sleds were reaching speeds of up to 150 km an hour – they would shoot by so fast it was virtually impossible to see them. Standing back from the edge of the track helped a little…gave you a larger viewpoint to try and follow the sleigh.
The evening was full
of excitement, including a few scares when some of the sleds flipped over. There was a collective gasp from the crowd when one of the German racers came out the back of the sled and careened down the track behind it. For a moment there was no noise while she laid there, then the crowd erupted in applause as she stood up and waved. I never did hear how she fared but she did walk to the ambulance under her own power, plus stop several times for many standing ovations.
of excitement, including a few scares when some of the sleds flipped over. There was a collective gasp from the crowd when one of the German racers came out the back of the sled and careened down the track behind it. For a moment there was no noise while she laid there, then the crowd erupted in applause as she stood up and waved. I never did hear how she fared but she did walk to the ambulance under her own power, plus stop several times for many standing ovations.
Going in to the evening and after the first run of the night, it looked like Canada was going to take the Bronze and the Gold, with one of the US teams primed for Silver position. The second last run of the night started a round of cheering that lasted for over an hour. It was at the end of this run that everyone realized that the US team came up just seconds short and the new medal count would have Canada in Gold and Silver position!
Even though were cold, wet and no longer able to feel our toes, we stood there, along with a few thousand of our fellow Canadians and celebrated our victory on the mountain that night...
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