Over And Out…

Yesterday was the perfect finish to an incredible seventeen days. I know, I know. I’m American and yes I was cheering all out for our boys in their red, white, and blue but you had to be here in Vancouver to understand that Canada winning was truly the best possible outcome for all of us. More importantly it may have been the best possible outcome for sport in Canada. The ENTIRE country watched the Game with intense passion. The amount of people who filled the downtown core of Vancouver was staggering. I watched the Game from USA House and had multiple talks with folks about sports ability to unify a country. That feeling was everywhere in Canada once the 2010 Games were through. I slapped “good game” high fives all the way to the Closing Ceremonies.

My year living in Canada has come to an end and last night’s Closing Ceremonies was the icing on the cake. I get it. I get the humor, the humility, the “soooory” and most of all the pride that is Canadian. For me, it was a year of ups and downs, challenges and successes and this Games was a passionate reminder of all there is to experience, dream about, and go for in this life. It was truly a magical finish to a magnificent year. In the last 17 days I’ve met more awe inspiring people than I could have imagined. I’ve made friends for a lifetime both in Toronto and Vancouver and I feel reenergized for the next chapter… I plan to spend the next couple of days (and weeks) catching up on sleep, going for long runs (and rows), and enjoying some down time in Portland before heading back to Toronto for the last part of March. I’m looking forward to getting back to NYC for a while starting in April… the future is bright with some fantastic opportunities to stretch, grow and dream ahead. Thanks for reading over the last 17 days. Stay in touch and I’ll be sure to let you know what’s next. For now I’ll leave you with some photos of Closing Ceremonies and an interview I did for Right To Play tv towards the end of the Games. 

http://righttoplaytv.com/video/watch/1hRoz1KSdsnbmxMjON84pZ

Over and out. – KJ

The Game of a Lifetime

Here’s the news. If you’re Canadian it is that as of today Canada leads the gold medal count with 10 gold medals. If you’re American it is that we will break the record for most medals won by a country in the history of the Olympic Winter Games.  The US could also come back to take the gold count as well. Either way it’s all good news… that is until tomorrow night when Canada and the US go head to head in what will be (for Canadians) the Game of a lifetime.

With only two days left of competition fans are gearing up.  Across Canada tomorrow stores will shut down, the roads will be empty, and a nation will watch as their sport competes for gold. I love this about Canada. I love that the entire country whether you play hockey or not will be watching tomorrow’s Game. For the athletes I can’t imagine that kind of pressure. NHL players or not they are men who carry the weight of a country on their shoulders. We don’t have this in the US. Nothing – NOTHING – compares to what it will be like in Canada during tomorrow’s Game. I’m excited to be here for it. I’ll be watching from USA House so I can cheer for our team amongst other Olympians and patriots. But, there is a (small) part of me that would love to be apart of that sense of all or nothing that Canada has for this Game.

Since 1980 the last time the US won gold the final game of men’s hockey has gone like this:

1980	United States	Soviet Union	Sweden
1984	Soviet Union	Czechoslovakia	Sweden
1988	Soviet Union	Finland	Sweden
1992	CIS	Canada	Czechoslovakia
1994	Sweden	Canada	Finland
1998	Czech Republic	Russia	Finland
2002	Canada	United States	Russia
2006	Sweden	Finland	Czech Republic

***NOTE: As of today over 80% of Canada’s medals have been won by women. The US is closer to 50 % men 50% women. I could go on a long rant about the percentage of women representatives in the IOC but will leave that for another day. Invest in women… we always pay it back!

PHOTO Gallery

I finally figured out how to upload some pictures for you all. Be sure to go back to the Opening Ceremonies post from earlier in the blog to view pics from the Opening Ceremonies.!! In no particular order below is a smattering of the best of… it’s a job but someone has to do it. Enjoy!

The Canamerican perspective – Life after the Olympics

The last couple of days have been some of my favorite here at the Games. Last night was incredibly special. We held an event for one of our athletes, Canadian Speed Skater Denny Morrison. Denny will have competed in a total of 4 events here in Vancouver by Games end. A medal favorite in the men’s 1000m and 1500m, a disappointed Denny showed up at last night’s event. Talking with him about his races was a reminder of just how hard athletes are on themselves. He felt he had to apologize for not delivering a performance worth celebrating in time for our event. All I could do was continue to emphasize how proud of him we are and what an inspiration he is to so many people. Talking with the athletes competing here, watching them on TV, their wins, their losses, the upsets, the comebacks, the let downs… It’s all an incredible reminder of just how many variables have to align to have the right performance at the right time. 

