With the 10th anniversary of 麻豆传媒映画hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics upon us, we are looking back at some of the stories that were making the news in the Courier during those 17 days in February.
This story was originally published Feb. 26, 2010
In three days, it will all be over. Crowds will disperse. Tourists will go home. Protesters鈥� time in the international spotlight will be over. Lineups will dry up and 麻豆传媒映画may return to its reputation as the town that fun forgot.
But what did we learn about ourselves during the 2010 Winter Games and what did tourists learn about us? During visits to some of the city鈥檚 hot and not-so hot spots, the Courier discovered a few Olympic legacies.
We like lines
Canadians may be syrup-sucking iceholes, but we鈥檙e an orderly bunch. That鈥檚 one lesson American satirist Stephen Colbert likely picked up on the 铿乺st of two days of 铿乴ming for the Colbert Report by Science World during the opening week of the Olympics.
By 7:30 a.m., on a cold, clear Wednesday morning, a long lineup of polite, well-behaved but eager Colbert fans snaked along the path towards Creekside Park where the free show was being taped.
There was no need. No one was taking tickets. It was festival admission. Anyone who ignored the line landed prime viewing spots. But hundreds of spectators saw a line, got in it and didn鈥檛 question it. Even when coaxed, they were reluctant to leave it.
鈥淧eople like lines. We gravitate towards lines,鈥� joked one amused spectator eyeing the obedient masses from his enviable vantage point overlooking the stage.
Colbert, who parodies over-the-top right-wing political pundits on his wildly popular Comedy Central show, had already warmed to Canadian clich茅s. His stage d茅cor, replete with fake snow, paid homage to stereotypes: skis, hockey sticks, penguins, a stuffed beaver, a stuffed moose and 鈥� appropriately for the ignorant and provocative character he plays 鈥� a culturally insensitive totem pole coffee table where he conducted his guest interviews with singer Michael Bubl茅, sports commentator Bob Costas and Olympic hockey legend Mike Eruzione, captain of the U.S. team that defeated the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympic match dubbed Miracle on Ice.
Meantime, the 麻豆传媒映画crowd, swept up by Colbert 鈥� if not Olympic 鈥� fever learned during the taping that Ujjal Dosanjh (or at least his staff) has a sense of humour. The 麻豆传媒映画South Liberal MP was featured in the 鈥渂etter-know-a-riding鈥� segment 鈥� a knockoff of Colbert鈥檚 U.S.-based 鈥渂etter-know-a-district鈥� feature, in which he spars with straight-faced politicians who play along with the gag.
Colbert鈥檚 crew 铿乺st spotted Dosanjh in a CNN appearance talking about health care and later lined him up for the 麻豆传媒映画Olympics-themed show.
Dosanjh wasn鈥檛 overly familiar with the faux-right wing comic. His son and young constituency assistant 鈥� both Colbert Report fans 鈥� convinced him to take advantage of the 鈥淐olbert bump,鈥� where anyone who appears on the show, regardless of how they鈥檙e portrayed, gets a sudden popularity boost. The piece was 铿乴med in Washington D.C. in late January, played for the 麻豆传媒映画audience last week, and aired on late-night TV this week.
Standing amidst the crowd watching the show in 麻豆传媒映画was a good-humoured Dosanjh. 鈥淓ven politicians need to have some fun now and again,鈥� he told the Courier.
Braeden Caley, his constituency assistant, handed out a limited number of specially produced keepsake pins imprinted with stylized mug shots of both men along with the text 鈥楧osanjh Colbert 2010.鈥�
Dosanjh鈥檚 take on post-Olympic fallout? 鈥淚n B.C., polls said British Columbians were less enthused. When you do these things it always costs money. Nothing is ever perfect, but overall I think the world will walk away thinking Canada was able to put on a world-class show. We had a lot of fun.鈥�
Games protesters likely won鈥檛 agree. They set up a few red tents on the grassy knoll overlooking the Colbert Report audience and distributed pamphlets, but the crowd seemed largely pro-Olympics, ambivalent or simply immersed in the Colbert love-in.
Ken Bell, a North 麻豆传媒映画pastor who showed up at 6 a.m. for the taping, said it鈥檚 been fun soaking up the energy of the city, but he anticipated a post-Olympic letdown. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be the same effect you have three days after Christmas鈥斺�極h man, we have to clean some stuff up now.鈥� It鈥檚 the same thing with a wedding day鈥攖hree days after, you鈥檙e like, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 done.鈥欌��
Bell suspects Vancouverites will judge the Games鈥� overall failure or success on a single moment.
