Monday, February 15, 2010

Yeah Cypress! 3 medals in 3 days!!!



Well another exciting day with a silver medal at Cypress in the snowboard cross. My luck ran out today with respect to my position where I was posted...... I didn't get to see any of the event today so I have to watch it on TV tonight. I was at the post at the press conference centre where they brought the Canadian in who won the silver... someone Robertson..I haven't watched yet.

My first posting today was rather comical in a sense but it started out rather tense. My only picture today is of my post position..... behind 30 or so "johnny on the spots" , a spot which also included the only designated smoking area at the mountain. I don't know if you can see the blue snow fence but my job was to make sure "no one" hopped over the snow fence, as it was a short cut to the chairlift. I thought I had done pretty well up to today in not letting people go where they are not suppose to go...but not today. Within my first 5 minutes of the shift I must have had at least 5 young guys who basically ignored my instructions and went right by me. One young man was yelling multiple profanities (all beginning with "f") at me so I let him go through. (we aren't suppose to let ourselves be in harms way!) What he didn't know was there was a police man about 40 feet behind me that was backing me up so I just waved to the police man & he confronted the jerk. I did say something to the kid about the way he spoke to me but it wasn't half of what I would have said had I not been a volunteer. (we are suppose to be nice, smiling etc..)

After I got over dealing with him, I look at the smoking area 20 feet in front of me and all these young male spectators were smoking.... but they weren't smoking cigarettes.... I thought.. am I suppose to do something about this?? am I suppose to report it to my supervisor?? I went and talked to my policeman friend who saved me from the profanity speaking young lad, and he basically told me that the police themselves turn a blind eye to it. Well if he was going to turn a blind eye to it, why should I worry!

Not too much else new today. The volunteers I have met have been so nice.... When I go up for a shift at the mountain I leave 3 hours before my shift as I have to take 3 buses to get there. When I am finished my shift there is a 15 minute walk down the mountain to catch our bus which takes us into Vancouver. Then I have another 2 buses to take to get home. There has always been a volunteer who has offered to drive me home once in Vancouver (most of the volunteers are from Vancouver) so I don't have to take the extra 2 buses. I am very thankful after a long day at the mountain.

VanOc has had to have so many buses for the Olympics that they have had to bring several hundred buses from the states to help out with transportation. I've seen buses from Florida, Alabama, Colorado and San Diego! The poor bus drivers that they send from the states have no idea where they are driving. I think they are thrown a map & left to fend for themselves. It is the passengers on the bus who live in Vancouver who are giving the drivers instructions on how to get to where they need to go!

I have a day off tomorrow so I am going to head up to Whistler for the day and visit friends of ours from Orleans who are there for the week. They say Whistler is "electric" with excitement.

Thanks so much for all your comments, please keep them coming as it is good to hear from friends back home....

Take care,

Marianne




5 comments:

  1. I warned you about those snowboard dudes! Hope you didn't take in too many deep breaths - between the portable johns and the pot - you could get really messed up. Glad you're getting a day off. Enjoy Whistler!

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  2. Go Marianne! You tell them nicely whose boss! Those people just don't know who they are talking to and in such a rude way.

    Kath and I are researching how to get to London in 2012 lol. I will be done school by then so it would be sooo much fun! I hope there's some way to get in!!!

    Hope you have tons of fun in Whistler!

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  3. Adds a whole new dimension to the term crappy job...... (must admit, made me giggle, but just a bit)
    And here I was going to give you total credit for our medal wins and suggest you be at all venues....
    Young guys, snowboards and pot in B.C? Who knew? Just use the velvet hammer oh them....... nice but forceful.
    Hope your day in Whistler is wonderful and that your next posting is more or should we say less intoxicating!
    cheers,
    n

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  4. "Hi mom, I miss you. I am lonely and have stinky breath. Nobody will brush my teeth. I realized that you weren't coming home soon so I decided after a few days that I should start eating again. I'm not sure what the others are eating but I saw some junk from Costco the other day. I think my food is more nutritious and I might have to start guarding my food bowl. My leg is slowly getting better but it's a slow recovery without your physio. Thank goodness Gramma comes to visit me. Miss you." - Murffy Ford

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  5. What an experience you are having! Thanks for sharing it with us. We could probably use you at Camp Fortune on Wednesday nights when you get home for crowd control in the lodge if you are free!!!!!

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