Later in the evening I fell into conversation with Jay, Denny’s older brother who did not make this year’s Olympic Team and is starting to think about what comes next. He emphasized how out of sorts he has been about it all, about who is, and what he wants for himself beyond speedskating. I can’t tell you how many of these conversations I’ve had with retired and current athletes over the years. There is a HUGE let down, come down or in my case throw yourself on the floor and have a break down after the Games. I really struggled after Athens. I struggled with the decision to compete or not compete, to try my hand at the working world, to find a new calling, to seek a way to apply my passion and talent towards other things, and to have an impact beyond my own athletic goals. I had big plans and big ideas. 5 years later I can say with amazing conviction that I am realizing my dreams beyond rowing… and that it has taken the full 5 years to get here.  It’s been brutal, rewarding, sobering, humbling and as life tends to repeat itself, it’s been an entirely different journey from my rowing career but one I’ve applied many of the same skills and lessons towards.

This afternoon I did an interview for CBC TV and Radio about just this topic. With only 4 days left until the Closing Ceremonies they brought me in to talk about the subject of life after sport. I spoke about my journey, my work with IMG and the Olympics, and that moment on my trip to Ethiopia with Right To Play when I realized just how small my “problems” really were. I really believe that we are each called to something but we often get in our own way. We clutter the road with self-doubt and short sightedness. For my part, I always had a feeling during my years of training that my calling wasn’t just to become one of the best rowers in the world. What I’ve realized since Athens is that for me (as it is for most athletes) the Olympics was just an incredible stop along the way. As I said in my interview earlier today, if I could tell all of the athletes preparing to make the transition just one thing I’d tell them to take it one day at a time, to be in the moment, to soak up this time now and to not miss a thing. This is a tough thing for goal setting athletes to wrap our heads around but as Dean Fred said to me when I left the Princeton Training Center ”you have to leave enough room in your life to let good things happen to you.” The best opportunities in life come to us when we stay focused on the moment at hand. Do the work, take it one stroke at a time, focus on what you can control, and give nothing less than your absolute best. The rest will take care of itself.

In their Church

Huddled into a crowded stadium just before the start of the Canada vs. USA men’s hockey game I received an email from a man who knows the game oh-so-well. I sent a picture to Joe from inside the hockey arena to demonstrate what no words could adequately describe. The sea of red and the amplified cheers for Canada pulsing through the stands was truly nothing I’d ever seen. As Joe put it, “This is a religious experience for most Canadians. You’re in their church.”

I’ll never forget my first hockey experience. It was on my recruiting trip to Michigan and the game was against Michigan State. We were seated in the student section behind the Michigan State parent’s section. The cheers and taunts are what I remember most. There is no other sport in which fans take their taunting and cheering responsibilities quite so seriously. I still remember the name of the team captain for Michigan State  as one of the UofM student chants became “Tuzalino… YOU SUCK!” At one point during that game a mom of who I could only assume was the goalie for State turned around and begged us to stop. She’d had enough of our “siv” comments.

Last night there was no chance my “go U.S.A.” cries would break through the 60,000 person “Go Canada” chant. Fortunately my colleague Betsy was seated next to me and a few other brave Americans were within a high-fives reach away. The horn sounded and the game began. Within the first 45 seconds the crowd was silenced when the first out-of-nowhere US goal was scored. I stood, I screamed, I cheered… I was alone. There have only been a few times in my life where I have felt woefully out numbered by my surrounding demographic. Once was in college when my roommate Alison and I attended an Ellen DeGeneres ”concert” in Ann Arbor expecting the comedic experience of a lifetime and instead ended up in a lesbian rights rally. Talk about being in someone’s church. We had an amazing, eye-opening time and came away with a very healthy dose of perspective. It was an experience I’ll never forget. Life provides the classroom and it’s up to us to learn the lessons. Last night was about being schooled on what it means to be Canadian. Or at least it started that way…

As the game progressed, the tension in the arena was thick enough to make a masseuse’s shoulder’s sieze. I jumped, yelled and did the cha-cha for the first three American goals as the Canadians blew bull-horns, rang their cowbells and their cheers decimated any U.S.A. chant we could muster. By the last period however the arena grew very quiet as a murky “uh-oh” spread through the Canadian’s inner thoughts. For my part I played down my cheers for the last two American goals,  mustering a double fist pump and “hooray” for goals four and five. Last night served as the final chapter of my year in Canada. I came. I saw. I sat in their church. And today I’m left wondering why beating Canada on their home turf felt somewhat sacrilegious. Hockey is woven into the DNA of Canada’s offspring. It is a known birth right here and part of what it means to be Canadian. As I filed out of the game last night surrounded by my depleted Canadian friends I received another email from Joe. “Bless yourself and get yourself out of there NOW!”

