Day 5: Shaun Does It Again!

Today, I will be brief because I have another one of those late finish / early start shift combos... So, I will try to get full 4 hours of sleep.

Highlights:

• Main event at Cypress today: Men's Snowboard Halfpipe (HP)

To no surprise, the snowboard superstar Shaun White (USA) soared through to the first place on the podium and won his second Olympic gold medal.

I was assigned to "Entry 30" today: assistance at the main entry point for spectators in the security screening zone and at the parking lot at the end of the event to ensure efficient spectator flow and bus loading. Given such assignment, I didn't get to see the whole event. I did however get up on the stands just before my shift, during the Qualifications round. I got a few shots of the boys flying way up high over the halfpipe's edges that I will try to share with you as soon as I can. I also went back there on my dinner break, just before the Finals. I got a few pictures of Shaun and a couple of other athletes warming up on the HP.

I guess the warm-up paid off as he swept off that gold medal with a score of 46.8 out of 50, beating Peetu Piiroinen (FIN - 2nd) and Scott Lago (USA - 3rd).

After the event, Shaun mentioned in an interview that when he got to Cypress, the HP was one of the worst he'd ever been on but after tonight's final, he agreed that the snow team did a great job overnight and today's HP was one of the best he's ever ridden through.

In Other News:

• My buddy got a picture with Tony Hawk, who was cheering on the USA team at Cypress
• Former PM Jean Chrétien was also on site, cheering on the Canadian snowboarders (maybe not loud enough as Justin Lamoureux finished 7th, Brad Martin 23rd, and Jeff Batchelor 32nd)

That's really it for today...

No Canadian medal at Cypress today but... there is always tomorrow to (as Chrétien's jacket so proudly displayed): Own the Podium.

Good night!