Day 9: Training and Biathlon

As much crowd as my camera could fit

Today was pretty relaxed; we got to sleep in all the way up to 7!! Once we got to WOP, we jumped on skis and got an hour and a half of solid training in. We were on hairies again, and although the snow was sluggish, the grip was infallible, quite a nice treat after the classic conditions last time. Everything seemed kind of slow after the last couple days of chaos, because there were no ski jumping or Nordic events going on at all. After our ski, we decided to book it over to the biathlon pursuit race. And then we found the crowds. Crazy masses of Germans, Norwegians everywhere, everybody singing their national anthems (I’m assuming, I couldn’t understand anything), waving flags and pumping the air in random, sporadic doses. Every time someone would shoot, the whole crowd would erupt in either cheers or groans, varying with the outcome. The whole atmosphere was nice, but the results was that we could hardly see the stadium, and a view of the big screen was only available when you followed the gap between the people in front of you, as they did the same with the people in front of them. So basically, a lot of shuffling was involved. We were eventually able to squeeze our way onto a hill, which offered a much better view.

Of course, the big news in biathlon was our athlete Leguellec being started 30 seconds early, which means although he was skiing near the leaders, he was really back 30 seconds. If that doesn’t mess with your head in an Olympic race, I don’t know what would. Apparently there were mistakes made in the women’s race as well, earlier in the morning, and so they switched the starters to avoid more mistakes being made. I guess it didn’t exactly work...
Tomorrow is SPRINTS, I am so excited, they are for sure going to be the highlight of this week. Everything should be mucho fantastic, AND, to top it all off, they are calling for nice weather for the next FOUR DAYS. Whoda thunk it?

That’s all folks!!

Michelle :)

PS I know (now) that the names written beneath my pictures from yesterday's blog are a little mixed up. And yes, I am aware of the irony, considering I was flaunting my newfound ski expertise in that same blog. So yes, my apologies.

Day 8: YAHYAHYAH

Today was the first legit cross-country race, a women's 10k and men's 15k individual skate race. We got out to an early start, leaving the hotel at 6:15 in the morning. It was decided that the girls would take care of forerunning for the women's race, and the guys for the men's. When we finished forerunning for the women, no one kicked us out so we got to watch from right in the middle of the stadium, within 5m of the start line, lap lane and finish lane. It was really cool, being right in the middle of the warm-up area and right next to the starting line up. We have a skiing pool going, and it makes it a lot more interesting, having people to cheer for, AND I am finally getting my ski education. I am officially an expert on who is who, who is good and who is doped. (or strongly, strongly suspected to be)The men's race was so cool, once we found a spot to watch from. We walked around the track FOREVER, but it was packed with crazy europeans and their cowbells screaming at the top of their lungs 20 minutes before the race even started. So we headed to the stadium bleachers, and landed ourselves some sweet seats next to Judy and Brad. We were also lucky enough to be sitting behind Dario Cologna's (the winner) parents. His mom was all choked up, and his dad was hollering at the big screen, and telling anyone who glanced over to see what he was shouting about "thats my son, he's my son". So cute, so awesome, they made me want to cry. It pretty much made my day. As for the other sports, it's awesome being able to pick a spot on the couch and watch the Olympics with people who are just as into sports and competition as I am, people who are just as inspired by these people who have worked hard and are finally getting what they deserve... a shot at gold, a chance to leave behind a legacy.

The only small downside to all of this excitement is that getting any kind of work done is next to impossible. And so, school may be a bit stressful when I get home. But really, I only have to last a week until march break... and then another couple more until nationals... oh dear.

So everybody should keep their fingers crossed for more golds, more excitement and more supportive teachers for Michelle :)

And that's all folks

Michelle :)


Nordic Combined results from yesterday


C. Kalla.


Wish I could see the number... Its some Norwegian chicka anyways...


One of the media hotspots. They had NOTHING on our seats. We're spoiled :)


A Norway cheering squad. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if someone told me they outnumbered the Canadian spectators today.


M. Bjoergen


M. Bjoergen






Madeleine Williams, our only Canadian woman racing today


SkyCam... Apparently they're worth a million dollars each


SkyCam




Crazy German Vikings... for the record, they provided and insisted on the clown nose :)


Stadium






Finish Line

Day 7: First day of forerunning, Nordic Combined.

Hey!

