Last Friday, Clara Hughes was named Canada's Flag Bearer for the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics. She is a terrific choice, and her story demonstrates the power of sport to change lives.
Her credentials are impressive: one of only a handful of athletes to win a medal in both Summer and Winter Olympic games (and the only one to win multiple medals in both).
I had been aware of her as a two-time Bronze medalist in cycling from Atlanta (my first Olympics with NBC too), and as a Gold and Silver medalist in Speed Skating from the Torino games.
However, what I didn't know about her, was her incredible story of a troubled youth who was inspired by seeing Gaetan Boucher on TV at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and who used that inspiration to turn her life around.
Clara has been a true Olympian away from competition as well, donating $10,000 of her personal savings to Right To Play after the Torino Olympic Games, and donating a lot of her time and energy to this organization as well. I will have more to say about Right to Play in a future blog post.
She also holds the International Olympic Committee's Sport and Community Award, and has twice received the Spirit of Sport honour from the Canadian Sports Awards. This will be Clara's 5th Olympic Games, and at age 37, she is still a contender in the 5000m event.
It makes me very proud to have her as our Flag Bearer. I would urge you to follow the links above to read more about Clara (her story, and what she has done for sport).
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Ski Cross
Ski Cross? No, not Cross Country Skiing. Think Motor Cross, that's more like it. This is the newest event to be added to the Winter Olympics. Instead of racing against a clock, you are racing head-to-head against 3 other skiers on the same course, at the same time.
It is sort of a mixture of downhill and moguls, and is very similar to the Snowboard Cross added for the last Winter Olympics. It has a very "X Games" feel to it, and it is exciting which makes for good TV.
I get the feeling that maybe this is a little like NASCAR, and people are tuning in just to watch the crashes, but hey, if it sells ads on TV, must be a good thing.
In fairness, I think I thought the same thing when they introduced Short Track Speed Skating, which is something I quite enjoy watching now. And I wasn't always a fan of Beach Volleyball either, but now I'm kinda fond of it too.
On the other hand, if you remember the Women's Snowboard Cross from Torino, you'll recall that American Lindsey Jacobellis blew the Gold Medal with a little bit of a "hot dog" stunt in the final stretch:
This is why I question the inclusion of these sports. Are these competitors really athletes (with dedication, focus, and mental toughness), or are they just Ski Bums/Bunnies having a good time? Remember Ross Rebagliati?
I guess if it is fun to watch, and if they really are athletes, then it's probably a good thing. However, I think maybe the IOC is chasing after the young audience (read: TV ratings), and my (initial) objections to this are making me feel as if I am now officially an old fart.
It is sort of a mixture of downhill and moguls, and is very similar to the Snowboard Cross added for the last Winter Olympics. It has a very "X Games" feel to it, and it is exciting which makes for good TV.
I get the feeling that maybe this is a little like NASCAR, and people are tuning in just to watch the crashes, but hey, if it sells ads on TV, must be a good thing.
In fairness, I think I thought the same thing when they introduced Short Track Speed Skating, which is something I quite enjoy watching now. And I wasn't always a fan of Beach Volleyball either, but now I'm kinda fond of it too.
On the other hand, if you remember the Women's Snowboard Cross from Torino, you'll recall that American Lindsey Jacobellis blew the Gold Medal with a little bit of a "hot dog" stunt in the final stretch:
This is why I question the inclusion of these sports. Are these competitors really athletes (with dedication, focus, and mental toughness), or are they just Ski Bums/Bunnies having a good time? Remember Ross Rebagliati?
I guess if it is fun to watch, and if they really are athletes, then it's probably a good thing. However, I think maybe the IOC is chasing after the young audience (read: TV ratings), and my (initial) objections to this are making me feel as if I am now officially an old fart.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Amazing Olympian
So, this is why I love the Olympics. The competition itself is interesting, but for me, it is the stories of the athletes and how they got there, and what they've had to overcome, that makes it special.
