2010 Paralympic Winter Games

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Paralympic Opening Ceremonies – BC Place Was Rocking

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

By Des Dougan

I was very fortunate this evening to have attended the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. BC Place was packed, colourful and loud. Seated high in the nosebleed seats with two of my children, we had an amazing view of the stadium floor as first the audience preparation then the main show kicked off. Clad in pale blue ponchos (there were ponchos around the stadium in 4 or 5 different colours) and armed with reflective gold cards and pompoms with build-in orange lights, we were prepared by the pre-show MC as he rehearsed when and what to do. Of course, once the main show kicked off, most of his instructions went by the wayside, especially in the use of the pompoms. When the stadium had darkened, and everyone (and I mean everyone) started shaking the lit pompoms, the sea of flickering orange lights was a sight to behold.

And did I mention the noise? As well as the excellent sound system, the cheers and screams of support from the crowd left my ears ringing as the performers strutted their stuff. Each country’s athletes received loud applause and approval as they moved across the stadium floor. Finally, of course, the host nation entered the arena last and if I thought it had been noisy prior to this – the ovation for Canada’s athletes was long and heartfelt and wonderful to see.

The emphasis on the future, showcased by the majority of performers being children, was an interesting and creative direction that differentiated the ceremony quite clearly from its sibling last month. The mix of able-bodied and disabled performers was well managed and brought home how physical challenges are no barrier to people with talent.

Lloyd Robertson’s section on Terry Fox was extremely moving and emotional and led well into the lighting of the Paralympic flame, which ended the wonderful event on an excellent high note.

You never know what to expect of events such as this; and the show’s directors had a huge challenge to create an event that could stand out on its own. That they did so with zest and some excellent performances is a credit to the entire team behind the show.

Downsides for me – the national anthem seemed to have been tweaked again (it wasn’t clear in the stadium other than there appeared to have been an extra chorus added). It’s fine as it is (actually, it’s a great anthem), so why mess with it?? The second downside was John Furlong’s absolutely awful French. I’m sure he’s very relieved that he won’t have to attempt speak the language ever again after next weekend!

Des Dougan is Principal of Dougan Consulting Group, which provides technology support services to small businesses in the Metro Vancouver area. Des can be contacted here and via @ddougan on Twitter.

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In Transition

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

By @MoniKanada

After all the buzzing excitement and fun we’ve had during the Olympics, Vancouver has come to a state of content exhaustion, just like nature after giving birth to a raging thunderstorm or a heavy rainfall. I personally feel this way, too: Calm and exhausted, yet utterly content for having been part of something meaningful that has provided joy and inspiration to so many people.

Do you feel a bit empty and abandoned, too? I sure do. Where is everybody? The city seems so empty. Many of the special venues and sites have been dismantled, and all our cheerful friends are gone. For all of us that are suffering from POA (post-Olympic abandonment) here is the good news: Apparently, we don’t have to wait very long before we will see more friendly guests here in Vancouver and Whistler who want to celebrate with us!

YVR Airport has already started to provide a warm welcome to the first Paralympic athletes, their officials and spectators. We are expecting approximately 1,350 athletes and officials from 40 countries and 44,000 spectators in Vancouver and Whistler to celebrate outstanding athletic achievements, true passion for sport, and the greatness of human spirit and all it makes possible.

Are you ready for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12-21? Today, three days after the Olympic Flame is extinguished in Vancouver, a new flame will light in Ottawa, sparking the official start and inspirational journey of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay. And in just 10 days, on March 12, her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of , will officially open the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games at BC Place in downtown Vancouver.

Now that we are on the radar of the world in such a positive light, can we prove that Canada is a country where the Paralympics are supported and celebrated as enthusiastically as their big brother, the Olympic Games? Do we have it in us to be ambassadors for the true meaning of the word “Paralympic”, which is “alongside the Olympics”?

I realise there will be less athletes and spectators, less entertainment, less disciplines for athletes to compete in etc. The Paralympics will run on a much smaller scale, at least on the outside. However, on the inside, where courage, determination, passion and persistence live, the Paralympics might actually outshine the Olympics when it comes to the extent of inspiration and valuable lessons they will offer to all that are open to see.

I challenge us to do our part and create a welcoming, joyful and supportive environment for all athletes and guests of our Paralympic Games. Don’t put those red clothes, the mittens and the Canada flags away quite yet. Let’s take some of that newly gained Canadian spirit and paint Vancouver and Whistler red again, and let’s have some more fun – we know how to do that now! Go Canada Go!

