a great day at the Whistler Sliding Centre

My day got off to an ordinary start - did my laundry then went for a run. I also phoned son Geof  to wish him Happy Birthday . Deen and I are still trying to figure out how we're so young and he's so old but he is a great son! Funny how I'm doing laundry and Deen is home shovelling the driveway and taking out the garbage.

This afternoon I wet up to the Whistler Sliding Centre(WSC) for a work shift. Although I had been at the venue previously as a spectator for women's luge there were parts of I hadn't seen before, especially the work areas. The view from our station on Blackcomb Mountain is of course spectacular and is right beside an attraction called Tube Park.

 

This would be the type of downhill I could handle.

At the sliding centre itself our chaperones and coordinators first encounter the selected athletes after they pass the finish area and come to a stop at the top of a rise. The athletes stop the sled, get out of it, and the sled is moved quickly off the track onto an adjacent ice surface , where it is turned over and wooden tracks put on the blades to protect them. The whole sled is weighed as there is a maximum weight for the sled and the riders. Interesting to watch in operation and it can become quite hectic as the race is finishing and athletes are being notified for doping control. I hope some of these pictures capture a sense of it.

 

This is the Canada sled of Leuders and Lumsden.

 

The finish area where all the post race stuff happens . It can become quite hectic here.

I did have time for a press conference with my American colleague Steve in which we provided to the world press our views on the Olympic Games. Fortunatly this took place before the Canada US men's hockey game.

 

I meet several interesting athletes after the event in the course of our testing. They are HUGE with legs like tree trunks and well muscled upper bodies ! And they all have tattoos- must be part of the bobsled culture. I also saw the Aussie bobsled support team  - like who knew the Aussies had a bobsled team?

  

Finally on this topic for today here is a picture of the Polish sleds in the container they travel in and where work is done on them. I'm back at the WSC for Friday and Saturday for the 4 men bobsled competition - Friday is qualifying and Saturday the medals day. I'm certainly looking forward to that - sadly however it will also mark the end of my winter Olympic experience , an experience of a lifetime. 

On my way back to my hotel this evening I received a phone call from our command center. What the command centre giveth, they also taketh away. My scheduled day off for Thursday has been cancelled as I'm going to work at the cross country venue. I was there for over a week in the pre-competiton period so it will be interesting to be back there for some competitions. On the Thursday I had planned to go on the Whistler ZipTrek but will now try to schedule it for Monday sometime or Tuesday morning before I report back to the athlete Village in the afternoon. We'll see what transpires and I know my darling wife will worry whichever time the zip line experience takes place. Check it out at www.ziptrek.com. The free zip line in Vancouver has been extremely popular.