Meet Brian McKeever:
Brian is a cross country skier. He is also legally blind. He has only 10% vision (all of it peripheral). He has represented Canada at both the Salt Lake City and Turin Paralympics, winning a total of 4 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 1 Bronze medal.
This year, after winning a 50km race at the Canadian trials in his hometown of Canmore, Alberta, Brian was selected to represent Canada on our "able-bodied" Olympic team. He will become the first person EVER to compete in both the Paralympic and Olympic Winter Games.
It may be heretical in Canada, but I'm not going to get all worked up about who wins the Hockey Gold (though I suppose I'll still be cheering like mad, especially for the Women's team).
Instead, I'll be looking out for guys like Brian, and watching with pride, and a little bit of amazement, while pulling for our real heroes.
Meet Brian McKeever:
Brian is a cross country skier. He is also legally blind. He has only 10% vision (all of it peripheral). He has represented Canada at both the Salt Lake City and Turin Paralympics, winning a total of 4 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 1 Bronze medal.
This year, after winning a 50km race at the Canadian trials in his hometown of Canmore, Alberta, Brian was selected to represent Canada on our "able-bodied" Olympic team. He will become the first person EVER to compete in both the Paralympic and Olympic Winter Games.
It may be heretical in Canada, but I'm not going to get all worked up about who wins the Hockey Gold (though I suppose I'll still be cheering like mad, especially for the Women's team).
Instead, I'll be looking out for guys like Brian, and watching with pride, and a little bit of amazement, while pulling for our real heroes.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Our Figure Skating Team
The Canadian Figure Skating Championships were held in London, Ontario this weekend and the results deterime who will represent Canada at the Olympics.
Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, from southwestern Ontario, set a Canadian record, and are solid Gold Medal contenders in Ice Dance. Have a look at their Free Dance from this past weekend:
The battle for the second Ice Dance spot was close through the whole weekend and was ultimately decided by 0.3 with Aurora's Vanessa Crone and Scarborough's Paul Poirier edging out Andrew Poje and Kaitlyn Weaver from Kitchener.
In the Women's event, Rochette won her 6th straight Canadian title. Joannie, the defending World Silver Medalist has struggled through much of the season and was in second place heading into the Free Skate behind Cynthia Phaneuf, who herself is a former Canadian Champion, having won six years ago when she was only 15. Joannie's program was mistake-free and shows she is peaking at the right time.
Patrick Chan showed he is nearly ready, despite a season which has included a calf injury, H1N1, and the parting of ways with his coach. Patrick set a Canadian and World Record with his combined score this weekend (though even he would admit that he has benefitted from some home town judging to give him a good send-off for the Olympics):
Vaughn Chipeur held on to the second Men's spot, despite Kevin Reynolds coming 2nd in the Free Skate by landing two quad jumps.
Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson have battled back from that horrible accident in 2007 in which Bryce's skate blade caught her in the face during side-by-side camel spins, and will represent Canada in the Pair's event with a beautful Free Skate to "The Way We Were":
All of our top skaters are legitimate medal contenders at this year's Olympics. I can't wait!
Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue, from southwestern Ontario, set a Canadian record, and are solid Gold Medal contenders in Ice Dance. Have a look at their Free Dance from this past weekend:
The battle for the second Ice Dance spot was close through the whole weekend and was ultimately decided by 0.3 with Aurora's Vanessa Crone and Scarborough's Paul Poirier edging out Andrew Poje and Kaitlyn Weaver from Kitchener.
In the Women's event, Rochette won her 6th straight Canadian title. Joannie, the defending World Silver Medalist has struggled through much of the season and was in second place heading into the Free Skate behind Cynthia Phaneuf, who herself is a former Canadian Champion, having won six years ago when she was only 15. Joannie's program was mistake-free and shows she is peaking at the right time.
