Loving the Olympics

That's right, after 5 solid days of the Vancouver Canada Games, we've been treated to some of the greatest performances by the finest winter athletes in the world. Canada has done a great job so far. After starting out in tragedy, with the death of one of the athletes, things have really heated up.
The Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, came to a crashing halt on one of the steel support beams at almost 90 MPH when he was thrown from the track that many had said was too fast. A very sad moment in Olympic History. My heart goes out to the family of this 20 year old athlete who paid a very steep price for following his dream of an Olympic gold medal

Since then, the games have gone off without a hitch. The host country, my homeland, has only been able to come away with two gold medals. The first to ever capture a gold medal on home turf was Alexandre Bilodeau who took the gold in the Mens Freestyle Moguls. He was followed by the beautiful Maelle Ricker who won the gold medal in the Womens Snowboard Cross. I was able to watch all of this competition and was surprised at how nerve racking this sport is. My favorite in this event was Lindsey Jacobellis from the USA, but after her fall in the semi-final heat, it didn't take me too long to switch alliance to the crowd favorite, Maelle.
She ran away with the win right from the start, never looking behind her and finishing far ahead of the closest competitor. Great race.

The Canadian Womens Ice Hockey team seems to be on a mission as well. In their first two games they have outscored the competition 18-0(Slovakia) and 10-1 over Switzerland. The US Women are doing the same thing with blowouts of 12-1 over China followed by a 13-0 ravaging of Russia. All of these blowouts are cause for concern as the IOC is not impressed with the level of competition. At least these scores don't compare to the 83-0 thrashing that Slovakia served up to Bulgaria in the Olympic qualifications. If this is any consolation, the Mens Hockey Teams, again the US and Canada, are doing the same thing to their opponents. Personally, I don't believe its the lack of competition so much as the outright domination of these teams. Lets face it, if you put the best players on three teams- the two mentioned and add the Russian Men - you have the best of the best. There you have it. So far. Stay tuned for more.

The World shifts to Canada for the 2010 Winter Games

All Eyes on Vancouver


The 2010 Winter Olympics begin Friday as the world shifts to the Western Canadian city of Vancouver in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. This will be the second time that the winter games head to Canada after the Calgary games in 1988. With any luck, Canada hopes to come away with at least one Gold medal on it's home turf after being shutout in Calgary and in the 1976 Montreal Summer Games, the only other time the Olympic Games were held in Canada.
For those who don't know anything about Canada except the fact that only Eskimos live there and everyone plays hockey and says Ehyy, you are in for an education. As the second largest country in terms of land, you would think that it would have the the second largest population in the world. The truth is that more than half is unpopulated due to weather conditions and travel restrictions. This is why the site of the 2010 winter games makes sense since it's very close to the border of Washington state and just under 3 hours from Seattle. With a population of just under 4.5 million, with just about half of that in metro Vancouver, that makes Vancouver the third largest city in Canada behind Toronto and Montreal respectively. I had the privilege of being a resident of Vancouver and B.C. for 6 and 1/2 years in the 80's. I loved living there and was sorry to leave when I came back to the East Coast in 1989. In a city where the mountains are visible from downtown and the ocean just down the street, it's very hard not to be in awe on a daily basis. Stanley Park, to me is one of the most beautiful parks in the world. It is also one of the few in the world where you have to drive through the middle to get to the bridge that brings you to the Northern section of this beautiful city. The Lions Gate Bridge is the gateway to North Vancouver and Deep Cove, another well kept secret.

What looks like you are heading into the Mountains is really the drive over to North Vancouver and the way to Deep Cove. This area is easily one of the most beautiful spots, amongst many, in B.C. North Vancouver is one of the most exclusive residence areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Very expensive and secluded, many of the residents are those of the privileged few. North Vancouver is the place of choice for many artists and musicians. In fact, Little Mountain Sound is the place where Bon Jovi recorded their "Slippery When Wet" album way back in 1986. That album is just one of many recorded there.

One of the least talked about attributes to this beautiful city is the tolerance of the use of Marijuana. Although illegal, the use of weed in British Columbia is pretty much tolerated. There are several cannabis coffee shops in Vancouver, although I doubt that this will affect any of the performances coming from the winter games.

If you are planning a vacation to anywhere, you owe it to yourself to visit this great city and see for yourself. Don't take my word for it, go see for yourself. The nightlife is second to none and the people are some of the nicest on this continent. Not to mention that the Canadian Dollar makes it a very affordable destination for those of you who want a taste of Hollywood North as this area has been the destination and breeding ground for many of your favorite TV shows and movies- even if you are not aware of it. I know that these Olympic games are going to be a whole lot of fun. Although, you really just need to see for yourself!