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Now that it is over...

The torch has been extinguished, the flag has been passed to Sochi, Russia and I am mourning the end of what was an event that changed our nation. 

Our family's Olympic Adventure was born a long time ago.  On July 2, 2003 just a few short weeks after Shannon was born and the day before we celebrated Kate's 2nd birthday, Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.  Rich stated then, with conviction, that "we are going there!!".  Rocking my new born baby, I paid little attention to him.  Later when he told family and friends of his plan to attend the Olympics they rolled their eyes.  On July 1, 2008 while celebrating Canada Day in Ottawa (with our 3 kids) we saw the Olympic mascots walking the streets and the idea resurfaced and started to take shape.  I was not always a proponent of this adventure.  I jokingly called it "Rich's Olympic Dream" but Rich knew from that day in 2003 that this would be something special.  He spoke often about how this Olympics would be special and how we had to be part of it.  I tuned him out but he persevered.  Rich "just knew" and, like so often, he dragged me along with him kicking and screaming until in the end I had to admit that he was right.  Thank you Richard for staying the course and making sure our family had this wonderful opportunity.

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics captivated our nation.  They gave us a reason to be overtly proud Canadians.  They affected our country in a positive and lasting way.  I feel privileged to have been able to be in Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler to experience these Olympics with my family.  I still get goose bumps when I think about singing "O Canada" at the victory ceremonies for Alex Bilodeau and Jon Montgomery, when I look at the picture of Ainsley with Alex Bilodeau and when I recall cheering with my daughters as the Canadian team entered the Opening Ceremonies.  It will be a long time before anything else touches my family the way this adventure has.  I believe with confidence that this experience has impacted my girls too.  They have witnessed first hand the outcome of hard work and dedication and will hopefully be moved to achieve greatness (not necessarily in sport), they sing their national anthem with pride and, in short, they "believe".  

I miss the Olympics already but will hold on tight to my Olympic memories and will do my best to ensure that my girls remember this great chapter in our country's and our family's history too.

Reporting on Whistler

The drive to Whistler was spectacular and not nearly as busy as we had anticipated.  In fact, the roads were virtually empty thanks to the implementation of a Sea-to-Sky driving pass that only allowed individuals with personal parking spaces in Whistler to drive the highway between 6 am and 6 pm during the Olympic games.  Rich planned ahead and ensured that the people we rented from were able to give us a driving pass and therefore we did not need to make our journey extremely early in the morning or late at night and also got to see the sights in daylight.  However, our girls learned the hard way that it is much better to sit back and enjoy the views on a winding road than it is to try and read a book.  Poor Kate felt so nauseated from reading while driving through the mountain pass that she is hesitant to do anything but look out of the window in the car anymore!

We arrived in Whistler with an hour to get to the Sliding Centre where we had tickets for the first 2 runs of men's and women's Skeleton.  We were very worried that, based on our experience in Vancouver, this would not give us enough time to get to the venue and through security before the event started.  To our delight the crowds in Whistler were not the same as those in Vancouver and the process to get into the events was easier as a result.  We rode the bus to the venue, passed through security and found our seats with plenty of time to spare.  Although we had seats at the event we decided to do the fun thing and "walk the track" to see the races instead.  What a thrill!!! 

I was amazed at how close spectators can get to the track where people are shooting themsleves down at 150 km/hr.  I hope our pictures help to give you an idea of how close you can actually get to this sport.  There is a short (waist-high) guard rail between spectators and the track and by leaning slightly over you can touch the ice on the track.  And the speed!!!!  Cameras do wonderous things because those sliders are truly a blur as they shoot past and if you were to blink you would miss them passing you.  I cannot think of anything more crazy and stupid (although it was very fun to watch)!  The girls thought watching the sport was alright but enjoyed building their own luge track in the snow better.   As we hadn't seen any snow in Vancouver they were thrilled to finally be able to have some winter fun. 

On Friday Rich secured himself a ticket to Ski Jumping which he really wanted to see but we couldn't get tickets for before we left.  The girls and I met him at the Whistler Olympic Park which is a 35 minute bus ride from Whistler Village.  We watched the Ladies 15km Pursuit Cross Country Skiing.  This is the true definition of sport!  Speed, fitness, agility- those women are impressive.  Later that evening, back in the Village we bumped into the mother of the Silver medalist of this event.  She was carrying flowers from the victory ceremony and Kate and Shannon were curious as to how she got them.  She explained to us that she was from Sweden and her daughter had won a silver medal- what a proud mum!!  That same night while Kate, Shannon and I were painting Whistler Village red and Rich and Ainsley were relaxing in our condo enjoying some Olympic TV action and an early bedtime, Jon Montgomery won the first Whistler gold for Canada!   What an exciting place to be!!!  We celebrated with Beaver Tails and hot chocolate (although you all now know that Jon celebrated with a pitcher of beer!).