Exceptional

I got back to my apartment late last night after a perfect Olympic day topped off by an evening spent catching up with my incredible teammates from Athens . Once home, I fell into a long conversation with my housemate Bronwyn about that hard-to-put-into-words feeling in the air here in Vancouver. The best way to sum up the Olympic Games in one word? Exceptional.

Through my work I’ve had the opportunity to see a whole other side of the Games. As an athlete you arrive ready to put on the best performance of your career. Your blinders are on, you are zeroed in on the task at hand and you’re doing everything you can to hone your energy and focus towards a singular goal. It is the culmination of the journey summed up in a singular performance on the world stage. There are so many lessons that athletes take with them into other life adventures. What I have realized since my competition in Athens is that exceptional attracts exceptional. This is what I see here in Vancouver and what I saw in Beijing. The Olympic Games are about more than athletes competing on the world stage. The Games about phenomenal people coming together across a variety of industries, functions and mediums to execute and celebrate exceptionalism and to share that with the world. This energy is pumping through the streets of the city, it’s in the conversations at the Olympic Houses, communicated over the loud speakers of the volunteers and in the smiles of the news correspondents who feed the stories of the Games to the world.

A great example of this was at the men’s 1500m long track speed skating event yesterday. The fellow in charge of commentating to the in-venue crowd was incredible. We couldn’t see him but you could hear him from every corner of the venue. His job was to keep the crowd excited while still balancing the logistical needs of the race (such as silence at the starting line). He even learned a little dutch to try out on the heavy Dutch fan contingent in the crowd. I’m sure he was exhausted after days of this but his enthusiasm made it sound like it was his first event of the Games. Ah the Dutch. I’ll digress for a second here and tell you about the amazing Dutch peloton. Each Games the Holland Heineken House is one of THE places to be for the Games… at least at a summer Games that is. Here in Vancouver it is all business for the Dutch (and fun that the rest of us have ZERO access to). The only folks over at the Holland House  for these Games are those with a Dutch passport. They have taken up residence in Richmond near the speed skating venue and ride their bicycles from the Holland House to and from the speed skating events! A moving sea of orange wigs, face paint and pantsuits!!

I’m off now on a few errands before heading over to the USA vs. Canada Hockey Game. Bye for now!

Swallowed into the Olympic blackhole (or should I say Blackholmb)

I’ve tried to write this blog about 3 different times over the course of the last 5 days. If I could add about 3 hours to every day I’d be all set. Where to begin…  For the sake of this blog we’ll say my day started two nights ago when I joined my friends at the Canadian Olympic Committee in their sky box for the Czech Republic vs. Slovakia hockey game. There is no better place in the world to watch Hockey than in Canada ( in my and Canada’s opinion at least). It doesn’t even matter if Canada is playing or not!  The crowds are nuts, the face paint is everywhere, and people are smiling. The weather has been unbelievable. The rumors of Vancouver’s rain seem to be just that at this point “rumors.” As a Pacific Northwester this is good and bad. We know we have some of the most gorgeous geography in the world, but the rain means we’re not for the faint at heart. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people talk about moving here… Ah me, and then there is Whistler.

At 4:30 the following morning I hopped on the accredited media bus and made my way to Whistler in time for an 8:30 am media interview with one of our athletes Kelly Vanderbeek. Kelly blew her knee out prior to the Games so is not competing here but is doing an incredible job commentating for CTV. The interview was done by 8:45 and I found myself with a day in Whistler to enjoy and soak in a completely different vibe from the Vancouver Olympic bus. Kelly’s agent Brian and I pulled up a few seats at the Swiss Olympic House to catch a couple of his athletes in the Women’s Alpine event. Lindsay Vonn won gold on this day with an incredible race. Go USA! On a side note, I have found myself having to wear a couple of team and country hats at these Games. So far I’ve helped paint the wall and cut out leaves for Canada Olympic House, and have cheered and cried for Canadian athletes. Then I head to the USA House where I am with the “family” of Olympians that our country continues to put on the podium. Our team is killing it and I couldn’t be more of our incredible performance here. It’s been a blast seeing the inside of two passionate countries and teams has been eye-opening. In sport our differences fall away (for the most part) and instead we’re left with the incredible passionate pursuit of our dreams. Politicians take note. 

