Somebody help me...I've become a pin whore!

Rain on the metal roof this morning.  It was really hard to drag out of bed.  Rhonda and I decided to forgo the trek to the dining hall at the WAV and ate at the dining hall at Creekside instead.  Not as much variety but it will  do.  This was our first experience with rain since arriving.  So far the weather has been all over the place, tons of snow, warm, cold, fog, but no rain untill today.  And it poured.  I was assigned with Megan to the bottom of the trail, basically where people get off the bus - all the way up to where the ticket entry is partway up the trail.  Mark was assigned to the lift, just below us.  The ticket entry tents are where people have to decide if they are going to walk up the trail, or take the lift up from that point.  People were coming very ill prepared for the weather today - jeans, sweats, high heels - you name it.  Of course, most were well prepared, but there were plenty of idiots.  We tried to stay in the tents and under the lift most of the time, but there were plenty of times we were just out in it.  We made the best of it.  We had picked up some small thin plastic rain parkas at morning registration and put them on over our uniforms, which were anything but waterproof, and over the packs to try to keep dry.  At some point, Megan and I started collecting rain parkas and handing them out to the most miserable looking spectators, who we knew were going to get soaked - I mean really, we figured it was preventative medicine... preventing hypothermia.  Then we realized that people would actually give us pins for the rain parkas!  We did quite well in the pin department today.   Bad, bad Megan and Randi!! 

We were treated to dinner by VANOC at the Creek Bread Restaurant.  This was for all the medical personnel stationed at Creekside.  I'd say there were probably about 50 people there.  Our team alone went through about 8 different pizzas.  We sampled them all!   Doc Hailey picked up the wine tab for our team.   Spec Med has really bonded now into a cohesive team.   In fact, members of other teams have mentioned they are jealous that we hang out and do so much together as a team.  Apparently the other teams aren't really hanging out together after shifts. 

There was a big drawing after dinner,  and they gave away a bunch of neat stuff.  Our team made our pretty well.  Hailey and I won "The Red Mittens" which are now unavailable.  Initially VANOC ordered about a million of them, ended up selling four million, and still ran out.  So they are still in high demand.  Stas won a wallet with the Olympic rings on it.  Andy won a bottle of commemorative Olympic wine. 

Another great evening.  Still raining a little bit tonight.  Rain on the metal roof to fall asleep to.......

Spec 9

Another day on the MAT.  We've now determined that the team stationed there has to out-do the previous team's building project.  We've had plenty of snow in the past couple of days.  Mark and I started off making a snowman, which quickly evolved into a member of the Spec Med team.  Spec 9 had a medical pack, radio harness and radio, and cool sunglasses.  He held a Kleenex box in one (tree branch) hand, and the radio mike in the other.  Today we had about 800 school kids coming to the events.  They all wanted to stop and have their pictures taken with him.  He looked great, till some little snot nosed kid decided to take him out on the way back down the path at the end of the day.  Just tackled him!  Little $%*@!

After shift we sauntered over to the  Weasel House, as usual.  Raj and I suggested we check out the medals plaza tonight.  What a blast!  We started a congo line while waiting for the medals ceremony to start and had a whole bunch weaving through the crowd.   How cool to watch the flags being raised and hearing the national anthem for the gold medal winner.  I'm pretty sure I can now hum the Russian national anthem from start to finish.  We did get to see Lauren W. get another gold medal, so we did get to see the Canadian flag raised.  We tromped around Whistler Village until late and shopped a bit.  Beer and pizza at Blacks Pub and watched the Fire and Ice show from up there.  All in all, another awesome evening with new and old friends.

I'm a weasel, you're a weasel, we are weasels too! (sung to the I'm A Pepper song) OR How To Go To The Olympics on $5 a Day.

What is a Weasel, you ask?  And what's a Weasel House??  weaselworkers.com
Weasel Workers are the course workers at Whistler.  Every big mountain that hosts World Cup, Olympics, etc, have course workers.  There are course setters, dye crews, equipment crews, crew chiefs, finish crews, gate judges, radio crews, runners, net crews, security, side slippers, soup tent workers, and timers.   The Weasels set up a Weasel House during the Olympics/Paralympics - a huge tent  for R&R only for Weasel Workers.   Free beer, free wine, music, snacks, and every night a drawing.  They graciously invited patrollers and medical to be Weasels.   The Weasel Pass became the coveted pass at the Paralympics.  You were somethin' to be envious of if you carried a Weasel Pass in your credentials!  

Every night there is a drawing.  For $5 a ticket, you get a chance to win T shirts (Canadian Cowboys - the Canadian Olympic Ski Team), Weasel hats, Weasel pins, even Halti ski wear, which is the grand prize each night.   So far the only money I've spent is $5 a day religiously for a raffle ticket.  I'm hoping for the T shirt 'cause I'm too cheap to pay $30 for one.

One night, someone who had been a torch runner brought their torch.  So we got pictures with it.  Pretty cool.  Heavier than I expected.

