This blog began as a way to record my musings about preparations and travels to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada February 16-27, 2010. From that amazing experience came this ongoing story of becoming a sports fan. You can follow my tales of awe, agony, and all the emotions in between as well as view pics from seasons of Phillies baseball. Along the way is a little Eagles football thrown in for fun, and even some astronomy and weather related tales. I feel lucky to have witnessed some historic games, some heartbreaking losses, but all wonderful when told from this new fan's point of view.

Blog Archives postings:
Dec 2009-Feb 2010
Olympics
March 2010-Dec 2011
Baseball and more
2011 The Phillies do again, winning the Eastern Championship for the 5th straight year.
April 2012-Sept 27 2012 Not the best season for the Phillies
2013-We wait and see!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Won't see skiing

I was supposed to see Ski cross on Feb 23, but a last look at email for the night shows this in my box:

Important: Standing Room Tickets for Cypress
We are disappointed to inform you that heavy warm rains have made the general admission standing room area at the Cypress Mountain snowboard stadium unsafe for spectators. As a result, account holders who purchased general admission standing room tickets for the sessions below will have their event tickets and Olympic bus network tickets cancelled and their money refunded.

So, I rushed online to see that there were still some tickets to see the women's (I just can't write ladies') short program on Tuesday. The seats are somewhere up in the stratosphere, but hey that's what binoculars are for.

(pic) More on the prosaics of travel On the plane in Philadelphia and a race to the next gate

Only 1 1/2 hours late in Philly, the plane finally gets on its way. But wait, now we have to go through a de-icing station. A man sits in a box atop a crane and gives the airplane wings a shower of chemicals. I feel somewhat safer.

A beautiful view from the plane of snow and hills.We arrive in Atlanta at 3:10 and my connecting flight is at 3:35. I'm standing in the back of the plane and want to shout, "If you don't have to catch another plane right now SIT DOWN"
Or wishing the flight attendants would do that.
Instead, I watch the snow motion ballet of bags tumbling down from the overhead compartment (how often do you get to write the words overhead compartment)
AS soon as the path is cleared, I run through an obstacle course of crowds, carts, baggage, literally pushing people out of the way on escalators (doesn't anyone know that you should stand on the right side if you are not walking down the escalator).
Out of breath, but on time, a good sign. At the gate everyone is still waiting at the gate. Wouldn't you know it, the plane was delayed and left 45 minutes later!

In that 45 minutes I talked with a high school student who had just competed in the Junior Fencing Olympics in Memphis, a women whose daughter is thinking about becoming an ESL teacher, and a lovely Atlanta native.
Arrived in Seattle safe and sound only 6 hours later than originally planned, but just in time to go to my friends home to watch the snow cross wipeouts and the men's short program.