Pip's Paralympic Adventure

Day 17- Finishing on a Golden Note!

2010-03-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It was our last day as a Volunteer at Whistler Creekside today. It started off on a good note and continued to get even better throughout the day.

We found Stuie!! He has been hanging out with the Paralympic News Service crew these past few weeks. They get quotes from athletes and publish them for journalists around the world to use that couldn't make it to the event. He had a great time with this group!

Viviane Forest and her guide have once again made the podium. She won silver in the women's Super Combined.

Five races, five gold!! Lauren Woolstencroft took her spot on the top of the podium yet again today. This has been one of my favorite parts of my adventure here, watching Lauren win every race, and do it with class. Today she was joined by Karolina Wisniewska who took the bronze medal.

You can't have a race, without a crew! As you know by now, volunteers are the base of the paralympics. There are over 5,000 of us!! This Alpine course alone has a crew of 400 people maintaining it, around the clock!

This is only about one eighth of the people that work up at the race event. Lots of people, lots of fun!

Heather, Stuie and I hanging out in the Athlete Lane.

Heather's boss Amelie and I with Miranda and Stuie.

I have had the most incredible experience out here at the 2010 Paralympics. From watching races all day to medal ceremonies at night. Skiing deep powder to meeting the Golden Girl. The people we have meet and the things we have seen have all been amazing.

Being involved with the Paralympics as a volunteer has meant a lot to Heather and I. We really can't seem to find the words to describe our experience but we hope by the pictures you've seen, you might get an idea!

We'll be hanging out in Whistler for a few days and heading back to Ontario early in the week.

Thank you very much for following our adventure. But more importantly, thanks for watching and following the Paralymipcs!!

Pip and Heather

Day 16- Meeting the Golden Girl

2010-03-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

It was another fun filled day at the races. Sunshine, blue sky, lots of media and another successful day for Canadian skiers. Does it get any better then this?

A media company from the Ukraine was doing a story on volunteers at the 2010 games today. Heather's boss picked her to be the volunteer that they would interview. Heather said it was exciting for her to be on the other side of the camera! The group is doing this story because people in the Ukraine don't understand why all these people would work 10-15 hour days for free!

We got to work in the athlete lane again today. It is very fun to be hanging around the athletes when they do their interviews.

Look at that stadium!! The crowd today was loud and full of excitement. Standing room only!

Viviane Forest and her guide won their fourth medal today, taking the Silver in Super G, Visually Impaired class.

One, two, three and four!! It's nothing but Gold for Lauren Woolstencroft at Whistler Creekside. Her fourth competition of the games, and her fourth Gold today in Women's Super G, Standing class.

The best part of our day!! Heather had her picture taken with Lauren when she came off the podium. I wasn't quick enough to get in, that Lauren is really fast!

Heather and I are heading out for a volunteer dinner tonight with everyone from the media centre. Then we head into work for our last volunteer shift on Saturday. Our amazing experience at the 2010 Paralympic games is coming to an end, hopefully we'll get to see one more day of nothing but GOLD for Canada!!

Pip and Heather

Day 15- Another Golden Day

2010-03-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

It has been a very busy day with many exciting and interesting events.

Starting with a beautiful day of skiing with friends, followed by a great dinner with Tom, Lori, Jim and Rita our friend from the Netherlands. Next we headed to the Medals Plaza to watch the ceremony. Canada won THREE Gold and ONE Silver today!! After the ceremony we stayed to watch Serena Ryder perform, it was a great concert. Then we went and had a little fun at Austria House.

I've got so much to tell you, but I think I will let the pictures do most of the explaining.

Enjoy!

Heather's friend Christian came skiing today. They worked together when Heather lived at Panorama.

After lunch we skied with Megan Meisner and her family. They are friends from Ontario.

While skiing we caught a glimpse of some of the racing. It was great to watch the race from different places on the course, rather then just at the bottom.

Our friend Rita gave Lori and Heather each a very nice gift. These shirts are part of the uniform those representing the Netherlands wear.

The medal ceremony was spectacular!

Lauren Woolstencroft won her third Gold Medal of the Paralympics today by winning the Women's Downhill, Standing Class.