• Meals provided.  Check. 
• Lodging covered.  Check. 
• Free beer.  Check. 
• $5 raffle ticket.  Priceless!

Is there an acronym for that?

VANOC really likes their acronyms.  Day 4.  Needed to be at our briefing at 0900.  Went up and got breakfast at the WAV. Caught the WCS bus over to the village.  Picked up our lunch tickets.  Got our radios today and picked up my "three day pin".  The rest won't get their pins till tomorrow because I  checked in a day early with Stas.  They're jealous!   Went to the dining hall and picked up lunch which we take with us up the mountain.  We have a new chant for SpecMed (that's spectator medical).  "Spec Med, better off dead!".  Okay, it needs work.  We needed something on the spot.  Stas' group has a good one:  "Attitude check: We love this shit!".  It really sounds great when the whole group chants it. 

My assignment is on the MAT today.  That's the Medical Alley Trail.  Sounds very important right?  Not.  It's basically the halfway point up that despicable trail, basically between two major inclines.  They must have figured if anyone's going to have a coronary, it would be there.  We have a tent on a platform, and a space heater and a cot.  That's it.  Every morning we have to drag down the large duffle bag with the med supplies, and the AED.  Plus carry our packs, extra water, any anything we deem necessary.  There are no bathrooms unless you walk all the way to the bottom (and conversely, all the way back up), or climb all the way up and then back down.  Either way it's a haul.  Needless to say we try not to drink much at the MAT.   I finally had to use the woods, and the whole time I'm thinking about all the security cameras they have around the perimeter, and we know there are military/RCMP out there in the woods too.  There's a story from the Olympics where a guy went into the woods to pee, and a voice said "I wouldn't do that here".  Probably folklore, but you never know.  Anyway, that was what was going through my mind at the time... 

Today was the first day of racing and I was bummed that I was stuck on the MAT all day.  Racing was scheduled for 1.  It was blue and clear all morning. Just before 1 the fog started rolling in.  The All Call over the radio said the race was postponed till 1:15.  For the next two hours we got 15 minute updates that the race was postponed another 15 minutes.  It was getting kind of ridiculous.  In the meantime, we needed to figure out the backboard system they use.  They use some crazy spider straps we'd never seen before, so we decided the only way to figure them out, was to try them out.  After fiddling with them forever, we finally got them on (me!).   (PS: We did it wrong after all, they're supposed to crisscross in a crazy pattern I've never seen before, go figure). 

Finally they canceled the race, so everyone filed back down the trail.   We had fun harassing people.  On the way up we would tell these poor people they were almost there...only 5 miles to go!  You should have seen the looks we got.  The Italian team came by on the way down.  Three were athletes in their wheelchairs.  One guy tossed a snowball back at us and suddenly snowballs were flying everywhere.  It could have been an international incident.   Hey, you had to create your own entertainment at the MAT!   After our debrief, we headed to the Weasel House. 

Mark, giving out our precious water to thirsty hikers on the trail from our medical hut.

You want me to climb where??

It's Friday.  Got here Wednesday night.  Skied yesterday.  Conditions were good, but couldn't see a thing for the fog and snow.  Today is the first day of training. Up by 4 a.m. - not because we have to, but because it's 7 a.m. back home.  My circadian clock hasn't changed yet.  We had plans to be on the hill by 7:30 for our 8 a.m. training meeting.  Murphy's law said otherwise.  Took the bus all the way around the compound (for Phil, that would be the short bus) to go to breakfast, only to be dropped off a block from where we started.  Seems the breakfast drop off is just a block behind us on the one-way route.  Note to self: walk next time.   Since the dining hall is in the "inner circle" of the athlete's compound and we live in the "outer circle", we have to go through a second set of security check points before we can get to the dining hall.   We've done this several times for meals now, so we're getting into the routine: strip off hat, coat, metal-laden credentials, pack, whistle, camera, pocket contents, cell phone.  Even so, the alarm goes off and we have to do the "wand".  Back on with the paraphenalia, off to breakfast.  Gulp down whatever's offered.  Out to the bus stop.  Normal wait is about 5 minutes.  Today it's 15.  This takes you to the outer circle to pick up the touring bus which is designated for the Workforce which then takes you the 10 minutes to Whistler Creekside.  Normal wait for that one is 5-10 minutes, today it took 30.  So now we are late for our first meeting.  Very impressive!

We met our team, got an overview of the jobs we will be doing, the chain of command, radio protocols, and maps of the areas we'll cover, which includes the spectator walkway to the stands at the flats (finish line), the top of the lift (where spectators exit to get to the flats), the Paralympic family clubhouse, and the stands and standing area in front.  Basically we cover everyone who is not an athlete.

Then we hiked up the spectator walkway - basically the equivalent of walking up Broadway and Lower Streak at the Wolf - this on legs I skied all yesterday afternoon on!  I imagine I'll be in better shape by the end of the next two weeks, if it doesn't kill me first.  

