The Games Must Go On

Last night I stood around in the rain-snow-rain as the men's singles luge athletes took their first and second runs of the competition. The day before, an Olympic luge slider from the Republic of Georgia died on the same course when his sled careened off the track and he hit a metal poll going 90 miles an hour. The men's starting area was lowered to reduce speeds, padding was placed on certain poles and the competition continued as scheduled. The Olympic world was shaken, but only momentarily I'm afraid. I hope that this tragic death is not forgotten amid the excitement of the Olympic Games.

In the first full day of competition, the United States surged to the front of the medals race with four podium finishes: one gold, one silver and two bronze. Freestyle moguls skier Hannah Kearney stole gold from the grip of Canadian favorite Jenn Heil. Speedskater Apolo Ohno finished second in the 1500m to earn the silver medal, his sixth career Olympic medal, which ties him for first all-time for an American winter sport athlete and the most among U.S. men. Right behind Apolo in the 1500m was J.R. Celski, who returned to the ice after a lengthy recovery from a leg injury.

Click HERE for quotes from the U.S. luge athletes that I posted.

Canadian observation of the day: they have a chain restaurant called White Spot that I imagine is the Canadian equivalent to Chilis

Medal Count: USA 4, Korea 2, nine others tied with 1

One Big Canadian Party

Last night I attended the Opening Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. We got there just in the nick of time and had great seats on the floor. We got to see performances by Canada's best: Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLaughlin and K.D. Lang. My favorite singers were the one's I had never heard of who sang the Canadian national anthem and the official Olympic anthem, which was more like an opera. I could have done without the fiddles and tapdancing but the Cirque du Soleil-type acrobatics that followed were great. The highlights were watching the U.S. and Canadian teams process around the stadium and meeting up with my Vancouver USOC buddies that I hadn't seen since December: Vanessa, Lisa, Nicole, Maureen, Lindsay, Bob, Peggy. I hope to see them again before I leave Canada.

Click HERE to read my former fellow intern Vanessa's blog.

Canadian observation of the day: parking garages are called "parkades"

Whistler forecast (Celsius): High 3, Low 2, rain

Today It Begins

The first ski jumpers are catching air as I type. The first event of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games has begun. Tonight is the Opening Ceremonies. I'm waiting to find out if I will be going. Yesterday, I sat in on two U.S. press conferences: biathlon and doubles luge. It's amazing to interact with these athletes. Some of them are larger than life like Bode Miller. Most are very down to earth people that were as excited to receive their free U.S. Olympic apparel as anyone else would be. Except for a select few, winter sport athletes do not make much money. They spent a lot of time marketing themselves so as to get sponsorships. The sponsorships are usually just enough to pay the bills and allow themselves to keep doing what they love for a living. They are very grateful for everything they have and they are all ecstatic to be at the Olympic Games. As am I.

Click HERE and HERE for the press conference transcripts I posted.

Canadian observation of the day: They love the Maple Leaf. With the Olympic Games in town, the leaf is more prevalent than all the Nike swooshes and McDonald's arches combined.

Whistler forecast (Celsius): High 4, Low 1, rain

Nick Olivier, Press Attache

That bright orange armband transformed me from just another U.S. Olympic Press Officer, to a full blown Press Attache. What does that mean? It means that when I wear that armband, I can open the gate, walk past the throngs of journalists and escort an Olympian through the mixed zone, an area where athletes conduct informal interviews right after competition. I was able to escort alpine skier Bode Miller, perhaps the most famous male U.S. Olympian at this Winter Games. The eccentric two-time silver medalist is notorious for avoiding media. With me by his side, he walked right by reporters yelling his name. As we left the mixed zone, I asked him how the run went. He gave me a straight answer, something he wouldn't do for anyone else at that moment. That's what a press attache is.

Click HERE for my transcript of the men's alpine team press conference.

Canadian observation of the day: Molson Canadian is the number one beer in Canada, followed by Kokanee. Labatt Blue seems to be more popular in America.

Whistler forecast (Celsius): High 4, Low 3, rain

Poutine: Canadian Junk Food

Today started at 9am and ended at 10pm. After a day like that, I deserved to eat something grossly delicious. Poutine is a Canadian delicacy: fries, cheese curds and gravy. I imagine something this fattening and gluttonous is best eaten after a few beers or the morning after a late night. For me, it didn't live up to my high expectations. There are many ways to eat Poutine. I got the "classic" version. Maybe I'll have to try a different version before writing off one of the pillars of Canadian cuisine.

Including poutine, today was a day of many firsts. I sat in on my first Olympic press conference, this one for the 2010 U.S. Luge Team. Before that, I interacted with my first Olympian since landing in Canada, this one alpine skier Erik Fisher. The highlight of my day might have been trading my first pin. Trading pins is a major Olympic tradition. I traded with a manager at the McDonalds, who was a serious trader and wasn't just giving his away. The trade: one of my USOC pins for one of his McDonalds pins with a Vancouver 2010 mascot on it.

Canadian observation of the day: Canadians have there own sports (hockey and curling) but they also follow many American (football and basketball) and British (soccer) sports

Whistler weather (Celsius): High 3, Low 0, rain

Behind the Scenes

There are three competition venues in the Whistler area. The Whistler Sliding Centre is home to luge, bobsled and skeleton competitions. Alpine skiing resides at Whistler Creekside. I didn't get to see the Whistler Olympic Park but I will eventually when helping out at the Nordic skiing disciplines: cross country, ski jumping, biathlon and Nordic combined. I was a pre-teen the only time I have skied. I have never been to a competitive skiing venue, much less seen a luge track. This is all new to me. I try to keep my ears and eyes open and soak it all in, hoping that it will start to make sense to me.

Canadian observation of the day: approximate Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion can be done by doubling the temperature and adding 30

Whistler forecast (Celsius): High 6, Low 0, partly cloudy

Whistler: More Than Just Marmots and Moose

I'm starting get to know Whistler, the ski town at the foot of the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The town has enough bars and restaurants to accommodate the hordes of winter sport enthusiasts that are about to descend on British Columbia. Along with sports, the Olympic Games feature lots of live music. There are three outdoor stages along the Village Stroll, including one at the Medals Plaza for post-Victory Ceremony concerts and one at Skiers Plaza at the foot of the slopes where DJs will play each night during the Games. Matisyahu and Damian Marley hightlight the lineup for me. I'll be happy to catch any amount of live music as I'm sure anything will sound good when standing among thousands of people from around the globe.

Canadian observation of the day: I've heard very few "ehs" and "aboots"

Whistler forecast (celcius): High 8, Low -1, partly cloudy