Eyes to the north

Mike Martin created this LOGO

The opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics is on Friday February 12 and it takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The skiing takes place in Whistler and there is currently a problem with lack of snow. Hopefully over the next 24 hours a snow storm will roll in and save the day.

Those of us on the West Coast get screwed once more by the broadcasting agenda. All the main events will be delayed three hours for us. The East Coast gets them live.

The reasoning behind this is because the viewing public for the Olympics is much larger on the West Coast....and NBC has stated that West Coast viewers want Prime Time viewing instead of live viewing.

Of course my reaction is

BULLSHIT

I now have to play the avoidance game.

I have to avoid results that get reported by radio and television if I want to have the optimum Olympic experience.

I absolutely love the Olympic experience. I'm fairly certain it's my favorite sporting venue except for having watched my son play baseball and my daughter ice-skate.

Of course the Dodgers in the World Series might at the top of the list, but that doesn't happen often enough to get excited. 1988 is a long time ago.

The Olympics happen every two years thanks to the Olympic committee that decided about 12 years ago to split the summer and winter games.

Each one of the athletes participating in the Winter Games has worked their asses off for the chance to compete. One little tiny mistake and no medal. One little bigger mistake and their bodies can be splattered all over the snow or ice.

I was watching a replay of Shawn White's accident a few weeks ago on the Half-Pipe, and I'm stunned that he's ok. He actually won the event on his next run. If you haven't seen the video YouTube it. You will appreciate the fact that he's still alive, let alone competing for a Gold Medal.

I can start to feel the tension in the cold northern landscape of Vancouver. I can hear the wind blowing off the Pacific Ocean and landing in the Coast Mountains. I actually think that those are part of the Rocky Mountains but they've somehow obtained their own name.

We share the Rocky Mountains with Canada...along with a million other things. Our neighbors to the north are more than just neighbors. We share a love of freedom and a passion for outdoor activities.

I look forward to learning a lot more about Western Canada over the next two weeks.

I was in Vancouver about ten years ago and have always said that I think it's the prettiest city in the western hemisphere. The location is stunning and the city has been constructed with a passion for design.

I've actually never meant a Canadian that I didn't like....but that's just me...hey!

Hopefully Mother Nature will answer all climate prayers and snow will arrive just in a nick of time. Of course man-made snow will work but it would be nicer if the real "stuff" started falling.

My eyes will be turned to the north for the next few weeks and I will keep a running journal on how many times these baby blues start to moisten up.

I'm predicting 10 times....and hoping for 20.

Let the games begin.

Michael Timothy McAlevey