Related Posts: Vancouver Olympics done. Paralympics here we come!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. One of her specialties is the work with female start-up and seasoned entrepreneurs that are open to a holistic approach to business and life. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel

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Who Owns The Podium Now?

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Re posted from www.metroblenznewssquad.com

Own the Podium dream over. That’s that’s the head line that read in a CBC / National Post article on Feb. 22 2010 And certainly there has been a lot of talk about Canada’s uncharacteristically bold statement and the public declaration of its Big Hairy Audacious Goal: To be a world leader in high performance sport. Own the Podium or OTP, quite clearly set its goals for these 2010 Games as follows:

  • Place first in the total medal count at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games
  • Place in the top three in the gold medal count at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games

OTP has been for more than a commitment to Athletes is has been our battle cry to the world that we intend to dominate these games. That’s why it was like an elephant left the room when Canadian Olympic Committee CEO, Chris Rudge, said Monday that Canada wasn’t going to finish first at these Games. Our National Pride was beaten and the media attention around it didn’t do our top contenders any favors.

But I’d like to take the opportunity of looking at this program, which is at risk of being unfairly seen as a failure simply because of its own wildly optimistic measure, through a different lens. I think if we look at the entire context, we’ll see that OTP and our Olympic Team has been a HUGE success.

Limited Time First off, OTP has only been in effect for 5 years and with limited funding of just $117 M. “The limiting factor here was time,” Roger Jackson, the CEO of OTP, said in an interview Friday. Own the Podium did not have enough time to guide a solid amateur up to international level, he said, and so the spending was focused on athletes who were already “in the system,” and especially in sports with an already deep talent pool, such as curling and hockey.

Limited Selection Ratio The other factor that I have never seen acknowledged anywhere is country population and the selection ratio we have to draw from. Let’s put this in perspective and take a look a the populations of Top competing countries in these games. Here are the Top 10 in Population in order:

  • China 1.3 Billion population, 20 % of world Population
  • United States 309 Million 4.5% of world population
  • Russia 142 Million 2.1 % of world population
  • Japan 127 Million 1.9% of world population
  • Germany 82 Million 1.2% of world population
  • France 65 Million .96% of world population
  • UK – GBR 62 million .91% of world population
  • Italy 60 Million .90% of world population
  • South Korea 50 Million .73% of world population
  • Ukraine 46 Million .68% of world population

Canada isn’t even on the list. Simply from a population perspective of nations participating in these games Canada isn’t even in the top 10. For the purposes of this post I’m not going to get into the funding, politicism or retirement incentives that many countries offer its top athletes, I just want to look at the talent pool to draw from. Simply from a selection ratio perspective Canada is at a huge disadvantage with a population of just 34 million.

At the time of this writing Canada is sitting number 3 in total medal count (21) and is sitting in 1st Place for Gold (10) ahead of the USA and Germany (tied at 8). The games aren’t over yet and we are guaranteed at least 3 more medals and are contention for Gold for each. If you look at the limited time frame of the OTP program, our small population, limited athletic funding, and focus on “athletes already in the system” I think it’s a fair statement that OTP has been a Huge Success.

Let’s return briefly to the original vision and Mission for OTP:

Vision
For Canada to be a world leader in high-performance sport.

Mission

To lead the development of Canadian sports to achieve sustainable podium performances at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

If those were the goals and you look at the results we achieved, I’m proud to scream out Go Canada! - We Do Own The Podium!

Keep it up and with a continued commitment to develop and nurture yet undiscovered talent, we will own the podium for many generations to come

Howard Olsen is President of High Output Training Systems and is one of Canada’s leading sales performance experts . He is on the Board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and every year his perspective shifting keynotes and profit producing training programs help thousands of business people and their companies positively impact their bottom lines. For more information visit high-output.com and HowardOlsen.com Follow Howard on Twitter @howardolsen

1 United States United States 8038686282 13 13 3401918686282
22 Germany Germany 9028892106 11 7 2702908892106
13 Canada Canada 10019295049 7 4 2103899295049
44 Norway Norway 8049393196 6 6 2004919393196
95 Austria Austria 4099493021 5 6 1505959493021
115 Russian Federation Russian Federation 3119492226 5 7 1505969492226
57 Korea Korea 6059397148 6 2 14

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