Olympic Interesting Facts

Today is the last day of the decade. We're moving into 2010, the year of the Vancouver Olympic Games; so what better time is there to share some interesting facts on the Olympic Games?

•the Olympic rings symbolize the five continents which compete in the games, and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions. The colors of the rings were chosen because at least one colour appears on the flag of every country in the world. The Olympic flag, with the five rings, was first flown in 1920.

•motor boating was an official sport at the 1908 Olympic Games.

•the last Olympic gold medals that were made of pure gold were awarded at the 1912 Olympic Games.

•the first Winter Olympic Games were held in 1924.

•because of World War I and World War II, there were no Olympic Games in 1916, 1940, or 1944.

•gymnasts in the ancient Olympic Games would participate in the nude, because the literal meaning of the Greek word "gymnasium" is "school for naked exercise."

Canada's Olympic Hockey Teams Unveiled

Today was an exciting day for Canadian hockey fans! The draft picks for the 2010 Olympic Men’s Hockey Team were announced. My whole family was out of bed nice and early to watch it live. Mike Babcock, head coach and Steve Yzerman, general manager both made some speeches before the announcements of the roster. Overall I really like the look of the team; they did a very nice job of choosing players who they think will work well together. I thought it was funny that all three goalies are French-Canadian, from Quebec. I guess that shows where all the best goalies come from! With a total of 23 players on the roster, we have a fairly young team with many players in their early twenties. Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Drew Doughty are all under 22 years old, and the oldest member of the team is Scott Niedermayer, this year’s captain. So we know Quebec has given us many amazing goaltenders, but did you know British Columbia has brought up many great defense men? Out of the seven defense men, four are from BC. Scott Niedermayer, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Shea Weber are all natives to the home of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, British Columbia. There must be something about the trees, ocean and mountains that are good for those defense. A notable mention goes out to Patrice Bergeron, who wasn't even invited to the orientation camp last summer, but has made his way onto the Team Canada roster by his outstanding play this season for the Boston Bruins. Some people considered there to have been some upsets in the roster. Jeff Carter was outstanding last season so some people figured he was a lock for the team; however this season hasn't been his best. Also some people were surprised not to see Jay Bouwmeester's name on the list. And lastly Mike Green, who is the highest scoring defense man in the NHL this season, was not chosen for the team, which means unusual, but it is said that his play in his own end needs improvement.

Goaltenders

• Martin Brodeur, 37
• Roberto Luongo, 30
• Marc-Andre Fleury, 25

Defense

• Scott Niedermayer, 36 (Captain)
• Chris Pronger, 35
• Shea Weber, 24
• Drew Doughty, 20
• Duncan Keith 26
• Dan Boyle, 33
• Brent Seabrook, 24

Forwards

• Sidney Crosby, 21 (Assistant)
• Rick Nash, 25
• Jarome Iginla, 32 (Assistant)
• Mike Richards, 25
• Joe Thornton, 30
• Patrick Marleau, 30
• Ryan Getzlaf, 24
• Brenden Morrow, 31
• Corey Perry, 24
• Dany Heatley, 29
• Eric Staal, 25
• Patrice Bergeron, 25
• Jonathan Toews, 21

The Women’s Olympic Hockey Team has also been announced. On December 21st, the 21 player roster was unveiled. To no surprise, Hayley Wickenheiser will be Canada's captain again this year. Hopefully she can lead the team to another gold, just like at the 2006 Torino Olympics. The average age of the 2010 Olympic team is 26 years old, while the 2006 squad was slightly older. 18 year old Marie-Philip Poulin is the youngest player on the team, while Kellar is the oldest at 34, and is the mother to 2 young children. In the 2006 Turin Olympics Canada outscored the opposition 46-2, pretty impressive! But we can't get too caught up in that, team USA is coming out strong this year, so we're going to have to battle hard!

Goaltenders

Shannon Szabados
Charline Labonte
Kim St-Pierr

Defense

Carla MacLeod
Becky Kellar
Colleen Sostorics
Meaghan Mikkelson
Catherine Ward
Tessa Bonhomme

Forwards

Meghan Agosta
Rebecca Johnston
Cherie Piper
Gillian Apps
Caroline Ouellette
Jayna Hefford
Jennifer Botterill
Haley Irwin
Hayley Wickenheiser
Sarah Vaillancourt
Gina Kingsbury
Marie Philip-Poulin

The Canadian Olympic Sledge Hockey Teams are being announced on January 4^th, 2010.

