the Olympics in Vancouver

Ooops, I think I promised what I wasn't able to fulfil. Or has anyone seen my regular updates on the Winter Games? I haven't....

The Games are over and I finally find some time to write about it. Vancouver has been crazy over the last 3 weeks and so was work at BC Place. Many things didn't work out the way I or others wanted them to be and I guess venue management would have liked to see some things working out differently but hey, life's a bitch and you have to deal with issues as they arise. Overall I enjoyed the experience of working at the busiest Olympic venue although sometimes I would have wished to see less people standing infront of our portals. At the very busy days we've put through people for 3 hockey games and a victory ceremony what adds up to about 75,000 people daily. The day of the closing ceremony was a crazy one too with 20,000 for the gold medal hockey game and 60,000 for the ceremony. Not the best place to be if you feel threatend by masses of people.

Unfortunately I haven't had many days off during the Winter Games and therefor haven't seen many competitions, life events or special Olympic events. I managed to get into the German Fan Fest once to have the German beer and bratwurst, especially delivered from Thuringia, the region I am coming from. Queues have been the most common thing in downtown Vancouver and people queued for different things: food and even more likely for drinks, access to trains, access to venues, entertainment, pins, entry into the Olympic Superstore, exit from venues, to have pictures taken with the mascots, to use the washrooms etc. There were people everywhere and my way home from BC Place to the West End was a struggle at most times, having to fight through the masses in Yaletown (life site) and at Granville and Robson street (party zone).

Thanks to my former VANOC employment I had scored a ticket to see the Dress Rehearsal of the opening ceremony and while I sat there it really hit home: The Olympic Games are about to start and I am where everything is happening. A crazy feeling! The real opening ceremony I watched with a few VANOC colleagues on TV. It was awesome and despite all the critique a great show and effort to entertain the world! Another event I was lucky to see live was one of the many victory ceremonies. Lucky for me: Germany's ladies had won bronze and silver at the women's bobsleigh. Unlucky for me, the medal ceremony took place in Whistler and we watched it on a big screen. Bugger! The main reason for attending the show where the Sterophonics who had a hard time firing up the mainly Canadian crowd that had never heard of them.

My friend Kate and I went to Whistler to see the bobsleigh and that was kind of risky for me because I had not been able to get any tickets for the event as supposedly it was sold out. I took a chance anyway because I just needed to be there! And guess what, I easily got a ticket for just 45 bucks. Having thought long about whether or not to buy tickets online for 300 bucks I was stocked! We were watching the 4 man bobsleigh Heat 3 and 4 and found some people to cheer with us and group an international crowd; English, German, Canadian, Scotish and Korean. We did well! Heat 3 we watched from the tribune at the start and made our way down to the finish line later to watch Heat 4. Unfortunately and for some very strange reason everybody else seemed to have the same idea what made it difficult for us finding a good spot. Nevermind! The only thing that mattered was Andre Lange and his team winning the silver medal and making my hometown Suhl proud (where Andre Lange lives)!

I guess it comes handy every now and then having worked for VANOC and having friends who still work there...... or maybe I just got lucky. Either way, I was more than pleased when Kate rang me letting me know she got tickets for the closing ceremony and she wanted me to join her. So after work I quickly made my way home and this time it wasn't a struggle at all. The streets were deserted as everybody was home or somewhere to watch the gold medal hockey game between Canada and the USA. The scene had changed dramatically when I walked back to BC Place to get to the closing ceremony; Canada had won their most important gold medal and Vancouver was on fire! Cheering people everywhere, singing O Canada, waving their flags, high fiving strangers, stopping cars and doing other crazy stuff.

Watching the closing ceremony was another highlight of the Games, to bid farewell the athletes, handing over the torch to the Russians for Sochi 2014 and especially the concert at the end with heaps of Canadian bands.

The last few months have been a great experience; organizing the Olympic Games while working for VANOC and recruiting many of our fantastic volunteers; securing the Games with my security work at BC Place and now the fun continues while I am volunteering in Whistler for the Paralympics. I couldn't have asked for more when I arrived in anada and I would have never even dreamed of being involved in the Games in so many different ways.