鈥淯nfortunately, part of it will be about the colour of the medal for the men鈥檚 hockey team,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 win a medal in hockey it will be the worst Olympics ever,鈥� joked Bell鈥檚 friend James Copp. It was only just before the 铿乴ming started that the polite, dutiful Canadian clich茅s fell apart, before being built right back up again.
Security let spectators onto the grass in front of the stage, and the crowd surged forward, rudely knocking over barriers in its wake.
鈥淪tephen! Stephen! Stephen!鈥� they chanted as Colbert appeared.
鈥淣ow in French,鈥� he ordered.
The crowd obliged. 鈥淪t茅phane! St茅phane! St茅phane!鈥�
We鈥檙e ready for Canada Day
Pre-schoolers 铿乨dled with Winter Games-themed art projects early one afternoon at Dunbar community centre, oblivious to the Olympic snowboarding competition playing on the TV screen at the head of the table. Many were out铿乼ted in red, Canadian-styled clothes thanks to their Games-loving parents.
Scotland-native Kate Hill wore a Canada emblazoned jacket, while her two children sported red T-shirts.
鈥淚鈥檝e been really enjoying it. To be honest I didn鈥檛 have much of an opinion about [the Olympics], but in the last few weeks, I鈥檝e been caught up in it. It鈥檚 brought everybody together to support Canada. The kids are really getting in to it. They want to wear their Canada T-shirts every day.鈥�
The family was taking part in one of the 鈥渃ommunity living rooms鈥� set up in 23 community centres across 麻豆传媒映画for people to gather and watch the sporting events with friends and neighbours.
VANOC gave each centre a 50-inch plasma TV and $1,000 to create the living rooms. This craft event was sponsored by Dunbar Memorial Preschool.
Natalie Brown, a mother of two, also admitted to being a last-minute convert to the Olympic spirit, egged on by her three-year-old son Nathan.
鈥淢y kid keeps trying to 铿乶d Quatchi,鈥� she said with a laugh, while adding, 鈥淚 think there will be a lot of legacies left like energizing families to get involved in 铿乼ness, but there may also be a hangover so to speak. I hope everyone that鈥檚 come to the Olympics will come back. I鈥檝e loved the fact that it鈥檚 been spring weather. It showed off how great our city is. You could go watch a snowboarding event in the morning and go gol铿乶g in the afternoon.鈥�
Perhaps one of the more enduring legacies will reveal itself July 1 thanks to Olympics-inspired shopping sprees by families like the Hills and the Browns.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 going to buy my kids Olympic gear, but I went to Zellers the Saturday before it started and it was packed,鈥� said Brown, who snatched up Canada T-shirts, hoodies and sweatpants for the whole family.
At the dollar store she 鈥渨ent all out,鈥� buying Canada umbrellas and 铿俛gs. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping this brings a sense of national pride to the city. This Canada Day will be interesting. People will have their Canada gear ready to go.鈥�
They really do like us
A wool, American-铿俛g patterned sweater gave Sharon Burke鈥檚 citizenship away as she grabbed a bite to eat with her husband Bob at the Granville Island market. Ironically, Burke snagged the sweater near Robson Square a day earlier, not in her home-base of Alamo, Calif., 25 miles east of San Francisco. The couple travelled north for their seventh Olympics and 铿乺st Winter Games.
They鈥檝e also visited the Montreal, L.A., Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Beijing Summer Games.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 how we judge Olympics,鈥� Sharon said. 鈥淐an we get around? 麻豆传媒映画gets an A-plus. Can we have a good time partying? I would give it an A-plus. Can we get tickets? 麻豆传媒映画gets an A-plus, although some were bought on Craigslist.鈥�
The Burkes took in hockey, ice dancing, curling and short-track speed skating. Other highlights included meeting French 铿乬ure skating pairs Yannick Bonheur and Vanessa James in the hallway after watching them perform live on ice in the Paci铿乧 Coliseum. They didn鈥檛 place very high in the competition, but were among crowd favourites.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the opposite of Beijing,鈥� Bob said of his 麻豆传媒映画visit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun, it鈥檚 hospitable, it鈥檚 welcoming. It鈥檚 a much better atmosphere, it鈥檚 more cordial. Everyone in Canada is so friendly.鈥�
The Burkes also picked up some all-important trivia 鈥� Sharon had no clue basketball great Steve Nash, songstress Joni Mitchell and actor and Parkinson鈥檚 activist Michael J. Fox were Canadian until they arrived in Vancouver.