Viviane Forest also won her third medal of the games. She won Gold today in the Women's Downhill, visually impaired class. She now has a Gold, Silver and Bronze to her name.

Brian McKeever won his second Gold of the games in Cross Country and Colette Bourgonje also won her second medal of the games, in cross country.

Tom, Lori and I at the Serena Ryder concert.

Jim and I upon exiting Austria House.

Our second last day of work begins tomorrow. It's hard to believe our time here is coming to an end soon.

Pip and Heather

Day 14- Canada's Golden Girl

2010-03-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!!

It was another great day at the Alpine site for Heather and I.

Lauren Woolstencroft skied her way to her second Gold of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games! Heather and I were standing front row to watch as this Canadian woman crossed the finish line over six seconds ahead of the German skier that won silver.

Heather got to stand on the 'other' side of the fence today. Rather then standing with the media and monitoring them, Heather's boss switched roles with her. The meant she was in the athlete lane. Directing and organizing athletes to meet with media. This new role allowed for closer contact with the athletes, just what she wanted. It made for a very exciting day!

Heather and I got thinking today about what our favorite event has been so far. We decided that although we love watching the standing skiers rip down the hill, our favorite is watching the visually impaired skiers. Heather and I are amazed at how well these athletes ski, but more importantly, the trust they have in their guide. Just think about walking with your eyes closed and having someone guide you; it's hard isn't it? Now think about these athletes skiing down a hill at very fast speeds. Imagine how much trust you'd need to have in your guide.

Paralympic Challenge of the Day:

Those of you heading back to school on Monday. At recess, or perhaps in gym class, set a course up outside and take turns guiding your friends through it. When you think you've got it down, try doing it at a faster speed, a quick walk or slow jog perhaps? Oh and no hands, no touching your guide! Use only voice communication.

Imagining the challenges these athletes face gives us a greater appreciation for their accomplishments.

See you tomorrow,

Pip and Heather

Day 13- Nothing will stop her, not even this rain!

2010-03-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain and more rain!

The rain started yesterday evening and has yet to stop. It has gone from a small drizzle yesterday to a full down pour all day today and it shows no signs of stopping.

For those skiing at the summit, it's nothing but a blizzard of snow up there. But because the race course is on the lower half of the mountain, it was nothing but.... you guessed it.... rain.

Despite the messy wet conditions, the race went on and Canadian athletes prevailed yet again! Viviane Forest made her way to the podium for a second time this week. She won a silver a few days ago and today she won the bronze medal in the Giant Slalom, Visually Impaired class.

Even with the horrible weather conditions, the fans were out in full force. It was a sea of poncho's and umbrella's in the audience and not to mention the staff!!

Alexandra monitors the photographers with a smile on her face!

Meranda and Heather strut their stuff in their new Paralympic Poncho!

We were both cold and wet by the end of the race today, but in the end it was all smiles for a job well done!

Paralympic thought of the day:
Canada is now tied for second place with a total medal count of 7!!

Back to work tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for dry conditions!

Pip and Heather

Day 12- Canadian Ladies Take The Podium

2010-03-15T18:37:00.000-07:00

Lauren Woolstencroft was born without legs below the knee and without her left arm below the elbow, but that didn't stop her from climbing on top of the podium today.

Lauren excelled in the women's slalom, standing class, this afternoon. Skiing down to a roaring crowd to take the Gold Medal.

She didn't stand on the podium alone, her teammate Karolina Wisniewska stood beside her in the bronze medal position.

Watching two Canadian women stand smiling on the podium sent the crowd into a thunderous roar. It was a very exciting and emotional event for Heather and I. She said it was very empowering to watch as two females took their place and received their medals.

Similar to yesterday the stadium was full, today included 859 elementary students from local schools.

These ladies weren't the only two Canadians on the podium today. Brian McKeever also won Gold in the Men's Cross Country 20km race, visually impaired class.

With the excitement from todays race Heather and I are eager to get back to work tomorrow!

Pip and Heather

Day 11- A Silver Day for Canada!!

2010-03-14T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's not every day you get to watch as Canada wins TWO silver medals, but it happened today!