A Red Nation

Do you have your Olympic mittens?
The whole country is sporting them, proud of the maple leaf on the palm.
Whether from the most northerly town in Nunavut or from the far coast of Newfoundland, everyone is wearing them. It is a symbol of support to our Canadian Athletes, and more than that it is a symbol of Canadian pride, and excitement for the 2010 Games. Whether you're a fan of ski jumping, luge or speed skating, these mittens are uniform for the whole nation. If you don't own a pair, you are really missing out. Join your country, join the nation of red, and get your Olympic Mittens to show your excitement, pride and joy!

Canadian Christmas

So this Christmas was special, it was weird because there was no snow on the ground, and the temperature was plus four. But this Christmas was great, because I could feel the Canadian spirit in our house. The first gift we opened were three Canadian Hockey Jerseys, one for each kid. We were so excited and were trying them on right away. Then there were some Official 2010 Olympic t-shirts and sweaters. Next was, probably my favourite of all, Quatchi. And finally there were 2010 calendars, pins and Olympic scratch and wins. By the end of the gifts, everyone in the house was wearing some sort of Olympic apparel and had some other Olympic themed gift. It was definitely the most themed Christmas I've ever had, and it was great! I can still feel the Canadian spirit running through this house. What a great Christmas!

Fifty Days

I've always liked the number 50; half of a hundred, my favourite TV channel as a kid and the number on my softball jersey. But today I LOVE the number 50. This is because today it is 50 days until the 2010 Winter Games! It's also a special day because it's Christmas Eve. The atmosphere is always so joyus and loving on Christmas Eve. We spend time with our families, sipping apple cider, playing board games and playing in the snow. But this year Christmas Eve is just that much better because now we only have to wait 50 days for the world to be watching Vancouver. I love the number 50; half of a hundred, my favourite TV channel as a kid, the number on my softball jersey, and the number of days remaining until the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games!

Canucks bring out the spirit

It was a father and his son singing last night. First it was Star Spangled Banner, in silence, then it was O'Canada, with the whole stadium singing along, and a massive crowd roar at the end. At that moment I felt like a true Canadian. We were sitting three rows up, watching the most Canadian sport there is. It was a battle of the countries, Anehiem and Vancouver. The crowd was getting into it, and having a blast. But the thing that stood out for me, was Roberto Luongo making an amazing save, and the whole arena chanting "LOUUU". Right then I thought to myself, I am so proud to be a Vancouverite! Our very own goalie could be representing our country for Canada's favourite sport, and in his team's hometown too. I can tell this formula is going to make for a very exiting hockey portion of the Olympic Games. Go Canada Go!

Season's First Ski

Tonight I did up my ski boots, lathered on the layers and headed up the mountain for the first time this season. I was so excited to hit the slopes, I'm pretty sure I felt like I was an Olympic athlete getting prepared for a race. I was not at all disappointed when we reached the start of the run, and there were no fans or announcers. I was just so ready for that first run of the season. I know I am no Olympic athlete, but I do share the same passion for the sport of skiing. As soon as my skis took off down the hill I got that rush of adrenaline, that feeling of absolute excitement. I'm always excited for the season's first ski, but I think this year a little more than others. This is because I know that the start of the ski season means winter; winter means the new year is just ahead; the new year means 2010; and 2010 means the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Games!

Getting Started with the Games

So here we are on the 15th floor in downtown Vancouver. It is our first meeting with the Student Live Reports. There have been 24 amazing students chosen from across the lower-mainland. This morning we have been getting started with all the social media tools, connecting to facebook, twitter, blogs, emails and whatever other media tools we can use. There are endless possibilities out there on the web today. Our goal this morning has been to get 200 of our facebook friends following the 'Students Live' group. We are starting by just social networking and getting people interested. We had a workshop on blogging and interviewing with a VANOC representative. He sure knew his stuff! I can't wait to get started with this amazing program, and all the opportunities that come along with it!