We got to have a bit of a sleep in this morning, we were fore-running for Nordic combined this morning and they had to do the whole jumping portion before we even got on the trails. Nordic Combined is a pretty cool idea. Basically, the skiers ski jump, and the farther they go, the bigger a head start they get in the cross-country segment of the race. This is super cool to watch, it is essentially a huge chase, with the finish coming down to a sprint between many, because the best jumpers aren't usually the best skiers. They were skiing a 10, but with 2.5k loops, and so we were only really skiing 5k officially, 2.5 before and another 2.5 after. We managed to get an hour and a bit of training in. It was a nice day, but of course the skies opened up for long enough to get us all good and soaked before retreating over the mountains. But no complaints, I feel like we haven't seen the sun in forever. Fore-running was so cool!! You don't have to work super hard, because the most important thing is to ski as a group, but you get to ski in front of a HUGE crowd, with nothing to focus their excited energy on before the race but you. Kinda stressful, but crazy amazing, cameras flashing and people cheering from all directions, all along the way. Granted, this was probably more to push off the post-race stress/boredom, but still, we can pretend.

One other amazing thing about fore-running. Seeing as we are the last people on course before the race and the first on after it, we get awesome spots, with the start line on our left and the finish line on our right, about 3m from each, right in the middle of it. The atmosphere is incredible, you could almost see the excitement. And this was for Nordic combined, i mean, who even knows what it is? The first cross-country race is tomorrow, women's 10k and men's 15k skate. SO FREAKING PUMPED. Its is going to be incredible, and, to make it even sweeter, they have decided that only the girls will forerun for the women's race and only the guys for the guys race, which means that we (the ladies) will see the entire guy's race, awesome.

I should go to bed, we have a 5:30 start tomorrow morning, as busing takes FOREVER. Also, no pictures, I'll post them tomorrow, we went to see valentine's day tonight, i guess this is what happens.

Goodnight!!

Michelle :)

Day 6: Rest and Relaxation

Today was an off day, so we took the chance to get a bit of training in on our own terms, without some course official or tv crew telling us what to do. We got a chance to check out some more ski jumping, it helps that the jumps are about 10 steps from the wax room. Getting out and actually skiing was a bit of a production, as most people, myself included, kept changing their minds about what worked better with the snow conditions, hairies or klister. Really, both were bad, and the whole team, with the exception of rebecca, who could be skiing on sheer ice and still be convinced that her hairies will work, was experiencing a bit of a grass is always greener phenomena, whatever we had, we wanted something else, grasping at any small chance that we wouldn't get stuck skiing our shoulders to death for 2 hours. Anyways, the point is, all this set us behind schedual, except rebecca, who was on hairies which were, we eventually agreed on, the skis to go with. Note to self: Do what Rebecca does, always. Check. Because of this, we didnt have time to fit in all our training and make it to the women's biathlon, which was happeningjust down the road. Its kinda sad that people from all over the world made it to this race and I couldn't pull it together to walk 300m and get there in time.
We did catch a bunch of it on the tv in the athletes lounge, which was pretty cool. All the different countries xc skiers were, obviously, cheering for their biathlon counterparts, and it made for some interesting spectating. The cheers and curses in what seemed like a million languages somewhat made up for the lack of being there.

One plus for today... the groomers worked their magic overnight and the trails are a million times better than yesterday. I dont know where all the slush went, but we spent the morning gliding over smooth, hard, fast and clean trails, a 150% improvement sine yesterday.

After biathlon, we headed out to whistler to shop and soak up the olympic spirit, which we are a bit isolated from in our hotel. It is so pretty at night! All the trees are lit p with tiny LED lights, reminders of the opening ceremonies.

As for other sports, we got to see Jenn Heil put on another great performance in Moguls. I know that she, and perhaps other canadians are a little disapointed that she won't be bringing home our first gold, but really, the olympics are just another race. I think the public is a bit too side blinded by these events, and fail to see and acknowledge the countless (well, you could probably count them, but still) world cup medals, many of which were gold, she picked up during her season. These races host the exact same people, and it isn't right that people be disapointed in her after she has so well represented our country all through this winter, and many before that. And so, bravo Jenn, way to bring in canada's first bling!

Tomorrow is the first real forerunning we'll be doing, leading out and finishing up the nordic combined 10k. Should be great, and I'll try and do my homework and figure out who is who before tomorrow.