At the medical trailer we did a couple of scenarios and went over equipment.  All the while outside it's snowing 2-3" per hour outside.  The course crew is trying to keep the stands clear, using leaf blowers, shovels, and huge plastic sheets (which only serve to collect the snow) in preparation for tomorrow's first event.  Finally it stopped snowing in the afternoon and when the clouds cleared, there was the top, with the trees heavily laden with snow. Wow.   Now the course crew is trying to clear the snow from the race course.  They're actually using snow blowers on the front of the groomers.  Others are bulldozing snow off the course.   While powder hounds are loving the new snow, racers want the course rock hard and bulletproof.   Everyone is shoveling and scraping, frantically trying to get ready for tomorrow.

Locals were saying that today was the best day of skiing in years - the first snow in over a month except at very high elevations.  Apparently there was no snowfall in the village during the entire Olympics (which includes the nearby cross country venue).

Stas arrived a few days ago.  She's already lost track of days.  It seems all they've been doing is going from one training session to another.  Tomorrow they're doing a mock helicopter landing and pick up on the mountain.   Rhonda and I leave in about 30 hours.  Trouble is, I need about 72.  Or more.  Somehow, I need to get everything I need into this bag.  Doesn't matter...no matter what I pack, it will be the wrong thing.  If I take my heavy shell, it will be unseasonably warm.  If I take my spring ski pants, it will be subzero.

I was going to take a backpack as a carry on but Stas says we'll be getting one  to carry our medical supplies, as part of our uniform; which includes, by the way, a jacket, fleece vest, two long sleeve T shirts, mountain ski pants, and a knit hat.   Plus, every time you do a shift you work toward qualifying for give aways.  More shifts, more stuff.  Stas got a climbing harness today. 

The Fun Girls From Mt Pilot??

Okay, so I suppose I should explain that title. We got that name from a fellow patroller. Mike, our division assistant director, started calling us that some time ago after a couple of years of hanging out with us at patrol conferences, helping us shut down the hospitality room at 3 or 4 a.m. and just generally partying with us at patrol functions. They're characters from the Andy Griffith Show. In actuality, there were only two, but whatever. On the other hand, we're all married. The original Fun Girls were single.
Here's Wikopedia's explanation:

The Fun Girls (Skippy and Daphne) were fictional recurring characters on the 1960s American television sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show.
"The Fun Girls" (sardonically nicknamed by Thelma Lou) were a pair of fun-loving blonde bachelorettes: the giggly Skippy (played by Joyce Jameson) and the gravel-voiced Daphne (played by Jean Carson). The two hailed from Mount Pilot, the "big city" near the small town of Mayberry. They were flirtatious, they loved dancing, and their appearance in town almost always meant trouble for Sheriff Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife (both of whom had steady girlfriends). Skippy was characterized by her high-pitched, grating laugh and was generally attracted to Barney (whom she incessantly called "Bernie"). Daphne was known for her throaty greeting, "Hello, Doll," and was generally attracted to Andy.
On one occasion, Andy and Barney had to cancel their dates with their girlfriends, Helen Crump and Thelma Lou (respectively) so they could work late at the courthouse, only to be interrupted by Skippy and Daphne. Andy and Barney innocently tried to escort the two back to Mt. Pilot so they could finish their work, but were spotted in the car with them by their girlfriends. To get back at them, Helen and Thelma Lou went out with cousins Gomer and Goober Pyle, and in turn, Andy and Barney went out with the Fun Girls. By the end of the evening, it was apparent that Gomer and Goober were better matches for the Fun Girls, as they genuinely seemed to enjoy each other's company.
The Fun Girls made three appearances on The Andy Griffith Show from 1962 to 1965.

Two Years In The Making

Two years ago, sitting on a chair lift at our local ski area, three friends decided they wanted to go to the Olympics in Vancouver. There had been a small article in the Ski Patrol magazine recently, announcing a call for patrollers to volunteer. I already had done one Olympics (Atlanta 1996, Olympic Park) and had been looking for an opportunity to go to a Winter Olympics. I had been all ready to go to Salt Lake - I was assigned to transportation services, driving athlete families - but at the last minute was unable to go. Mostly due to lack of finances. Not this time. We started saving our pennies after that day on the lift. Rhonda had never done an Olympics, but Stas had worked at several World Cup events out at Squaw, and up in Alaska too, I believe.

We waited almost a year and a half before we heard anything. On our applications we were told we needed to commit to a minimum of 10-12 days. When I got the offer to go to the Olympics, at Whistler, for the alpine events I was ecstatic! Then I read my schedule....three weeks and a day?!! Good Lord! I wouldn't have a job or a husband to come to after three weeks! After making contact with our patrol supervisor out in BC, we made a deal. We would be assured three places at the Paralympic alpine events, together, for two weeks. Much as we really wanted to do the Olympics, this would have to do!

So here we are, one week away from our trip. Stas left today...she has friends and family in Vancouver to visit. This is it, planning time is over, time to pack and hit the road! Watch out Vancouver, the Fun Girls From Mount Pilot are headed your way!