Saturday was our day to explore Whistler and we did it by riding the Peak-to-Peak Gondola from Whistler to Blackcomb Mountain.  Not being a lover of heights this was not my favourite part of the day but very cool just the same and something that you have to do if ever in Whistler.  The views are great and the fact that it is the longest continous lift system in the world is something else that makes it remarkable.  With the day wearing on, we decided that since it was our last night at the Olympics it had to be memorable and special.  What better way to ensure that than to watch Jon Montgomery receive his medal at the Victory Ceremony?  For the second time in our Olympic experience we got to sing "O Canada" in the presence of a Canadian gold medal athlete.  These were my biggest thrills.  We then took in the amazing "Fire and Ice" ski and snowboard show that happened nightly in Whistler Village before heading back to bed.  The perfect ending to a fantastic adventure.

To sum it up- Whistler was fantastic and offered a different Olympic experience than Vancouver.  I am glad we decided to experience both venues as they were the perfect compliment to each other- culture to cool, hospitality to hip and happening.  What a great experience!

Competitor # "No #;!+ing Way!"

This is crazy! They hit the jump at 95Km per hour and fly over 125 meters in the air!
This photo is taken with a Canadian female ski jumper who is now volunteering at the events because women's ski jump was not included in the Olympics. 

I say "Let the Ladies Jump!!!"

Summing up Vancouver

Today was our last day in Vancouver and while we are all excited to be leaving for Whistler in the morning it will be difficult to close this chapter of our Olympic adventure.  When Rich and I were planning this trip we knew it would be special, the trip of a lifetime, and so far, the XXI Winter Olympic Games have not disappointed.  We are shocked when we hear the press critizing these games because, in our opinions, Vancouver has met the challenge of hosting a wonderful Olympics.  The Olympics are so much more than sports and although we have visited all but one of the Vancouver/Richmond Olympic venues and experienced some fantastic competitions (as well as witnessing history being made) we have also been fortunate enough to take in many of the pavillions and "Live" sites throughout the city. Each province is here putting its best foot forward and most of the countries have pavillions too.  There are concerts, buskers, artisans and entertainers.  There is still so much that we want to see that it is a bit disappointing to have to leave.  Our days have been full from morning until late each night, often leaving our place right after breakfast and not returning to our suite until 10 or 11 pm.  Through all of this hustle and bustle our girls have been troopers.  They are making friends with strangers around every corner,  trading collectable pins, dancing in the streets, cheering for our Canadian athletes and just simply soaking up the Olympic atmosphere.   We know that we are very fortunate to be experiencing these Olympic Games together as a family and we are doing everything we can to savour it all.  We hope for more wonderful experiences in Whistler and will keep you posted.

Rich and Erika

Photo with a Champion!

We saw Alex today! He is so Grrreat! Picked Ainsley right up and let her hold the medal!

What an awesome guy!

Hi from Kate

Hey-o,

The Olympics is great!!  Yesterday I went to the womens speed skating 500 metres at the Richmond Speed Skating Oval.  This is a new building they built just for the Olympics and is an oval shape.  It is made out of pine wood that had to be cut down because of the pine beetle invasion and would have been wasted if they didn't use it for this building.  In BC they build lots of buildings using wood because even though it means cutting down trees it helps reduce carbon emissions. They also replant lots of new trees for every tree they cut down.

I also learned that 1 gold medal is worth more than about 18 silver and bronze medals. The person who told me that was the sister of the person who designed the Olympic medals, so she should know!  The Vancouver Winter Olympic Medals are very unique because they were designed by an aboriginal artist from West Vancouver and each one is different because they are all cut from a big picture.

More info on the medals can be found at:
Link to Olympic Medals Story

A very special moment for me was when I was there to see Alex Bilodeau receive his gold medal for Men's Mogul Skiing.  People were cheering so loudly that I couldn't hear my mother yell right beside me!  When they played "O Canada" everyone was singing.  I felt proud to be Canadian.

