Conservative MP is Liberal With His Time (Feb 17 Newsletter)

Lethbridge, Alberta conservative M.P. Rick Casson is spending the Vancouver 2010 games catering to a different passion: the sport of curling.

When I stuck my head into a back corner office and announced that I was looking for an M.P. who is also a volunteer, Mr. Casson immediately proclaimed “It’s not me, it’s that guy!” and pointed to someone else in the room. I could immediately tell that Rick Casson’s humility and approachability just 2 of the reasons he has been elected to federal office for the past 12 years.

Casson is volunteering his time as a support for a World Curling Federation executive.
“I am basically a “gopher” for the games” he explains with a warm smile “I spend a lot of time either rushing around and tying up loose ends or waiting to rush around”.

His games time role appears to be quite different from his day job representing approximately 115,000 residents of Lethbridge and Southern Alberta. His region’s primary industrial activities include agriculture, manufacturing, and trade with the US.

When asked why he decided to travel to Vancouver and volunteer for the games, Casson answered:
“It’s close to home, so we couldn’t justify not being a part of it”.

Both Rick and his wife Jeanene are here to support the Vancouver Olympic Centre for the duration of the games.

“We are both curlers and have been for the last 40 years or so,” he goes on to explain. “It’s a sport that is close to our hearts because it’s one of the few sports that any person can play, regardless of age, shape, or size. We wanted to be here to help in our own small way”.

Lucky Loonie? (Feb 19 Newsletter)

As the German men wrapped up their final curling practice at the Vancouver Olympic Centre on Sunday, February 14, volunteer team driver Dave Rush was approached by a Chinese journalist from CCTV. The enthusiastic TV announcer asked carefully:

“Sir, what is a lon-e?”
“I’m sorry, but do you mean a Loonie?” Dave replied
“Yes, yes, a Loon-e” the reporter answered. “Do you have a Loon-e I can see?”

Dave smiled, reached into his pocket, and handled the man one of our iconic 1 dollar coins. He was so happy to receive the short term loan that he quickly blurted out how he was doing a news piece the ice-embedded Loonie at Canada Hockey Place (a good luck omen for the Canadian Teams).

It seems that Lucky Loonies have become a part of Canadian Olympic lore: A loonie was tucked away in the hockey ice at the Salt Lake City Olympic games of 2002; the year Canada won gold in both men’s and women’s hockey (against the US both times, no less!). The humble coin may have also helped Canadian athlete Maelle Ricker win gold in Ladies Snowboard Cross this week. This golden girl even keeps a Loonie in her pocket for good luck, a gift from her mother.

Just last week, the Canadian mint released 10 million commemorative Loonies for the 2010 games, a tradition that has been in place since Salt Lake City 2002.

Once the visiting news reporter finished his story for CCTV, he handed the Loonie back to Dave.

“But don’t you want to keep it?” Rush asked.
“No, you should keep it,” the reporter responded. “This Loonie is now famous all over China!”

Where is the Lucky Loonie now? Stay tuned for further details on what happens to it.

Royalty In the House (Feb 16 Vancouver Olympic Centre Newsletter article)

(Photo: Princess Anne at the Vancouver Olympic Centre addressing the men’s Great Britain curling team during an afternoon practice session)

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne dropped by yesterday to view the new curling venue. Princess Anne of England was a member of Great Britain's 1976 Equestrian team that participated at the Summer Games in Montreal. She is a member of the IOC and sits on the board of the London 2012 Organising Committee.

There are a total of 7 royal IOC members, including a Saudi prince, a UAE princess, the Prince of Orange, and Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Let The Games Begin!

As I sit and watch the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Games in BC Place stadium, I am overcome with feelings of patriotic pride and celebration of the human spirit. The winter Olympic Games have been happening since 1924, and today, for the very first and probably last time, they are here in my beloved Van-City.

I am totally amazed at how the grey and dank looking BC has been miraculously transformed into a winter wonderland of lights and dancing joy. I actually had free tickets to the official opening ceremonies dress rehearsal on Wednesday (another volunteer perk) but passed them up in favour of a corporate awards conference in Toronto. I thought it was a no-brainer a few weeks ago, but now as I watch on international TV what I missed as a live show 2 days ago, I wonder if I didn’t miss out on something truly wonderful. Oh well, at least my parents had fun!