Yesterday we had a great athlete meet and greet with Canadian snowboard athlete Brad Martin. He was a star; laid back and engaging. Our team spent a good afternoon with the Canadian Snowboard Federation at Canada Olympic House. It was fun to see a completely different sport culture from the inside. From there I made my way back to USA House for some  great food and a hit of the old USA and then decided to give the Vancouver version of Club Bud a try. More to come on this later. I’m running out of time as I have to head to the Men’s 1500m speed skating event…

Over and out. KJ

Let there be light!

It was a gorgeous day in Vancouver today. I even managed to get out for a run which hasn’t happened since the Games  started… as you’ve noticed same goes with the blogging! I definitely overestimated the time I thought I’d have to write. On my jog along the seawall towards Stanley Park I passed the huge Inukshuk that looks out at the big ships arriving from all over the world into Vancouver. He had an enormous pair of red mittens hanging around his neck! The red mittens are definitely one of the “it” items of the Games. Those of you in the States have likely seen them on TV and all you Canadians know what I’m talking about. It’s truly incredible. They’ve sold over 2.5 million pairs!

I last left off with a summary of the Opening Ceremonies. We’re now on Day 4 of competition so I apologize for the delay in my updates. It’s been a bit flat-out to say the least. Our team starts at 7:00 a.m. and doesn’t stop until the evening depending on the day. I manage to catch my breath at the USA House where I get to catch up with my fellow Americans. We are SO on Canada’s turf. Case in point: The medal ceremonies.  They hold these at BC Place in Vancouver and up at the Whistler Plaza for the athletes competing in the mountain venues. Two nights ago they awarded the first medals of the Games for the women’s moguls. The US won gold and bronze and Canada won silver.  All I know is when Canada is on the podium there may as well be no one else up there.  Last night was even more incredible as we watched Canada’s Alexandre Bilodeau receive the first Canadian gold medal on home soil. The cheers were deafening and for the Canadian Olympians I’m sure a fantastic and overwhelming experience to have tens of thousands of fans cheering for them. I think the other athletes are brave for standing up in front of the home crowd and hope their own country throws them a parade when they get home.

At USA House the other night we were paid a visit by Vice President Biden. ( On a side note, this is the second time I’ve ended up in the same building as the secret service and I’m convinced they mess with the elevators. Press 2 and you end up on 8, try it again and you’re down on 1.) It was a busy night over there with many of the Olympic Winter Olympic greats in attendance. Bonnie Blair, Dan Jansen, Peggy Flemming, Mike Euruzioni… it was busy and a blast. I always find it so inspiring to look around the room at these incredible individuals who have made an indelible impact on the lives and dreams of others and sport.

I visited the Athlete Village the other day and can’t believe I’m saying this but they actually out did Beijing. The athletes are living in condos that are being sold starting at a half million dollars and up. Everything is built for sustainability purposes. The rain water is recycled into the plumbing and green roofs are targeted for a minimum of 50 per cent of the total building footprint, providing natural insulation, storm water management, habitat and opportunities for rooftop gardening. Not to mention the view may just be one of the best in the world. I heard an interesting fact about London’s sustainability plans for 2012 the other day. They are planning to install 12,000 green energy pads throughout the streets of London by the time the Games arrive. These pads will be on pedestrian sidewalks in high traffic areas and the energy asorbed by the foot traffic across the pad will be housed in a central energy hub and redistributed to run the street lights throughout London. How cool is that? Go World!

I hope you’re all enjoying the Games from home. For those of you headed this way, I can’t wait to see you!  Over and out. - KJ

Opening Ceremonies

We headed over to the venues 2 hours before the start along with thousands of other people. Security was seamless and once inside we headed to the Olympic Family section where they were serving appetizers and beverages prior to the start. It was fun to see friends, sponsor colleagues and athletes mingling prior to the start as well as a number of IOC dignitaries and London Games organizers.

