Buying Phillies tickets In the dark of December

Who knew that around the darkest day of the year, that Phillies fever would be a source of greatest heat. Philadelphia is all the buzz since Cliff Lee decided to forgo a Yankees contract and relocate to the town that loves its team. Much has been written about why he decided to sign here, and much has been debated and discussed. the result, though is that one day this week, I found myself sitting with my friend discussing the various options for buying tickets. the 6 pack choices were already slim-we eventually ended up buying some 400 level seats. but wait, there is a way to get into a lottery to buy opening day tickets or Red Sox tickets. A lottery? Last year, I went online in February and bought a ticket in the 100 3rd baseline section for a mere 45$ (I was splurging ). Go to Stub Hub this year, and the 400 level seats are that much. So the lottery it is.
We found out that there will be individual tickets available on Feb 17-we cackled about meeting up at midnight to discuss which games to go to. We did decide that connecting by phone would be good enough, but it did make us giddy thinking about it.

Now, I am the proud owner of two 6 pack tickets for April-Sept. My mother is laughing out loud right now.What has happened to her daughter to transform her into a fan. Having a winning team helps! A beautiful ball park helps. Having other friends as excited as I am-and new ones too. That helps.

Another historic game-preparing for the Eagles and Redskins part 1

Sometime back in September, my mother called to tell me that my cousin, an avid lifelong Washington Redskins football fan, had an extra ticket to the Redskins-Eagles game.. In honor of my new found fandom excitement, she thought I might like to go, even though I had never ever expressed any interest in football. In fact, my attitude about football was that it was too difficult to follow. No matter how many times people explained to me what a 'down' was, or who did what, I couldn't grasp it, and would soon lose interest.

But, in the spirit of "I'll try anything once" and "It's always fun when you go with someone who is an enthusiast" I said 'sure!"

Game day:
My cousin Barbara is the consummate hostess, and knows how to prepare for any party. She has done tailgating parties so much that all the paraphernalia is ready to go: chairs, tables, serving utensils, silverware, Redskins napkins, the works. And for this party, she prepared a banquet of chicken, salads,humous, croissants, cupcakes, drinks, chips, strawberries. All for 3 people. We packed up the car at 3:00 for the 8:30 p.m. game. Driving down I 270 which is north west of Washington, we immediately hit bumper to bumper traffic.All 90,000 fans plus rush hour traffic seemed to be on the road. There was some anxiety that we wouldn't get a good parking spot, but Barbara had a pass directly into the best parking 40 feet from the entrance to the stadium

And what a stadium-when you approach, it looks like the spaceship in the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The top is ringed with restaurants lights and the sign FEDEX is brightly light in orange and green. Circling the stadium are the parking lots filled up with taligaters so it looks from afar like a tribal gathering (and indeed it is). Walking around the parking lot I spied beanbag toss games, Redskins tents, and of course, lots of beer. I was surprised how many green and white shirts I saw-intermingled with the red and gold.
 Once we had set up our table, we were joined by  several avid Eagles fans, clients of Barbara's brother.    There was some haggling  back and forth, but for the most part, everyone seemed to be trading jibes in a friendly sort of way. Much talk about the just announced 78 million dollar contract for Donovan McNabb. Much hand wringing about whether Michael Vick should  be forgiven for his dog fighting (for which he did time in jail). In the end, after friendly handshakes, and we were off to the game.

There are three levels in the stadium. Our seats were on the 40 yard line in the first level. Barbara sat to my right and her friend, Gail to my left. Behind me was a very vocal Eagles fan, there with his Redskins wife. In front was a cute couple with matching black sweatshirts-hers said "Team Adam", his said "Team (what ever her name was).
To our right in front, another Eagles fan. On the field, the Redskins marching band. AS soon as they started playing the fight song, I chimed in. Hail to the Redskins...Remember, I grew up with that song, during the glory days.