See you soon,

Kate

Hello from Ainsley

I am having fun at the Olympics but I want to say hello to my friends because I miss them.  I loved seeing figure skating the most and I want to be a figure skater.  The twirls and fancy dresses look beautiful.  I am exicted to see the mountains because tomorrow we are going to Whistler.  I am having a fun holiday and will tell you all about when I get home.  GO CANADA GO!!!

Love Ainsley

More Olympic News!

Hello everybody,

I hope you are having fun watching the Olympics on TV.  I am having fun being part of the Olympics but it is very crowded because lots of people are here to enjoy the Olympics.  We take the bus and train to all sorts of different places to watch different events because there is too much traffic to take the car.  So far we have been to Cypress Mountain to see Men's Moguls, Pacific Colliseum to see the Pairs Figure Skaters in practice, Thunderbird Arena to see Women's Hockey (Canada beat Switzerland- the final score was 10-1 and I cheered the whole time!!!), BC Place to see Alex Bilodeau recieve his gold medal and The Richmond Speed Skating Oval to see the Women's 500 M race.  Lots of people here are wearing red and white to show their Canadian pride.  People cheer really loudly for all of the Canadian athletes at all of the events.  I love being Canadian!!  Did you know that all of the women in Speed Skating start their race differently?

One of the fun things about the Olympics is that we can collect all sorts of things.  I am collecting different pins and trading with people.  It is lots of fun and I am meeting lots of people this way. 

Tomorrow we will be going to Whistler to see some different Olympic events.  I will try to send some more updates from there.

See you later,

Shannon

The Four Host First Nations

Aboriginal is a collective name for the indigenous peoples of Canada and is used to refer to the original or first peoples of this land and their descendants. British Columbia is actually home to more than 200 First Nations including Inuit and Metis but the Four Host First Nations of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games are the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh.  These four Nations have been chosen as they are the original people of the Vancouver Olympic sites.  This is the first time in history that Indigenous peoples have been recognized by the International Olympic Committee as Official Partners. 

There are lots of things about the First Nations at the Olympics.  I have seen an Aboriginal pavillion with handmade arts and crafts, an art gallery with totem poles and lots of native dancers. 

I will write again soon.

Kate O'Hare

Hey Class 3-3!

Hey everybody,

I hope you have been having a good time because I have!  Today I went to Cypress Mountain and watched men's moguls skiing and do you know what?  I saw Alex Bilodeau ski.  He won a gold medal for Canada today- the first one ever on Canadian soil!!!!!!!!  On Friday I went to the Opening Ceremonies and I saw Wayne Gretzy light the torch.  When Canada walked in the stadium I felt very proud not only to have the Olympics in Canada but to have so many Canadians work hard enough to compete in the Winter Olympics.  It was great and I will never forget it.  Tomorrow I will go to figure skating practice, women's hockey (Canada vs. Switzerland) and the Victory Ceremony when Alex Bilodeau will be awarded his Gold Medal.  Did you know that every single medal looks different and has different waves?

From Kate

Hello to Class 1-1 and 1-2!!

I hope you had a nice Valentine's Day, mine was great!!  I have been having a great time at the Olympics.  It is like springtime in Vancouver.  We are staying in somebody's house and there is a treehouse in the backyard.  We have been doing lots of things.  On Saturday we went downtown and I met people from all over the world.  I have met people from Holland, Australia, USA, Finland, England, Norway and lots from Canada.  On Sunday we were at Cypress Mountain watching Men's Mogul Skiing and we saw Alex Bilodeau ski his qualifying race.  He won a gold medal for Canada!!!  What I learned about moguls skiing is that some of the men wear mouthguards just like when I play hockey because we both wear them to stay safe. 

At the Opening Ceremonies we saw a snow boarder go down a hill when there was no snow.  There were lights and there were special times that we had to shine them so I was part of the show.  Did you see me on TV?  Tomorrow I am going to see hockey- Switzerland vs. Canada.  I can't wait!

Write to you soon. 
From Shannon

Happy Valentine's!

Look for us at Cypress Mountain.
Men's Moguls Rock!
Go Canada Go!

The O'Hares

The Games Begin!

Today was nothing short of wonderous and I am still in a daze from an experience that promises to be a life-long memory.  As a Canadian I am filled with pride even though I am a visitor to this part of the country and experiencing the Olympics as a tourist.  This is still "our Olympics" and the world is grateful that we have invited them into our country for a few short weeks.  Vancouver is doing us proud as a Canadian city and as a host to nations.  The thousands of Olympic volunteers and Vancouverites, in general, have been gracious, kind and, in true Canadian fashion, polite to a fault.  The city is immaculate, organized and beautiful- a perfect stage for the XXI Winter Olympic Games. 

