The Other Side of the Fence

Today, I was able to take in some women's luge action. It was the first time I saw a competition and I wasn't working. When I'm working, I'm usually in the press area, which is not necessarily the best viewing spot. Yesterday, I watched men's alpine crammed amongst a hundred journalists. I was more interested in keeping my prime spot so that I could record Bode Miller's soundbites than I was in watching the action. When working at the Whistler Sliding Centre, I am stationed at the finish line, far from any of the hairpin turns that make luge, skeleton and bobsled so exciting and dangerous. Today I was amongst the fans, enjoying the spectacle of it all. Fans are allowed to line the track with about eight feet between themselves and the sliders going over 80 miles an hour. It's amazing to watch gravity hold a slider to the wall as he or she is perpendicular with the ground (pictured above). I'm hoping to see each Whistler venue from both the fan and press perspective.

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Canadian Observation of the Day: Canada's $100 million "Own the Podium" initiative has drawn criticism for being wasteful, unsuccessful and un-Olympic

Medal Count: Germany 9, USA 8, France 7, Canada 5