Eagles and Redskins part 2

 I'm  amazed that my first ever time attending a football game (not counting high school when I was in the marching band and had to be there) was one that is still causing buzz online and on TV. I had expected to be totally befuddled and confused by the game itself, since I thought I knew nothing about it. But I had picked up enough terminology to know that touchdown=good, tackle=bad, throwing long distances=good, completed passes=good, interceptions=bad (reverse that if its the other team). What I didn't realize was that I could enjoy the running and the passing, even the blocking as athletic ballet. This game included exquisite running and footwork by Michael Vick, who put on a stellar performance. I don't know anything about stats so I can only comment on the beauty of what I saw.
The first time the Eagles touched the ball Michael Vick threw a long 88 yard pass that the receiver ran in for a touchdown. With each  play of the first quarter Michael Vick stepped back, assessed the field with precision, threw bullet like passes, or  dodged the Redskins defense to run the ball down the field. I wasn't sure whether to cheer or to gasp. The Redskins hardly touched the ball for the first 15 minutes.
The score after the first quarter-28-0.  Barbara, scowling with her arms crossed, moans "We are leaving if they get 50 points". What? 50 points, that's absurd. That's not a football score.
The Redskins woke up in the second quarter, scoring some points, but the game continued to be a Michael Vick and company blowout.

And then to the heavens opened up, the rains came, and the second quarter was coming to an end. The score was 38-21, and we were out of there. Little did we know that the Eagles were going to score another 21 points to win it 59-21.

Here is a favorite sentence from a sports blog: And from there it was more of the same: Michael Vick looking like one of the all-time greats at quarterback, driving his team down the field for a touchdown -- a touchdown, it should be noted, on a play during which he had nearly EIGHT full seconds to choose his receiver.

Phillies had a great season!

It is  now the end of the season for the Philadelphia Phillies, who  made a valiant effort to become the National League champs for the third straight year. It was a great year, so this is a chance for me to capture my memories and pictures of a summer and early fall filled with contentment,excitement, thrill, satisfaction, many exhilarating wins, poignant disappointments,  and some excruciatingly difficult  losses,  These posts will be about my many experiences seeing the Phillies, live, live, live. (oh, and one Yankees game, too), and other sports that come my way . You might even read more about hockey, figure skating, basketball, football and curling -and one of my favorite 'sports' -DANCE.    Ya never know!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Take me out to the ballgame. 7 regular games ,playoff  game 1. Pennant games  2 & 6

Take me out with the crowd. With 46,000 people in Citizens Bank Park Philadelphia

Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks. sickeningly sweet  

I don't care if I never get back. After a win, everyone lingers in the glow. High Hopes, we've got High Hopes...

It's root, root, root for the home team. Hear us screaming, yelling, cheering, singing, clapping, dancing, getting in on the inane 'bongocam'and  'smilecam'

If they don't win it's a shame. Phillies had the best record  for the regular season 97 wins

It's 1-2-3 strikes you're out WOW! Roy Halladay's perfect game and no hitter in one season

Congrats to the San Francisco Giants National League Champs

The Giants head for the World Series hoping to win for the first time

Citizens' Bank Park Pics

Let the home runs ring

The excitement builds for the NLCS

"Chooch" Carlos Ruiz warming up

record crowds 46,000 fans

Waiting for the Star Spangled Banner

Getting to the Games

Gayle is Ready for Game 2

The fans fill up the subway

Gayle and Ed

NLCS Game 6 hightlights and pictures

Its a party

I always check out who my gang is for the game. Oy, 4 Giants fans sitting in front of us.They wore fake beards, a recognition of the ongoing feud  between the teams. It turned out that the Giants fans were the good sports throughout the game, taking verbal abuse throughout. (as well as some peanuts thrown by fans behind us).

The onslaught of comments and insults only got more obnoxious as the Phillies fans got more drunk. Phillies fan start to use language that is more an more offensive. I don't realize until later games that I could call the attendant to have this guy thrown out of the stands. Instead, we tried our best to avoid him, even when he jumped down next to me and tried to steady himself on my shoulder.

Sanchez relieved from pitching

The Phillies surged ahead in the first two innings with 2 solid runs, but the Giants quickly caught up so that for most of the game, the scorewas tied. The Giants hit a home run-the last run to be scored.