Once we arrived to our seats we opened our spectator kits which included a flame light, a flashlight and of course the white poncho! It was a tight squeeze in there and the ponchos definitely added volume. That said EVERYONE was wearing one. Everyone. They walked us through how the Ceremonies were going to work and who we should watch to see how to wave our lights and beat our box drums. Needless to say a lot of that went out the window once the Ceremonies began. It’s hard work balancing drum beating, light flashing and cheering for your country (happy to do it).

I have to say I missed Bob Costas’ voice, background information and story telling. I’d love to know more about who the flag bearers were, what athletes to keep an eye out for, and where Joni Mitchell was!? One of the most impressive takeaways from the Ceremonies for me was the realization of Canada’s incredible artistic talent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been amazed to realize that one of my favorite artists or actors is Canadian.

With the march of the athletes it was hard not to get emotional as the Georgian team walked into the Arena. It was wonderful how much of the program came back to the fallen Luge athlete. The U.S. Team looked fantastic and massive. As expected, when the Canadian Team walked in the sound was deafening. Truly incredible. All in all my favorite part of the ceremonies was the mountain effect with the snow sport athletes and skaters decorated in lights. I also loved when k.d. Lang sang. I really thought it was one of the better Winter Games Opening Ceremonies (cauldron malfunction and all).

After the Ceremonies I headed over to the USA House. There are a number of rowers involved in these Games which is pretty fantastic and not all that suprising. Rowers are everywhere, doing incredible work within the Olympic Movement.  Sloan DuRoss is the Athlete Service Coordinator for the US Team working out of the Vancouver Village. He marched in the Opening Ceremonies and was decked out head to toe in the team uniform. He’s doing an incredible job looking out for the US Team. Garrett Klugh is a venue manager for the Vancouver Organizing Committee and was also in charge of seating the athletes at the Ceremonies after they marched. Mike Altman is working the Games as a volunteer.

Two nights ago I attended the opening of Canada Olympic House. The Canadian Tenors made a guest appearance as did a number of Canada’s Olympic legends. They are located on the top floor of Canadian clothing supplier Hudson’s Bay Company which was hit hard this morning by protestors. apparently they were breaking windows and spray painting cars. It was a reminder that not everyone is happy to see the Olympics come to Vancouver. It’s hard to have tolerance for individuals who make their statements through violent and destructive acts. All I have to say to that is Go World!

It’s Go Time

I just wanted to give a quick update before we head into the Opening Ceremonies. This will be my first (including my own in Athens) and I’m thrilled to be going. I’ll be sitting in the Olympic Family section across from the media section. From what I’ve heard from those who attended the dress rehearsal, it will be an incredible Ceremonies full of suprises.  We’ll start to head over in an hour as security is expected to take up to two hours. Right now there are helicopters buzzing over the city and there is a sea of people everywhere you look. The feeling in the air is incredible. It feels quite intimate actually and the spirit reminds me more of Athens than Beijing. This is a people’s Games as was Athens, vs. the corporate and mass scale of Beijing. There are live locations throughout the city for the public to watch from and they are everywhere and are raring to go.

All I know is when Canada walks into the stadium last I expect that the cheers will be deafening. A quick fun fact for you all is that the host country always marches into the ceremonies last and Greece always walks in first as the country of origin for the modern-day Olympic Games. A friend of mine Clara Hughes is the flag bearer for Canada. We are both Right To Play athlete ambassadors and traveled to Ethiopia together in 2006. This will be Clara’s 5th Olympic Games. She is a  summer and winter Olympian and competed in Atlanta in ’96 in cycling and starting in ’98 competed in speed skating. I can’t think of a better ambassador for Canada as she heads into her final Games on her home turf.

I’ve actually just returned from the Main Press Center (MPC) where we dropped our media kits and product. It is an incredible sight to see. Reporters sit shoulder to shoulder for hours on end, going home only for a few hours at a time to sleep. The Center had just received some very sad news that a Georgian Luge athlete suffered a fatal crash this morning on the practice course at a speed of close to 90 MPH. The IOC is currently holding a press briefing with Jaques Rogge, President of the IOC, struggling to stay composed. Needless to say there are a variety of emotions today and I’m guessing there will be a moment of silence for this athlete during the Opening Ceremonies.

That’s it for now. I have so many other stories I could share but will have to save it for another post. I’ll take plenty of pictures and send them your way… Maybe even take a stab at posting them here.

Bye for now. KJ