Patrick Chan showed he is nearly ready, despite a season which has included a calf injury, H1N1, and the parting of ways with his coach. Patrick set a Canadian and World Record with his combined score this weekend (though even he would admit that he has benefitted from some home town judging to give him a good send-off for the Olympics):
Vaughn Chipeur held on to the second Men's spot, despite Kevin Reynolds coming 2nd in the Free Skate by landing two quad jumps.
Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson have battled back from that horrible accident in 2007 in which Bryce's skate blade caught her in the face during side-by-side camel spins, and will represent Canada in the Pair's event with a beautful Free Skate to "The Way We Were":
All of our top skaters are legitimate medal contenders at this year's Olympics. I can't wait!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Olympic Coverage Marathon
Olympic coverage marathon - Vancouver 2010 Olympics - thestar.com
This article appeared in the Toronto Star the other day. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when they said the CTV consortium would be broadcasting 4800 hours of Olympic coverage. They even do the math for you: that's 282 hours of programming a day (in which there are, of course, only 24 hours). There are 12 TV channels involved, with coverage in 22 languages! Even the main CTV network will be doing 22 hours per day of Olympics!.
You'll even be able to go watch coverage of some events (eg. Hockey, I'm guessing) in theatres (so you can watch it on the really BIG screen). Rogers Cable will almost certainly be offering everything On Demand, and everything will also be streamed over the internet.
The consortium will be doing more hours than NBC did for Beijing (a Summer Games which has more than twice as many events). I guess it is no surprise, given that CTV paid $90 million dollars for the rights to broadcast these games in Canada ($50 million more than the CBC bid). At least it's not (all) tax payer money... Let's hope it was worth it!
This article appeared in the Toronto Star the other day. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when they said the CTV consortium would be broadcasting 4800 hours of Olympic coverage. They even do the math for you: that's 282 hours of programming a day (in which there are, of course, only 24 hours). There are 12 TV channels involved, with coverage in 22 languages! Even the main CTV network will be doing 22 hours per day of Olympics!.
You'll even be able to go watch coverage of some events (eg. Hockey, I'm guessing) in theatres (so you can watch it on the really BIG screen). Rogers Cable will almost certainly be offering everything On Demand, and everything will also be streamed over the internet.
The consortium will be doing more hours than NBC did for Beijing (a Summer Games which has more than twice as many events). I guess it is no surprise, given that CTV paid $90 million dollars for the rights to broadcast these games in Canada ($50 million more than the CBC bid). At least it's not (all) tax payer money... Let's hope it was worth it!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Welcome!
Welcome to Sean's Vancouver Olympic Blog! As you know, I am heading off to Vancouver on February 7th to work in COMM's for NBC at the International Broadcast Centre during the Olympics. I will be returning home on March 1st (the day after Closing Ceremonies).
During my time in Vancouver, I hope to be able to keep you up-to-date on what's going on "behind the scenes" at the Olympics (in sport and in broadcasting), as well as giving you a glimpse of the unusual, interesting, or extraordinary things or places that I might have a chance to see or visit.
This is my 7th Olympic games working for NBC, and my 3rd time keeping a blog. There are links to my Beijing and Torino blogs in my sidebar.
As a proud Canadian, I am excitedly looking forward to my time in Vancouver. I expect to be captivated, astonished or thrilled by something every day. I hope you will be too!
Cheers - Sean
During my time in Vancouver, I hope to be able to keep you up-to-date on what's going on "behind the scenes" at the Olympics (in sport and in broadcasting), as well as giving you a glimpse of the unusual, interesting, or extraordinary things or places that I might have a chance to see or visit.
This is my 7th Olympic games working for NBC, and my 3rd time keeping a blog. There are links to my Beijing and Torino blogs in my sidebar.
As a proud Canadian, I am excitedly looking forward to my time in Vancouver. I expect to be captivated, astonished or thrilled by something every day. I hope you will be too!
Cheers - Sean
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