Claire and Tobie enjoy the game together

I treated my niece to the 6th game, so she could become a Phillies fan for the night

The party's over. It's time to call it a night.

End of the Road for 2010 Phillies champions part 1

If  you paid any attention to the National Leagues Championship series, you would know that coming back home for Game 6 was a do or die game for the Phillies, who were down 3-2 games to the San Fran Giants. Winning this one on Saturday night Oct 23 would force a 7th game. Losing meant the end of the series, sending the Giants to the World Series against the Texas Rangers who beat (whipped) the NY Yankees in game 6 of the American League Series.
That provided the backdrop for an exciting, if ultimately disappointing, game 6 that I treated myself and my niece to.

I always check out who my gang is for the game. Oy, 4 Giants fans sitting in front of us.

They wore fake beards,  a recognition of the ongoing feud  between the teams. It turned out that the Giants fans were the good sports throughout the game, taking verbal abuse throughout. (as well as some peanuts thrown by fans behind us).

The onslaught of comments and insults only got more obnoxious as the Phillies fans got more drunk. 

 

Some Highlights

The Giants starting pitcher is relieved after hitting the batter, which started some kind of  onfield brawl.

The Phillies surged ahead in the first two innings with 2 solid runs, but the Giants quickly caught up so that for most of the game, the score was tied. The Giants hit a home run-the last run to be scored.

Looking back

I not only went to the Opening game, but I made it to the last home game of the season, hoping that it would be the game when we would clinch the Division title (that happened in DC the next night).  We were feted with music and Phillie Phanatic antics, fireworks and giveaways. Every inning, prizes would be announced. The best prizes seemed to go to 100 level seats, Diamond Club seats while nothing made it to the hoi poloi.

NLCS Game 2 OCT 17, 2010

Galye, Ed and I ride to the Olney subway station for the express   train to Phillies land-I thought that the energy for the playoff games was electric. This is absolutely carnivalesque. Outside the ballpark are thousands of people milling about in front of a bandstand, games, party tents, Phillies gear tents, and who knows what else because we couldn't even get through the crowd. Above are banners announcing 'Postseason" and high above is the DirectTV blimp. Everyone is snapping pictures, including moi, though the lights are distorting the images.
The game starts at 8:00, and it is only 7:20, so there is time to walk around the whole park. The smells morph from french fries to some kind of crab spice, from beer to ice cream to hot dogs. The only thing missing is a Ferris Wheel, or bumper cars. Lines form for every variation of food. We are more interested in the Phillies Wall of Fame. Eventually, we part, Gayle and Ed going to their seats in the out field, me to section 428 on the third base line.

My friends for the evening: a mother and 12 year old daughter to my right, 4 young college women to my left, a group of guys in front, and behind a group of men in their 50s. The atmosphere tonight in the second game of the Championship is different than the first night of the playoffs. The Phillies lost the first game, as they watched one player hit two home runs. So there is more of a worried expentency.

Oswalt is pitching erratically at first, but settles down. Ah, good , the Phillies are up.The Giants pitcher, Sanchez, is not in control, and this brings some hope and excitement back to the crowd. The song "tonight's gonna be a good, good night" starts playing.

NLCS Game 2 part 2

The women next to me have brought some colorful signs. One of them painted with the words "thirsty for a world series" another shows a pic of Jason Werth that says, "our beard is better than your beard". Throughout the games, cameras spot fans with signs, so the women, flash them on a regular basis.

Oswalt has settled into a strike groove that thrills the stadium with each pitch. Then comes Cody Ross, the Giants player who hit TWO home runs the night before. The fans boo him each time he steps up to the plate. And then it happens again. Another home run to left field that stills the crowd into an unusual stunned silence. The mood changes so abruptly, something I have not felt before. I've experienced painful anxiety, but not this aura of despair.

Then comes the blooper of the evening that lifts us up for the rest of the evening. The ball is hit to the infield, and 3 Giants players run to catch it, but the ball lands plot down in the middle for a base hit. The crowd goes wild and I say over and over "I can't believe that just happened".

Two men on for the Phillies. The pitcher intentionally walks a player, loading the bases. I've seen this before in the Yankees game, when the next Yankee player hit a grand slam, so I know it can backfire. Sure enought, the next batter gets a base hit, and the momentum builds until the score is 6-1.

I may have the order wrong here, but at some point, Roy Halladay hits a solid fly ball to left field for a very satisfying single. The next batter advances him -then he does something risky. His coach has signaled for him to stop at third but he continues to  head home.  Apparently, the Giants player has seen the coaches signal, so waits just a beat too long to throw it to home. Halladay slides in, a heartbeat ahead of the ball.

The last inning is pitched by the closer, who can't seem to close it!  We are all on the edge of our seats, holding our breaths even. Someone in the stands asks us why we are so worried since the Phillies are ahead 6-1. I remind him of the game when the Phillies came back from an 8 run deficit, so we take nothing for granted.

Finally the last out and we take a breath again. This was a good good night~

The historic Division playoff game-Oct 6, 2010 part 1

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Philadelphia	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	X	4	5	0

Just one more game, I told myself. I want to go to just one more game.
After the last home game on Sept 26, a disappointing loss, I  started scheming about getting to the game in DC with the Nationals, where it was inevitable that the Phillies would win the Eastern division title. That was just too much to plan and arrange in one day around my work schedule. I couldn't see going to a Phillies game in Washington as a good enough excuse to leave work early in a busy week. (I could see it being a good excuse, but didn't think my boss would!)
Instead, Monday night, as soon as they won the the title, I jumped onto StubHub to see how much playoff tickets cost. Seats were not yet that expensive for October 6 in the 416 level above the first base line, the section where I had found a home watching games over the past few months.

No hesitation. BUY.

Wednesday morning. Oct 6. I was going to the playoffs! Excited, giddy, I packed my bag with an overwhelming sense of glee. Stuffed inside my pink Olympics pack went a Phillies shirt, red hat, pants, some food,. At work, I waited impatiently for 4:00 to start my trip for the 5:00 game. My usual subway route on the subway, as expected, was filled with other fans of all ages.wearing many types of shirts, jackets, hats, and gear in reds, pinks, black and gray.
I have made it a ritual to talk with someone on the train, and that day I hit the jackpot. Next to me was a man who is part of the Philadelphia Boys and Men's Choir (http://www.phillyboyschoir.org/),  and has performed  for the opening day games and the World Series for 20 years. As we exited the subway he told me that he was off to sit in a box seat. I did my best to get invited there, but got distracted by a great brass band playing on the sidewalk. 
 There is nothing like entering a ball park, hearing the announcements of the teams, the cheers. the buzz. For a regular game, this is exhilarating enough. For the playoff game, the crowd was ELECTRIFIED. You could feel the energy elevated a hundred fold just walking around. Once settled into my 11th row seat, I smiled. Behind me was a group of college age guys. To my right was a nice couple, to my left another young man. Just in front of me, a whole family with a 2 year old in a new Phillies cap. Beside them was a man who, like me, came alone, and engaged everyone around him during the game. This was my gang for the evening.

Historic no hitter game Oct 6 part 2

The first pitch by Roy Halladay-a strike. Everyone leans forward, waiting anxiously.

Behind me, one of the guys says, "Is he nervous? I am!"  I think he was speaking for 46,000 people.
(His friend replied, "He's a professional.")

These guys were terrific, loud, boisterous. Sometimes when they were cheering, I looked back at them having the time of their lives, and I was enjoying their enthusiasm.
I engaged the couple next to me a few times. "Do you know anything about the Reds?" "What just happened?"
Other than that, I was glued to the field, hollering when there was a hit, groaning at the strike outs.

There is a song that is sung in my synagogue on Shabbat-The words 'Teach us to treasure each day' can be poignant and inspirational.
Here at the game,  I noticed the ups and downs, the high pitched arc of the 'whoas' when the ball was hit to the outfield, the  sinking 'oos', when it was caught. What came to mind was "teach us to treasure each moment', Every pitch became a momentous drama. The 3/2 counts with 2 outs. Such expectation, sometimes dashed, sometimes rewarded. Every strike out, a notch on the board for history. Every leap to catch the ball a save for the pitcher.

Roy Halladay walks one. There goes the perfect game, someone says.

Top of the 8th Inning. No one in the crowd is sitting down anymore, The rally towels are a flutter after every pitch. Phillies are up, and the Reds have not had one man hit to get on base

Top of the 9th inning. 

"Probably the toughest test for a Phillies defender came with two outs in the ninth, when Phillips hit a swinging bunt and the 10-foot roller hit the bat that Phillips had dropped onto the wet grass near the first-base line.
Ruiz, angling away from the bat, grabbed the ball and, as he went sliding forward onto his knees, threw out Phillips by more than a stride".

Ryan Howard catches the ball at first base.
Fireworks, a crowd ecstatic.

I take a peek to the guys in back, One of them with a ferocious smile purrs, " I'm so happy." The guy to my left, "This is awesome."

To me, that was a perfect game

Getting to a Yankees game Part 1

So, why you may ask did I, a Phillies fan, decide to go to a  Yankees game? I guess I don't know enough about baseball history or player salaries to be skeptical or even scornful about how it is that they win so much. All I know is that when I saw them beat the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, it seemed like they would be a fun team to see sometime. (And or course, it's always good to see the competition up close.)
When I suggested to my  friend, the wildly avid Yankees Fan From Birth (ffb), that we see a game together, the timing was perfect to see the Yankees and the Seattle Mariners (notice I didn't have to say the NEW YORK Yankees. Everyone knows where the Yankees are from).
We met in New York on a rainy Sunday, wondering if the game would be played, and how we were going to prevent ourselves from getting wet in the stadium.Walking towards 5th Ave, we noticed a long line of people huddled on the sidewalk with suitcases and other belongings. Curious as always, we decided to see what the hubbub was all about. It became apparent that these were parents and their college age children checking into a dormitory with bundles of belongings. What caught our attention was that they were all wearing the same type of plastic ponchos, probably provided by the college. In jest I must have said under my breath, "We could pretend to be parents and get ponchos for the game." Wouldn't you know it- a  cheery young woman comes up to us and says, "Would you like a poncho?" We took two and THEN she said, "Would you like one for your daughter, too?"

Having thus scored THREE ponchos and an instant child, we scurried off across the street, hoping that no one would notice that there was no daughter in tow.

Now that we were the proud parents of a young woman going to Stern College, we could more confidently be on our way to do some site seeing, then onto the subway to Yankee Stadium

Phillies Opening NIght Game 2010

Being at the Olympics in February renewed my love for Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest, as warm and generous Canadian hospitality seduced me into cheering for exceptional athletes from distant countries. My one time attending the rough and tumble Philadelphia Flyers match gave me the chance to connect with a friend who grew up skating on ponds in Canada, and brought into view others who love  hockey, a sport that I'm just getting warmed up to. 

But it has been The Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, at home, in a beautiful ballpark, with a tremendous view of the city, who were to turn me into a phan.

How  did it all get started?

Sometime after I returned from the Olympics, I bought three 100 level tickets on the third base line to the Opening Night Home game in April. After all, one must adhere to ritual openings if you are to become an initiate into a new religion. Mind you, I was still a relative novice at understanding some of the finer points of the game, but knowing that I would be between two of my favorite Phillie Phanatic Phans  was comforting.

In March, I suffered a traumatic hand injury that put my busy life on pause. [Understatement of understatements] March 31 was surgery day, so even by game day on April 14, my hand was still bandaged and  I was in a lot of pain. -You can imagine that this is just the bare minimum of a longer story,- but I digress from the main point here. By gosh, by golly, I was determined to go to the game.