Thats all folks!!

Michelle :)


The ski jump stadium. PACKED. Joe Bieden was there, so mucho police.


More ski testing. They NEVER STOP.


Yes, another set-up-for-silly-tourists-so-that-they-will-come-in-to-take-a-picture-and-end-up-spending-money-in-our-store picture. Sorry. BUT,I didnt end up buying anything. SO, i guess I got a free bobsleigh ride. HAH.


The Cana-duh guys. They were pretty good at hockey for guys on stilts. And their, duh, "post-game interviews" duh, were pretty, duh, funny. For about 10 seconds. Then they started sounding like legit hocky players talking about "giving 110%" and "gettin it all together", so we made a break for it.


Whistler Live Stage. We're going to see Bedouin Soundclash here tomorrow, free tickets!!


A monument set up in memory of the Georgian Slider. Apparently his country is building a luge run in his hometown in his memory meant to encourage more little kids to take up the sport. Something seems a bit off here...


Marching band we saw in Whistler. They we're so cool, so good, most of them my ageish. Really glad we bumped into them, it added a lot to the day.

Day 5: Let the Games Begin!!

Hello!
This morning's weather provided us with a misleading sliver of hope that we may get a nice day. However, true to the forecaster’s promises, as soon as the skis and time chips were on, the skies opened up and gave us, yes, more rain. Other than the rain, which I suppose we are at least getting used to, today’s race went quite well. We were skiing a 7.5k, three loops, a trial run for Nordic Combined, which is a combination of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Of course, we were only forerunning the cross-country part, otherwise I think that we would have been short quite a few forerunners in the days to come. The way NC works is, basically, the further you jump, the bigger a head start you get. They started us off randomly, apparently the athlete I was pretending to be was not the greatest of jumpers, as I was starting last. Everything went smoothly, the only small setback is the condition of the trails. It is, essentially, ankle deep slush. There isn’t much the groomers can do, and the more rain and wet snow that falls, the harder their job gets. Apparently the foreign coaches have also been complaining that the trails are somewhat concaved, so I guess Dirk and his crew have their work cut out for them.
We found out today that not only are we going to be forerunning, but also postrunning, which is apparently some kind of tradition, to officially finish the race. Seems a little useless, and personally I would rather see the end of the races... we’re supposed to leave 500m afeter the last person. One thing that does sound awesome is that if it’s snowing, we are supposed to ski behind the last guy, and then jump out of the tracks when the lead pack comes back through (hopefully, without falling in their way) Should be an amazing experience, I can’t wait for the first race to go! Biathlon has their first race tomorrow, we will probably go watch that after training tomorrow, its right next to the cross-country venue and we have a day off of work tomorrow.

On a slightly different note, my heart goes out to the slider who died today. His death put a bit of a damper on the Olympic spirit around here. Just knowing that every athlete here, myself and the other forerunners included, has a love for training, sport and competition that paralleled that of this world-class athlete is more than enough to move and bring together the athletic community. The Olympic Games should be a time for celebration and pride, and I am truly sorry that the team from Georgia, his family and the whole Olympic community had to deal with this.

The Opening Ceremonies just ended, despite the *cough* glitch at the end, they were pretty well done, full of our famous Canadian pride. They leave us more inspired than ever, and open what should be a great and memorable Olympic Games. Go Canada!!

Thats all folks!!

Michelle

Sorry for the lack of pictures... I didnt want to take the camera out on the trails, it was raining pretty hard.


Arianna Follis


Lucas Bauer


The ski jumping venue... yes, that tiny dot on the hill is a man. They are SO big. All the jumpers are these tiny little anorexic people, but they launch themselves so high!


I watched a bit of the qualifiers before work. No one from canada made it through. Apparently we suck at ski jumping.



The security blimp. It surveys the whole area, all day long.

Day 4: Zero degree skis for zero degree weather

It was raining super hard in Squamish this morning. Pretty much everything was soaked before we even got on snow. On the bright side, the rain was slushy snow at the Olympic park, which means we got to ski on zeros, which is 1000000x better than klister skiing. I tried out my new Madsus hairies, prepared by the great Peter Hamilton himself, and they worked awesome. I'm not too experienced in the hairies skiing department, but once I got a quick zeros 101 lesson from James (Cunningham), I was good to go. We were supposed to be helping the media get ready for the relays today, the 4x5km. We were skiing two legs each, I was in the second group of skiers. The main point of this was to ski together, not to ski fast, so the pace was pretty relaxed. We could watch the other skiers on the big screen while we waited, but it got kinda cold. Even though the temperataure was sitting around 0, everything was soaking wet, and damp like that gets to you. Once the first group tagged off we warmed up pretty quick, the course starts out with a big climb. It's kinda tough, trying toold formation, but feeling like you should ski fast for the cameras... its not easy to know what to do. Our on-snow leader, the Whistler Nordic coach Maria, was getting orders through her radio the whole time. You can't just zone out and ski, or you'll drop the group. Petter Northug was testing skis close by but I am a wuss so Mike, your 50$ is safe for now.

I am starting to feel better, still stuffy but way better than I was yesterday. My kick-ass immune system has stepped it up once again.

Thaaaats all Folks!

Michelle :)




The girl's start


Skiing...


Skiing...


Skiing...


Annddd, then we had to stop cause the group got broken up






The boy's start


The boy's start


Athletes testing skis


Some of the forerunners

Day 3: Starstruckkk

My face on the big screen at the start of our "race". This thing is HUGE, so cool, although I was a little concerned about having something on my face, blown p x10000000. Note the name, if you can see it. Go Norway!



Today was our first day with actual forerunning duties. We left at 7 to catch a bus, transfer, catch another bus, transfer and then catch another bus. Security wasn't too bad, we get to skip the volunteer lines because we have been given "athlete" status. More on that. Security is pretty crazy... There are all kinds of wands, metal detectors and searches to get into the site. There are four different line to go through different kinds of security, and we get to skip two, which is awesome. Whenever the buses pull into the athletes village they check for bombs on the bottoms with mirrors and there are helicopters and these little white balloons carrying spy cameras above our heads all day long. There are apparently snipers dressed in white posted in the woods all along the trails already, with more to come once the games actually start. Today we were lugging our skis up to the site. Once they're there we can leave them until its time to fly out. Our athletes pass gives us access to the wax trailers, we have two to ourselves in the rep trailer area. We're right across from madshus, how convieniant :) The team wax trailers are a few meters down the road, we walk through there to get to the stadium. It's pretty cool to see all the different flags and hear all these crazy languages being spoken all around us. We are also the only volunteers to have access to the athletes lounge and chalet. This is incredible. We get food, eat, wax and chill in the same room, at the same tables as the world's best. I finally wish I had listened to Patrick and done my ski knowledge homework. People around me are constantly pointing out our sport's greats and the only two I could recognize today were marit bjoergen and peter northug. Sad, maybe ill do some research tonight. Mike has promised to give me 50 bucks if i can get a picture of me kissing peter's cheek, we'll have to see if i can summon up the guts to ask.

Our job today was to ski the 15km skate race so the timing crew and media can practice timing and filming. It was pretty cool, it was like we were actual racing in the olympics, except for the fact that our only spectators were olympic athletes and they really couldn't care less. But other than the lack of attention, we had bibs, our faces on the big screen and fake names. Steph was Alex Harvey, and I was some sprinter from Norway, Toro Asle Gjerdalen. Apparently he's fast. Buutt I got caught by Alex Harvey, biiigg surprise there. On the other hand, the announcers had a field day on the fact that a bugarian won the race. I guess that doesnt happen very often. They were funny. Most of the girls ended up grouping together and skiing as a pack, 15k is a long way to go All in all, today was super cool.

The only slightly less awesome thing is that i think im getting really sick. I've been fighting off something for a couple weeks now by now I've got this pressure in my head and a cough. I'm super scared that I'll give it to one of the athletes, were around them so much. I would feel terrible. I'm trying to be super careful an wash my hands like, all the time. Anyways, I'll get a goodnight's sleep tonight and hopefully tomorrow will be better.

That's all folks!

Michelle



The ski jump... back of the bleachers.



Me somewhere on the course



Annndd again







View of the stadium from the trail



Our uniforms. And yes, the hats are manditory, don't get me started.



The twins and I. This mesh stuff is EVERYWHERE.



The view from our wax room. We can see the jumpers training, you actually have to be insane to do this sport. It's crazy. Not like, whoa, crazy, you can eat 4 burgers. Like, holy sh**, thats crazy, you just launched yourself a gazillion feet into the air AND LANDED IT! kind of crazy.