Of all the Olympic Games they鈥檝e attended, Bob said Sydney ranks the highest. 鈥淏ut this is the closest to Sydney in terms of cordiality and ease of getting around.
鈥淵ou should be happy you had it. You鈥檙e showcasing the city to the world,鈥� he added.
Sports, religion make curious mix
Crowds of people 铿俹cked towards B.C. Place along Robson Street for one of the Games Olympic victory ceremonies.
A blue sign outside a brick building tempted passersby with free coffee, hot chocolate and a warm dry place to watch the Games or surf the Net.
Inside, few took the bait on this day. Earnest volunteers, staf铿乶g informational tables, waited for visitors to enter the Archdiocese of Vancouver, a stone鈥檚 throw from B.C. Place and adjacent to the rowdy Alberta House.
It鈥檚 part of an effort dubbed 鈥渞adical hospitality鈥� to welcome the world 鈥� Catholics and non-Catholics alike 鈥� to the 麻豆传媒映画Olympics and beyond and 鈥渢o see Jesus as both guest and host at these games,鈥� according to Archbishop J. Michael Miller as quoted in the B.C. Catholic newspaper. Early this evening, the centre, which is open from noon until 10 p.m., was nearly empty save for a handful of volunteers. Only two men watched a hockey match at one of six large round tables seating nine.
Volunteers insisted the object wasn鈥檛 to drum up visitor statistics.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to sell anything, we trying to offer a bit of respite. We don鈥檛 have any goals or targets of how many people [come in],鈥� explained 31-year-old Dan Lazar.
Displays included Buying Sex is not a Sport and an information table from one of the church鈥檚 partners in 鈥渞adical hospitality,鈥� More than Gold 鈥� a Christian organization also aimed at spreading 鈥渇aith-based hospitality.鈥�
Martin Corpos, a 28-year-old who 铿俥w in from San Francisco with a friend, stopped in brie铿倅 in search of an Ash Wednesday mass, while inside several young female volunteers chatted among themselves.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to evangelize. We鈥檙e trying to share our faith,鈥� said Joy Gomez, 23.
Hazelle Santa Cruz agreed. 鈥淓vangelizing is not just converting people, it鈥檚 being hospitable. All Christians are walking Bibles in everything we say and do,鈥� said the 22-year-old. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic just to get the world together. The one thing that draws us together is our human nature.鈥�
Hometown tourists are wary of downtown
Mae Haight, sitting at the McDonald鈥檚 at Main Street and Terminal opposite Science World, watched Canadian Christine Nesbitt win a gold medal in women鈥檚 1,000 metres in speed skating on one of eight large plasma screens af铿亁ed to the walls of the newly renovated fast-food restaurant last week.
Haight was having a snack before heading home to watch hockey after spending most of the day drinking in Olympic spirit in downtown Vancouver.
鈥淭he last time I was downtown was 10 years ago,鈥� said the 62-year-old. 鈥淎nd this was my 铿乺st time on the [SkyTrain] ever.鈥�
What kept Haight, who lives close by in north Burnaby, away from the centre of the city?聽
鈥淒owntown to us was a negative. We hear about the nightclubs, the shootings and the rowdies on the street, so we shied away from it,鈥� she said.
This trip bought her to the Olympic Cauldron, Robson Street and the Plaza of Nations. Most of the people she met along the way weren鈥檛 from out of province or out of the country. They travelled from nearby cities across the Lower Mainland, often for the 铿乺st time in years.
鈥淲e鈥檙e tourists in our own town,鈥� Haight acknowledged. 鈥淩ight now you feel safer. [The visit] has changed my opinion. But would I come down if the Olympics weren鈥檛 here? Probably for a concert, but I wouldn鈥檛 make a special trip just to go downtown.鈥�
Sitting beside Haight at the McDonald鈥檚 was a couple from Pitt Meadows 鈥� Lidy and Ron Kok. They rarely visit downtown Vancouver, put off by troubled areas such as the Downtown Eastside and parking hassles, but they made an Olympic exception.
鈥淚t sure looks beautiful now,鈥� said Ron, who came by West Coast Express. 鈥淭hey cleaned it up good. If it stays like this I鈥檇 probably come back.鈥� Lidy agreed. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not really city people, but if there鈥檚 a good reason to come downtown, we will.鈥�
