Day 7: First Day Off

I jump-started my day with a big breakfast, some Cold-FX and Tylenol. I uploaded a few pictures to Facebook and headed off to Oakridge Mall to get some Canada gear. I met up with my friend Laine there and we went in to the Bay. There is nothing good left! (unless you're a kid under 6) We tried Zellers, too... the Olympic gear zone looked like a disaster area after a hurricane. I ended up getting some mascots.

We got back downtown, had coffee, and navigated through the crowds toward English Bay, where we met up with Andrew, took some fun pictures of the sunset and the beach, had sushi, and headed back downtown. Laine went to work and Andrew and I went to Steamworks to meet up with the gang for beers. Rebecca, Flora, and their friends turned up at Steamworks shortly after, right when we heard an announcement on TV that Jon Montgomery just won gold in skeleton, Canada's 4th Olympic gold medal. The crowds went crazy and the cheers were accompanied by the singing of O Canada. Pitchers of Steamworks Lion's Gate Lager arrived and the party was on. Around 10pm, we headed out to a private event at the Vancouver Art Gallery. I have no idea how we got in! The party was awesome. There was a balcony that opened up onto Robson Square (picture). The view and the atmosphere were fantastic! Free wine was flowing by the bottle and everyone was having an amazing time.

Exhaused, I crashed at 2am...

This first day off really let me enjoy the incredible atmosphere downtown Vancouver. It's a true party town and we're not even half-way there... So, stay tuned! More to come... :)

Day 6: Ladies' Half-Pipe & Cold-FX

Another sunny morning! Tired, but happy, I headed out for my last shift before a 2-day break.

After check-in (I got my 6th shift gift today: a Quatchi mascot! Woohoo!), we went up to the lodge for our usual monring briefing and assignments. Today was my lucky day! Assignment: "Grand 20." As one can imagine, an assignment called "grand" must be, well... grand! It really is. I was dispatched to the grand stand, and on rotation between stairs leading up to the spectator area and the bottom of the grand stand, right in front of the half-pipe. Sweet!

Today's competition:

• Ladies' Half-Pipe (Qualifications, Semi-Finals, and Finals)

The weather couldn't have been better! The stand turned into a tanning zone. Some were in t-shirts and a few guys decided to take their tops off completely. It was probably close to 15 degrees in the sun and everyone was smiling, despite having to climb over 230 steps to their seats. In the VIP zone, I spotted Jacques Rogge's wife and numerous members of the athletes families.

By scanning the crowd, one can quickly discover who the favourites were. There were huge signs for Gretchen Bleiler (USA), Kelly Clark (USA), Hannah Teter (USA), Torah Bright (AUS), and a sea of red-and-white paraphernalia and maple-leaf flags for the three Canadians: Mercedes Nicoll, Sarah Conrad, and Taylor Palmer. Poland's Paulina Ligocka also had her loyal fans: her cousins Mateusz and Michal (also snowboarders who competed just a day earlier) waved big Polish flags up on the stands.

In the end, Torah Bright finished first and won gold for Australia. Hannah Teter finished second and Kelly Clark third. I was rooting for Kelly since her family gave me handwarmers as soon as the sun went behind the mountain and it got cold quickly. Thanks!! They came in very... handy (pun intended).

It was a really fun day! I finished my shift with a photoshoot with a fellow volunteer (and my partner-in-crime at Cypress) Caroline and Quatchi in the check-in tent, and headed home.

When I got home my throat was on fire and I was getting a fever. It was bound to happen: 6 long shifts, very little sleep, and hours spent on public transit are not the best combo for staying healthy... My immune system must have been down and I caught a cold. Luckly, the Games are sponsored in part by Cold-FX! Each volunteer got a bottle of Don Cherry's pills along with the uniform. So I popped a couple of them ginger-extract pills and went to bed just past 7pm. I woke up at 9pm to assess if I was in any shape to go out... negative. I crashed and slept until 9am the next day.

It was exactly what I needed! And Cold-FX may have worked... I felt better already and ready to enjoy my first day off...