The Alpine event kicked off with a bang! Men's and Women's, Visually Impaired and Sit Ski class. The races started at 10 and lasted right through until 4 p.m.
Heather and I watched the races all day from the "Mixed Zone." That is where Heather stands to control the media at the finish line. We had a great view of both the race course, the media and the stadium (which was just as exciting as the race!).

Standing and watching the skiers come down was a familiar feeling for Heather, but today's race was a different level of excitement. The cheers coming from the crowd were overwhelming. It was a cold day but it almost warmed you up as the fans shouted and cheered on the skiers, it felt as though the volume went right through you!
Check out the video at the end to see what I mean.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any louder, a Canadian would come over the pitch. The stadium went from a loud cheer, to a roar of excitement.
We watched as Viviane Forest skied her way to a silver medal in the visually impaired class. The crowd went NUTS! Next came the men. Josh Dueck ripped down the course in a sit ski, also winning silver.

The flower ceremony is held in the finish area right after the race. It was very exciting to see these Canadian athletes on the podium!

Paralympic Picture of the Day:
Here are two athletes giving interviews to media following their run. They are in what is called a 'Sit Ski.' The poles they use for balance have small skis on the ends, they are called 'Outriggers.'

Back to the race tomorrow. It's the Men's and Women's Slalom; standing class.

Pip and Heather.

P.S- Canada also won a silver medal today in the 10 km Nordic Skiing- sitting class!!

Day Ten- Skiing, Concert and Paralympic Cauldron

2010-03-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone. Yet another great day on snow today.

Blackcomb got another 5 cm over night, plus all the great snow from yesterday, it was unreal! It was nothing but fresh, deep, light powder!!

Tom Bradley came skiing with us today. He is one of Heather’s favorite people to ski with! He knows the mountain very well and best of all he ‘hoots’ and ‘hollers’ just like Heather. He gets everyone excited and ready to ski all day!

Jim is a new friend of ours; he also skied with us for the day, lots of fun!

There was thick fog resting over the mountain today, which meant that the Alpine races were cancelled. Heather heads into work tomorrow and will hopefully get to see the first Alpine race of the 2010 Paralympic Games at Whistler!

Paralympic statistic of the day:

There is three classes athletes compete in based on their functional ability: Standing, Sitting and Visually Impaired.

There are 193 Paralympic athletes competing in Alpine Skiing in the Vancouver 2010 Games. The most among all sports contested at the Paralympic Games.

Our Evening:

We headed into Whistler Village tonight to watch Kathleen Edwards perform. She is a great Canadian singer who really got the crowed rocking!!

The concert was at the Paralympic Medals Plaza. All medal ceremonies and concerts happen here. It is also home to the Paralympic Cauldron.

It's back to our volunteer role tomorrow, both Heather and I are really looking forward to it!

See you tomorrow, Pip and Heather.

Day Nine- Snow, Snow and MORE SNOW!!!

2010-03-12T22:05:00.000-08:00

Well, what an amazing day!

Heather and I spent the day on Blackcomb skiing nothing but fresh snow. As Heather said yesterday, "there are no friends on a powder day." But I was able to ski hard and keep up all day.

Whistler Blackcomb got over 20 cm of snow yesterday, then another 25 cm of snow last night and it didn't stop there. It snowed very hard all day, big white flakes, amounting to about another 8 cm today. Do the math kids, that's a lot of snow!!

Ralph and Sue (Heather's parents) were with us for most of the day. The snow on their jackets isn't because they fell, standing still or riding the chair meant you'd be covered in minutes!!

Heather says- To my ski buddies reading this;

"It was absolutely epic today! Nothing but snow coming up over your knees, waste deep in some spots and endless face shots!! The powder was soft, light and incredible to float through. Those of you skiing Ontario or Quebec today were deeply missed and thought of as I dropped into each and every powder stash."

Here is Ralph skiing Arthur's Choice, one of Heather's favorite runs. Powder- above the knee!

Lori and Ralph finished off the day with two spectacular falls. Rolling in powder, laughs and hunting to find skis! What a great day!

Paralympic thought of the day- Did you know the youngest Alpine Skier competing at the Paralympics this week is only 16? See if you can find out what country she is from.

Pip and Heather

Day Eight- Nothing but Fog

2010-03-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to 20-cm of fresh snow!! All we could think of was skiing the fresh powder that covered Whistler Blackcomb.

It was a slow day in the media centre and on the hill. The storm that brought us all the fresh snow also brought fog. Training runs continued to be rescheduled all day. First 11 a.m, then 12, then 1, then 2 and by three they called it a day; canceling all training runs.

In the Downhill discipline of Apline Skiing, racers get at least one run on the course before race day. They can have up to three, but a minimum of one is required. Yesterday we only got through 90 racers, so today we were supposed to get through the last 36. But again, due to weather we did not. That leaves us with one more day to get those 36 racers through the course for a training run, if we do not, we will have to postpone the first race which is scheduled for Saturday. Fingers crossed the fog stays away!!

With training being rescheduled the media centre was very slow, but that allowed for Heather and I to get to know our coworkers a little better. Heather has four bosses. One is from Australia (Simon), one from Quebec (Amelie), one from South Africa(Ion) and one from Italy(Leo). They came to Canada to work for the Vancouver Olympic Committee two years ago and will return home once the games are done.

Here I am with my new friend Skizzy (pronounced "Skit-Zie"). She is a cat from Italy who travels with Heather's boss Leo. Skizzy has been to FOUR Olympics as Leo has worked at Vancouver 2010, Beijing 2008, Turin 2006 and Athens 2004. Isn't that exciting, maybe Heather will take me to London 2012?!

Heather's parents (Ralph and Sue) have arrived from Toronto. We will be heading up the mountain to ski with them tomorrow. Or as Heather says maybe not, because, "there are no friends on a powder day" Better keep up Ralph!

See you guys tomorrow,

Pip and Heather

Day Seven- Athletes and Media Arrive!

2010-03-10T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

It is day seven of our adventure here in Whistler but it feels like it's just getting started. Today was the first official training day for the apline skiers. Skiers get three days of training on the Downhill course. It was great to finally see some media attention up at the hill. Not many journalists but lots of photographers!

The weather did not cooperate though, we had many delays between 11 and 3 p.m. The morning started off with snow, which then brought in low cloud cover and thick fog. Only about half of the skiers were able to get through their training runs.

Heather and I got to stand outside and watch the skiers for about an hour, Heather was in her glory!!

This area is called the "Mixed Zone." Training was over at this point, but this is where all the journalists stand to ask questions as the athletes come through the corral on the right hand side. This is where Heather will work, monitoring journalists and athletes.

Thats all for today, see you guys tomorrow.

Pip and Heather

Day Six- No Work, Just Play!

2010-03-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys!

First off Heather and I would like to THANK EVERYONE for all of their support. We are hearing every day of more and more people that are reading our blog. We hope you continue to enjoy it throughout our entire trip! Just keep in mind, the Paralympics start THIS FRIDAY with opening ceremonies in Vancouver and games/races beginning on Saturday.

Heather had today off from work and with 10cm of fresh snow on the hill yesterday there was only one answer for what we would spend the day doing; Skiing.

The snow was soft and fluffy on top, there was lots of hooting and hollering happening on the slopes today, that includes Heather and I. It was just too much fun to stay quiet!

We took the T-Bar up to Blackcomb Glacier in the morning. It was very overcast and foggy today, but Heather says it has the most incredible view.

In the afternoon our very good friend Lori came to ski with us. Lori is a great skier and tones of fun. Lori is the friend of Heather's that we are staying with for the week.

She is a volunteer at the Paralympics too. We were very happy that she got the afternoon off to come make a few runs with us! Thanks Lori!!

One of the runs we did this afternoon takes you through an area that got burnt in the forest fire this summer. It was very sad to see the damage that these fires do to the mountains.

Tomorrow is the first day of "Official" training at the Apline site. Heather is excited and thinks it will be a busy day!

See you tomorrow,

Pip and Heather

Day Five- Paralympic Torch Relay

2010-03-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

After another great day working in the Media Centre we headed into Whistler Village for some Paralympic celebrations! As you guys should know by now the Paralympics are completely separate from the Olympics. They even have their own emblem . All Olympic rings have been covered up and it's all the about the Paralympic symbol.