Game night
The phans arrive from all over the city, most in jerseys, or T-shirts of their favorite players. Black caps festooned with the words 'World Series 2008 Champs' are some of  my favorites. I have yet to acquire any gear-instead, I wear my light blue Olympics hat and sling my bright pink Olympics bag over my shoulder.


The energy is light hearted, family oriented. People saunter to the gates where  the guards check out our bags, scan our tickets, and give out X-Large grey Opening Night T-shirts (courtesy of McDonalds!). Darn-My first Phillies attire, and its too big, and its grey. (That goes straight to the nightshirt drawer).


We find our seats in the 11th row to the left of 3rd base. I can't believe how close we are, how green the field is, how brilliant all the colors are from that angle. I am so used to sitting up in the  last row of the 400 level and now we are royalty.



Phan story and quote of the night: so much of any sporting event is the fan drama. In our section sitting in the first few rows, there was a father and mother who brought their 4 small children.At one point in the game, all of us were taking in bits and pieces of a recurring theme as the mother shlepped herself, her children and several bags up and down and up and down the stairs for various shopping excursions. Finally, a man in the rows behind us couldn't stand watching her do all the work. He stood up, indignant, and shouted, "Get your husband to help, for God's sake".





The first pitches go badly, and Melvin bites down on his knuckles "I have a bad feeling about this."  But the Phillies don't disappoint that night. Their bats are hitting, keeping us jumping up to our feet for 14 runs. 


I didn't know it when I bought the tickets back in February that what I would need in April would be to scream, to yell, to jump up and down with all my energy focused on something else other than pain. I didn't know that I would so enjoy being a part of a crowd of people all going through the same expressions of joy, anxiety, nervousness and exhaltant release. I didn't know that being at the ballpark on April 14 would be the start of a summer and fall adventure that would bring me back to life. 


But that's the rest of the story...


Final Series:

Final

Series:

Close

Philadelphia leads 2-0 (as of 4/14)

Game 1: Monday, April 12
Washington	4	Final
Philadelphia	7
Recap »Boxscore »

Game 2: Wednesday, April 14
Washington	7	Final
Philadelphia	14
Recap »Boxscore »

Game 3: Thursday, April 15
Washington	7	Final
Philadelphia	5
Recap »Boxscore »

Ironically, this was taken on my last morning in Vancouver

Back in Philadelphia

Back in Philadelphia at my favorite ice skating rink a public rink called Simon's Recreation Center, where I've been skating for almost 20 years.

I'm number 147 on the list

Just googled my blog and came up with the company that helped the US Olympic team find my blog so I could link to teamusa.

I'm number 147 on the list.

http://marketingconversation.com/2010/03/18/thank-you-to-all-of-the-olympic-bloggers/

And the Gold medal goes to...

 
VANCOUVER CANADA

 a world class, clean and safe city just a plane and train ride away

AND

The thousands of athletes (Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines.)

The thousands of volunteers (There were 18,500 volunteers at this year's Olympics  helping ticket holders find their seats at venues, giving directions to confused guests wandering the streets, driving around dignitaries and printing out stat sheets for cranky, sleep-deprived journalists. Some 95% of them were Canadian)

The thousand of spectators (upward of 150,000 people surged on downtown Vancouver streets after the men's hockey team won the Olympic gold on Sunday afternoon),

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/01/bc-vancouver-post-olympic-exodus.html#ixzz0gycBxPVW

Without a doubt, the Canadians put on a great show, one that was humbling to this U.S. citizen who shares the continent with them. The Olympics were not without their problems and protests( which I didn't see), and the impact of the games on the city's poor is yet to be seen. Yet, on the whole, I experienced a welcoming and a boisterous pride that sent me pondering: What does it mean that so many were willing to wear a T-shirt, a sweater, a scarf, a goofy hat with the words, "I'm proud to be a Canadian? From where I sit in a liberal progressive neighborhood, there isn't anyone in my circles who would wear a shirt that said "I'm proud to be an American". It's not that we aren't, but it has taken on a different tone here-negative nationalism, xenophobia,  militarism, even a bit  hokey. The closest I saw to any overt pride was during the last presidential election.

