The following account is by Margo Neal, proofreader for The Malibu Times and Malibu Times Magazine, as well as Malibu Optimist Club member. Neal is volunteering at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada. She is in Whistler, where many of the skiing events are taking place. Look for future accounts in the Malibu Life Sports section.
Saturday, Feb. 13. – The weather is not great – liquid snow – but the snow on the runs here has been great, though the men’s downhill today was cancelled because part of the course was too soft. The flags are flying at half-mast in the village in honor of the luger from Georgia, Nodar Kumaritashvili – this has put a pall on everything, but still everything goes on.
I’ve been here now for a week-plus – it’s very exciting and fun – lights, camera and action everywhere. Great “joie de vivre.” I went to the village, “downtown Whistler,” when the torch came in last week – 10, 000 others and us – very crowded, very noisy, but fun.
I’ve worked seven days. Up those days at 5:30 a.m. and Merilea drives me to the bus – yes, I could walk, it’s all downhill, but it’s very early, it’s very dark and there are cougars, lynx and bears in the area – Merilea is better.
What’s my job? I’m in the Communications Center in the Athletes’ Village and I write the daily newsletter that goes to all the volunteers there. There were to be four of us doing this, but three didn’t show up – so guess who gets to do it. The newsletter is one page, two sides, and each issue must have an interview with one of the volunteers. I’ve interviewed some pretty interesting people: An architect from Barcelona who did the line drawings for the Richmond Oval (the speed skating venue); a 25-yr-old guy from SLC who drove up here with a buddy and their camping gear – they are camping out (a woman on a bus overheard them talking about the camping and gave them a room at her house); two Norwegians who I put on the front page under the headline “Check Out These Two Handsome Dudes From Norway” and you’d think I’d given them a million bucks, they were so excited; a Canadian who was born in Latvia and is a translator for the Latvian team; he gave us some very interesting history on Latvia; a nurse from Vancouver who has often done “disaster” nursing where needed, and as soon as she finishes her stint here she will go to Haiti for a month with an international medical group; and a 32-yr-old female orthopedic/trauma surgeon from Montreal, one of very few females in that specialty.
There is a very up-to-date, modern hospital in the Athletes’ Village, compliments of GE. It has an operating room, a four-bed ICU, CT scanner, an MRI and all the clinics you can think of, plus physical therapists, massage therapists, etc. It is here because Whistler is pretty far from medical facilities in Vancouver in case of urgent medical need.
Security is extremely tight – security personnel, police and RCMP are everywhere. My first bus takes me to the entrance to the Athletes’ Village where security checks that the bus is legit. When I get off the bus I go through airport-like security – very thorough. Then I get on another bus that takes me about a mile further into the village and to my “tent” – many big tents in there. Within the village itself, there are many more security and RCMP. Some of the RCMP patrol the perimeter fence on snowmobiles; beyond the fence the Canadian Army patrols, and above the village floats a dirigible with computer/scanners, etc. – all this 24/7.
The Athletes’ Village is very colorful – the outfits of the athletes are beautiful, really cool … international flags everywhere. There is a huge fitness center/gym in one of the buildings for the athletes; also a room with a hot and a cold tub plus a freezer for ice cubes – some athletes like ice cubes in their cold tub. The athletes have many facilities here – game rooms, computers, a great variety of food in their dining room – much better food than in the dining room for the volunteers. There are literally 50,000 condoms available to the athletes – they are in containers everywhere in the village where the athletes go – one of the IOC posters says a goal is to stop HIV and AIDS-ergo … A staffer at the fitness center told me that condoms are very expensive in Eastern Europe and some seem to be stocking up.
Merilea and I are having a good time. Last week she got up early, drove me to the bus, cooked dinner and we were in bed by 8 p.m. This week things are reversed – except she has to catch a 4 a.m. bus – guess who gets to drive her. I work fewer days this coming week than last – that’s good. We also have tickets to go to some medals ceremonies in the evening in the village – after the ceremony there is live entertainment and the headliner one of the nights we go is Usher. Who is Usher? Well, your kids probably know – he’s hot right now. All I know is that he sang at Michael Jackson’s funeral.
There is also some wonderful Native art throughout the village. My sister from Montreal came in yesterday – and next week we are going to the luge, some medal ceremonies and I get to go skiing. There are places on the hill where you can view the Alpine races without needing a ticket – cool!