With a new event comes a new Torch Relay! The torch landed up at Whistler today. It traveled up Whistler mountain, across the Peak to Peak Gondola and came down Blackcomb landing in Whistler Village. Heather and I went to the village to check it out after work.

There was A LOT of celebrating going on. The village was loud with cheers of excitement, smiling faces and athletes ready to compete.

Here I am standing with Heather and Rita. Rita is from the Netherlands. She is apart of the International Paralympic Committee. It was so cool to hold the torch today!!

Rita is a new friend of ours from the Netherlands who is helping to put the games on. Seeing her run with the torch today and knowing her background with the games was very special for us!

LOCAL NOTE: Here I am sitting with Patrick; he is from FERGUS!! Just down the road from my friends in Guelph. Patrick used to play for Canada's wheelchair basketball team. He competed for Canada in the past three summer olympics.

He was very happy to hear about Guelph students following the Paralympics and those of you in Whitby. He is out here in Whistler working in the Athletes Village.

It wouldn't be a Canadian Celebration with out a Canadian Princess!!!

We of course had to meet the Snow Princess as well, she was my favorite!

Well, that was a very exciting day for us. Heather has tomorrow off from the Media Centre but it won't be a day for rest. Whistler got over 10cm of fresh snow yesterday, so we are heading up to see if we can find some fresh tracks!

Pip and Heather

Day Four- First day at the Media Centre

2010-03-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Well what an exciting day we had! It was our first day working up at the media centre at Whistler Creekside. We arrived at work around 7:30 and loaded the chair lift that we take to get up to the "Timing Flats." That is where the media centre is located, right at the bottom of the race course.

There are no races going on at the moment, everything starts on Saturday. We spent the day learning about the area, inside and out. Heather will spend some days working in the centre helping media and some days outside at the finish line. We helped to organize the centre and make the change from Olympics to Paralympics. Although there wasn't anyone from the media there today, it was still very exciting!! The people we work with are all young and very nice, everyone is there to support the athletes and have fun.

There was a lot of information tossed around today about what Heather is doing, who she'll be speaking with and what cool things she'll get to see.

You'll have to check back tomorrow to hear more about it!

See you tomorrow,

Pip and Heather

Day Three- Skiing!

2010-03-06T22:20:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone.

We have yet again been blessed with sunshine and a bright blue sky. Heather had today off from her role as a volunteer but there was no sitting around! We were up early and loading the gondola at Blackcomb Mountain by 9am.

I'm sorry to report but Heather was in such a rush to get out of the house this morning to catch our ride that she forgot the battery for her camera on the wall charger. She must have had a few other things on her mind! But she did not forget ME! I rode in her top pocket all day long. The pictures that are included in todays blog were taken on Heather's cell phone.

Heather skied the day on her own, we meet with some friends for lunch but headed back out to ski solo for the afternoon. We had SO MUCH FUN up on the mountain today. The snow was soft and fun to ski. Heather skied a lot of bumps and stayed away from the groomed runs. She likes to say that she really "Mashed" the bumps, I'm not sure what that means, must be skier talk.

We skied up on 7th Heaven for most of the morning and enjoyed the sunshine. Heather had her eye on Spanky's Ladder for most of the day. That is the trail that you hike up and over a ridge to ski the double black bowls down the back of Blackcomb. At the end of the day we were both beat, our legs were burning, but Heather thought about what her Ski Buddy would say and felt that she should 'push herself' a little more. And so we climbed...

The hike up and over the ridge wasn't that bad, I got a little bit of Vertigo (Look that one up kids. You guys in Mrs. Sproat's class didn't teach me what that was!) Heather seemed to be fine though and said the run down was the best run of the day!

After our long day of skiing we returned to our cabin for a wonderful dinner with friends. Tom and Lori wearing black are Heather's good friends that are letting us stay in their cabin for the three weeks. Rosie and Bruce are my new friends from next door. They are leaving for a ski trip to Europe at the end of the week. Bruce says he'll be keeping his eye on my blog, I hope he does because it will only get better!

We have our first full shift as a volunteer tomorrow. We will leave at 6:30 and walk to the bus stop for 7am.