Today I wandered through the downtown core and was surprised by the sheer number of tourists in the city; they now outnumber the locals 5:1. Crowds have gathered all over the “pedestrian only” areas. Each participating country seems to have its own “party central” house set up in random locations around town. I stuck my head into the Irish House on Seymour street and smiled at the image of good natured debauchery yet to come. In front of the regional post office located on Hamilton and Georgia, Canadian freestyle ski team athletes performed exciting jumps and twists on trampolines with skis strapped to their feet and smiles plastered on youthful faces. Thousands of people cheered at the side of the road as the Olympic flame made its way closer to the opening ceremonies in BC Place. This was only about 1/10 of what was happening around the city and in the Surrey area. Indeed, the next 18 days are going to be a whole lot of fun.

Over the next 2 weeks, I have 12 shifts scheduled at the curling venue and tickets to 3 Olympic events: Speed skating at the Richmond oval, short track speed skating at the Pacific Coliseum, and Men’s preliminary finals hockey at Canada Hockey Place. I am excited to see each and every event, and even more enthusiastic to see world class sportsmanship in my own humble city. I also plan to seek out the German tent and visit as often as I can to hopefully practice my German and drink some authentic hefeweizen. I can’t tell you how much I miss those two activities (I lived in Bonn, Germany for 3 years).

Above all, tonight I feel even prouder than usual to be a Canadian and a native Vancouverite. Over the next 2 weeks, I look forward to being a friendly ambassador for my lovely city, as we welcome the world into our front yards. I hope everyone who visits us has the time of their lives and leaves with love in their heart for one of the best cities in the world to live. As I watch the fireworks both live on TV and live outside my living-room window, I can only think of these wise words: Go, Canada, Go!

Vancity - A Week Before the Games

The city seems to fill up with a few more people each day. Today, just 8 days before the games, the energy of Vancouver was alive with Olympic spirit in a variety of ways:

Whether it’s the cranberry Olympic rings and maple leaf formations floating in front of the Richmond Speed-skating Oval in the Fraser River , the giant blinking traffic closure signs, or the seemingly endless flags and posters, one message is blindingly clear: something huge is about to happen here, and we will all be a part of it. I find it fascinating; a bashful and humble city on the verge of inviting the world into it’s living room.

I once heard a Whistler resident comment on local TV: “The Olympics are like a giant elephant that come to town and takes a huge dump, then just leaves”. I liked this particular analogy because it reflected a thought I had often had about the mammoth Olympic beast. For many locals, especially in the Fraser Valley, the Olympics are a huge potential tax burden with little to minus zero positive impact on their lives. From my business experiences, many companies are benefiting lucratively either directly or indirectly from Olympic business. I’ve heard many different sides of the argument and I agree with many points from both schools of thought.

The fact of the matter is, the games are going to be here so why not make the most of the opportunity?

I’ve always seen the Olympic Games as a source of multiple opportunities: celebrating the best athletes in the world, making money in a variety of industries, raising the city’s (and citizens) profile, and/or having one hell of a good time. I grew up watching the games along side my sport’s fanatic mom. At age 8, I clearly remember being taken to Mount Lehman Road to watch in awe and slight confusion as the torch ran by. I also remember that mom burned my wiener dog’s nose (tucked in her jacket) in her haste to touch the flame. I guess there wasn’t as much security and opposition back then because you could actually go and touch the torch if you wanted to.

When the games were first announced just a few years ago, I was both intrigued and horrified at the prospect of seeing my humble city turned into an international circus for a few weeks. I wondered if the city could really handle it. Did we really want to invite the world right into our tranquil backyard?

Today, on February 4, 2010, the time we have been hearing about for the past 6 years is finally upon us. So how has the city changed its face to welcome the world? So far, I’ve witnessed the following:

• Hundreds of Canadian flags on buildings and blowing proudly in the wind
• Thousands of ugly orange pylons indicating extreme primary road closures
• 100% increase in bewildered and potentially lost tourist snapping photos
• Interesting art exhibits and displays along Granville street
• The art gallery has been “wall papered” in giant flowers
• Increased numbers of bored policemen looking for justice to serve
• 3-4 x as many rent-a-cops everywhere I look
• A plethora of strange new street flags
• Randomly placed welcome signs in virtually every national language
• A gargantuan Australian flag of a boxing kangaroo in the Olympic village
• A zip-line across the Robson Square skating rink
• The public transit buses are display flashing “welcome to Canada” messages
• The world’s largest mail box in the parking lot in front of the post office
• Many volunteers walking around dressed just like me

The city seems to be perking up and coming alive as we come just days away from the start of the games. If Vancouverites haven’t personally been bringing the joy of the Olympics into the air, it seems the influx of visitors into town have brought enough enthusiasm for all. As I wandered through the downtown today, the anticipation and excitement was palpable. Of course, I wish good luck to all the athletes visiting our fair city, but I wouldn’t be a true Canadian gal without following that up with: Go, Canada, Go! Allons-y, Canada!