So, I was happy, for a week, to bask in  Canadian boosterism, to jump to my feet with the other 1000s of glowing hearts as  I witnessed Canadians winning gold medals (Ski Cross and Ice Dancing) or winning a Curling match. Even more moving, being brought to tears watching the Canadian ladie's figure skating champion  as she came onto the ice after  the death of her mother just 3 days earlier.



Congratulations .

Thanks from Team USA

http://support.teamusa.org/site/TellAFriend?msgId=2641.0&devId=6521

Portraits of people I met

Standing in line waiting for the bus after the hockey game I ask my usual question, "Tell me, what events have you seen?" The answer: " None, I'm one of the 75 hockey game timers out of 350 who applied"  A three year application  process that included mock games, rules testing, interviews. 10 hour days. "A privilege", he says.
He was from Arizona.

6:30 am. Arriving at the bus depot  to wait for transportation to Cypress mountain, I encounter another one of the many Salvation Army volunteers seen at all the venues handing out hot chocolate and coffee. She was from Mississippi

It is raining as I enter the Ladies' figure skating competition. A man offers to let me stand under his umbrella. He works for Korean Airlines and is on loan to the Korean Olympic committee putting together a bid for 2018. He is about to witness a Korean skater steal the show and our hearts with the first of two of the most magnificent performances since Michelle Kwan.
He was from Seoul

A young man sits down on the bleachers to watch the ladie's ski cross. He is carrying a blown up kangaroo. 
He was from Australia

A family of four wrapped in Canadian flags, flauting red and white clown wigs and face paint give me pointers about curling strategies. " Go Cheryl, go" they chant. Cheryl is the goddess captain of the Canadian women's curling team, the team from Edmonton that wins the silver medal later in the same tournament against the same team of Swedes.
The family was  from Edmonton.

Five men get on the Skytrain and see someone with a country flag that plays their anthem. I encourage them to sing it. Once they start, the Canadians start singing-"Oh Canada" Its a duel. 
The Croatians win.

Some young people, college aged are on the Skytrain as we make our way to the hockey game between Slovakia and Russia. One of them says " The only Russian I know how to say is, 'You skate like a girl' Wanna hear it?" She speaks the phrase in Russian, we all laugh. Ironic, since we are going to a women's hockey match.
She was from Canada.


We are packed into the Richmond Oval Speed Skating venue. "Is there a Canadian skater?", I ask.
The man next to me looks  rather dumbfounded that I don't know Carla Hughes. She won the 5000 meter gold 4 years ago and is attempting to medal again.  She gets the bronze.
He, of course, was from Canada!

Friends of the Norwegian curling pants ( pic & youtube song)

I'm Back in Seattle, watching CNBC, which is showing the men's Gold Medal Curling match between Canada and Norway. Norway is the team of the famous red, blue and white harlequin patterned pants that have taken the Curling world by storm. Seriously, one commentator said that this would change curling forever.
These pants are so famous in fact, that there are now 41 Facebook pages you could friend. The most active one was Norwegian Pants with  513,000 friends which may have been taken down.

If you google "Norwegian pants" you get articles that read

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Norwegians' pants were pulled down. Briefly.

Not to worry, curling fans — they were back up after a 2½-hour scare.

How hilarious is that.

Here's a song inspired by those outfits.   (BTW, Canada is currently winning 3 to 0 in the 6th End out of 10 Ends)  ( A bit later-Canada wins!)

Publish Post

Go Curlers Go (pic)

Its almost Purim, the Jewish holiday of celebration, frivolity and costumes. Even though I'm going to miss hearing the Megillah on Saturday night, I certainly have had my fill of jubilation and wacky costumes.

As we speak, the Canadians and Swedes are battling for the Gold and Silver medal in Curling. I was lucky enough to see them play in the early rounds, when Canada won. I'm just not sure who to root for. Canada has taken my heart, but I have a connection to Sweden with my dear friend and 'sister' Ingrid.
Either way, then. I win.