Our day started at the Olympic Countdown Clock at Robson Square which has been counting down the start of the Olympics for a year and ended at the Opening Ceremonies of the XXI Winter Olympic Games.  While it was never our plan to attend the Opening Ceremonies, the tickets which we bought with the intent to sell never did and so we used them ourselves.  It is often said that things happen for a reason and I believe that fate played a hand in this course as my Olympic experience has been made all the richer for the show of patriotism, compassion and inspiration that I was witness to tonight.  The Opening Ceremonies was a show like I have never seen before and probably will never see again.  It was a perfect blend of much of what makes us Canadian as well as being a fantastic spectacle.  It was an emotional display of people from every corner of the world mourning the tragic loss of a dedicated athlete and rallying to support his countrymen. It was a showing of pride and hope in our Canadian athletes that was beyond anything that I have witnessed and moved many to tears.  It was a challenge to athletes to act as role models for the youth of the world and inspire them to greatness.  It was an event that made me proud to be a Canadian.  I am looking at the world through Olympic glasses and it is a beautiful place- I have been forever changed.

Erika

Ready, Set, GO!

Hello,

The packing is almost done, kids are finally in bed, Erika is running around like mad trying to finish all the things that need attention before we leave.  It's finally sinking in, we are going to the Olympics!

This has been a dream of mine for a long time and I'm thrilled to have this chance to be part of Canada's moment on the world stage.  I definitely have the Olympic fever, even bought 2 magazines at full newsstand price today.  This is very unusual for me.  I would normally tend to side with the naysayers and support the protests that identify all that is wrong with events like the Olympics.  But for some reason I am gleefully overlooking these issues, seeing the greater potential this event can offer to the world. 

There is no doubt the Olympics are owned by, and run for, the benefit of the corporate world.  Coke, Bell, GE, McDonald's, and others boldly stake their claim to the Olympic ritual.  I'm sure it will become overwhelming and my patience for the advertising power play will wear thin.  For now, I have the pleasure of knowing this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that our family is very fortunate to enjoy.  Besides, no amount of capitalism and government propaganda can hold a candle to the power embodied in the Olympic flame.  For me, it is the Olympic Spirit that inspires and embraces all people .  I beleive this spirit represents the best of humanity and can not be tarnished by profiteers.  This is what gives me hope for a great adventure, for our childern's future, and for the world.

We will do our best to keep this blog updated with our daily activity and I will continue to comment on the greatest competition of the games - the struggle between Sport and Profit!

Keep in touch, love to hear your comments.  Rich

Is the Olympic Symbol really an Inukshuk?

An Inukshuk is the official symbol of the 2010 Olympic winter games for us, but according to the Inuit people this symbol is actually called an Inunwok.

 An Inukshuk is a pile of rocks with a special meaning used by Inuit peoples to mark special places or guide them on their travels.  These rock piles take many different shapes and have been used for thousands of years.  Only recently have these formations been made to look like people, and these are call Inunwok which means "in the likeness of a person". 

Therefore I believe the Olympic symbol is actually an Inunwok not an Inukshuk.  However, I think it looks great and we don't have any choice to change it now. What do you think???

See these links for more information.

By: KATE OHARE

More Info on the Olympic Symbol
YouTube Video with Peter Irniq

Olympic Symbols

Olympic Rings:

The Olympic symbol is 5 interlocked rings that represent 5 areas of the world (Europe, Africa, Americas, Asia, Australia) that participate in the Olympics and ParaOlympics. The rings are coloured Red, Black, Blue, Yellow and Green. It is interesting that at least 1 of these colours is on every flag of the countries that compete in the Olympics.

Motto:

The Olympic motto "Swifter, Higher, Stronger" is used to encourage athletes to do their best. Participation is also an important part of the Olympics and the other motto is:

The most important thing is not win but to take part!

The official motto of the Vancouver Olympics is: With Glowing Hearts...

Lots of good info on this wiki site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_symbols

By Kate O'Hare

December 20th - Torch Relay in Hamilton

Our journey to Vancouver officially began on December 20th as we greeted the torch runners in Hamilton. It was an awesome party and the large crowds helped warm things up on a truly Canadian winter night. The kids had a blast and got to hold a real torch! They are starting to realize this 'Olympic thing' is special. The anticipation is notching up and we are getting excited.

Still need to complete our planning and find a place to bunk in Whistler. I'm sure it will come together soon.

Shannon, Ainsley and Kate with a Torch Runner