I am VERY excited to start my volunteer role and so is Heather.

See you guys tomorrow!

Day Two- Venue Training at Whistler

2010-03-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

It was nothing but pure blue sky this morning. The air was fresh, the birds were singing and the reflection on the water; stunning. The cabin we are staying at is on Pinecrest Lake, it's surrounded by beautiful big trees and white mountains. Heather and I took a few pictures this morning, but she says "they just don't do it justice." By that I think she means you can't really tell just how beautiful it is, unless you are here.

We got a ride into Whistler with a friend from next door and headed right to our training at Whistler Creekside. It was a sea of blue! Everyone looks so great with their matching blue uniforms on, it's very cool to see. We sat through a few hours of presentations about working as a volunteer, where everything is, what your role as a volunteer involves and of course safety issues. It was really neat to be sitting in a room full of volunteers, all who are VERY excited to help run a successful Paralympic event!

Once all the presentations were complete we headed outside for a tour of the site(s). Everything is set up in these large white tents, once your inside you don't actually know your in a tent, it's pretty cool. We got to see the area that Heather has to check in at 7am each day, then she heads UP a chair lift to where the Media Center is located.

You can see in this picture that there is basically another "village" set up at the finish area of the Apline events. The ride is about the same length it takes to get up any hill in Ontario. Riding the lift with NO SKIS felt very weird, but I guess I'll have to get used to it as I'll be doing it every day.

After Heather was finished with training we hung out in Whistler Village for a few hours while we waited for the bus. We went and visited Josh who is a friend of a friends. He told us to head to Zogs for lunch, it was pretty tasty! Then we grabbed the bus back to the cabin, it's about a 15-20 minute walk from the bus stop at the highway back to the cabin.

Once inside Heather and I thought it was far to nice to be sitting indoors. We headed back out and went for a hike along the trail that winds around the lake.

It has been such a great experience so far and it's only day two. I can't imagine what the next few days will bring. Heather has tomorrow off before she starts a long run of shifts. We'll be heading to the mountain though to enjoy a day of skiing!

Pip and Heather

Day One- Toronto to Whistler

2010-03-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a busy day and we are just getting started!

It was an early morning with a wake up call at 5 am. Up and out the door by 5:30.

The Toronto airport was really busy for 7am. Long line ups and thirty minutes to get through security, we arrived at our gate just as they were about to finish boarding.

The flight was very boring, 5 long hours, but Stuie and I got our own seat.

Thanks to my friend Heather, I got to do something I have never done before!! Check out the picture of me with the pilot; pretty cool eh? He let me sit in the copilot seat and showed me some of the buttons. It was very exciting!

Upon our arrival in Vancouver we were greeted by our good friend Lori. She is letting us stay with her in her cabin up at Whistler. We spent the day in Van seeing a few sites, shopping and visiting some of Heather friends. Vancouver is not like Guelph or Toronto at the moment. You don't even need a jacket. It is warm, sunny and the grass is very green! The flowers have already started to bloom.

Heather and I packed up the car and headed up the "Sea to Sky" Highway. It was a very nice drive. Heather put on my music so we could have a 'sing song' all the way up.

Heather got her volunteer uniform today. She got two shirts, a vest, hat, jacket and snow pants. I'm almost too excited to sleep right now, but we have another early morning followed by a busy day.

See you guys tomorrow,

Pip and Heather

About Pip and Heather

2010-03-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

My name is Pip. I come from Westwood Public School in Guelph Ontario. For the next 20 days I will be hanging out at the Paralympics in Whistler BC with my friend Heather.

She is a volunteer during the games and has agreed to let me tag along with her! I'm very excited to be riding along side with Heather. She say's she will take me to all of her events during the day and on days off, she'll even take me skiing!! Heather will be working in the Media Operations booth in Whistler Creekside. She might even do some of this blogging too, that way you can hear it from her first hand.

It will be a busy couple of weeks out here in Whistler, but I'll try to keep you posted through out the entire trip. Heather says we might not post every day, we'll be having too much fun and may not make it to the computer, but we'll try!

PS_ My friend Stuie snuck into the suit case also, so he might be in a few of the pictures.