Miga and Quatchi Olympic Mascots (pic)

Sitting in the cold Cypress Mountain air (okay, cold is an understatement. It was freezing), there was a lot of time to kibbutz, especially when one skier wiped out and had to be carried off on a stretcher, postponing the next run for 10 minutes.

At that point, I learned about the Olympic mascots. All the adults agreed that we were not initially impressed with them, but that they had grown on us over time. Part of that is seeing how much the children LOVE them, just love them to pieces. Any time there was a mascot at the event, there were also long lines to take pictures.
So, I succombed!
Quatchi is a Sasquatch, and Miga is a whale (huh?). There is another mascot Sumi, a mythical spirit bear, and a sidekick MukMuk, a muscrat. All very Canadian, eh?

Who in the world is YuNa Kim? (video)

If you were watching ANY of the ladies' skating, you should know who Yu Na Kim is by now: t:he extraordinary Gold medal winner (no, I 'm not giving away any information writing this after the fact).
Even though I  was sitting in the stratosphere for the short program, her magnetism reached us in the top rows. A standing ovation well deserved.
My knowledge of her came by chance before I arrived in Vancouver. To be honest, I didn't know much about the skaters this Olympic cycle, not even the US team. Even though I had been avidly watching Universal Sports for the past few months as they tracked the pre Olympic tournaments like the Ice Dancing and Pairs Grand Prix, I must have missed the Nationals in Spokane, because I only vaguely knew about Rachel Flatt, the US champion, while the others were a blur.
By chance, though, as I was searching for footage of Michelle Kwan to post, I happened onto some past video of Yu Na Kiim. I haven't been this mesmerized since I saw Michelle Kwan skate at the US Nationals in 1998. Then I forgot about her, not realizing that there were high  Olympics expectations for her from both the Korean and world community

For the short program, she skated to a medley of James Bond music. Sounded risky, perhaps a bit too kitchy, so what I loved, absolutely loved was how she pulled it off with just the right touch of sass and bravado without letting the music dominate. That had been the problem earlier in the night, when some of the weaker skaters used symphonic music that overpowered their skating, or conversely, lightweight music that didn't drive the skating with any energy. Neither of these can be said of Yu Na Kim. She is totally in the driver's seat in both performance, technique, and choreography.

Too much of the commentary is focused on the jumping, and not enough on the way she uses her whole body in the spins and the footwork.  If you have a chance to find footage of her Olympic programs, look at the spin sequences for some of the most original combinations I have ever seen.

 From 2009-----------
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Ladie's figure skating

When this journey began, I had envisioned seeing only ice skating, but my first round of tickets only included 1 event. It seemed so certain that there wouldn't be any more tickets available, but I learned a lesson from the minute I arrived: this was a scalpers paradise. They were allowed to buy 48 tickets and could stand out and sell them for whatever the market would bear. For buzz events like the Canada US hockey games, tickets went for as much as 1000$ ( I hear that tickets for the men's gold medal hockey games could fetch as much as 5000$) So, even a few weeks before I left Philadelphia I bought another ticket.  I paid some premium for that ticket, but not as much as for the next one. I made a mistake to think I needed to buy it online instead of waiting until I arrived because I saw tickets being sold for less than the face value the night of the performance. oh well


More about skating later. right now I'm back in Seattle waiting, waiting for NBC to show the finals. yawn..

Pictures from Cypress Mountain Ski Cross

This was my most adventurous day with 2 events back to back. Cypress mountain was a taxi ride and charter bus ride away. Even leaving the apt. I could tell that the air was getting colder and more humid. As we approached the mountain, a spectacular view of Vancouver appeared to the right, the only time that it would be clear all day.  After reaching the parking area, we had to walk, of course, to the bottom of the viewing area, but that wasn't the end of it.
In spite of the cold, in spite of the 200 steps to go up and down and up and down again, I had a  blast. The seating areas were situated so that we could see the last turn and jump as the skiers came down the hill.

 The toilets and food are at the bottom of the stairs and the viewing area at the top.  There are always outrageous fans, this one an Aussie. We had some New Zealanders behind us too.