Thank you

I want to say thank you to everyone who supported my opportunity to be part of the Olympics.  It includes those that have supported my development as an alpine skiing race official and as a FIS Technical Delegate.

It also includes my youngest cheerleaders who greeted me when I got home with hugs and art and 'What did you bring us?'......and expectations that I would visit kindergarten and grade 2 classes to describe 'what my Granda did at the Olympics'.

Thanks for following & enjoying my blog. It was fun capturing my Olympic experience - with a blog..........and 2600 photos. 
If you are interested in seeing more photos, here is a link: 2018 PyeongChang Olympic pics

This 3 week adventure gave me the opportunity to get to know some people better, to meet many new people that I hope to cross paths with in the future, to cheer for Canadian athletes and to applaud impressive Olympic performances - no matter what country they represented. 

I don't think I will be along this Olympic way again any time soon but it was a blast and I look forward to sharing my learnings with race officials & organizers and TD's coming up through the system......and the kids at Olympic Heights School!

B.

2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics - the alpine cast

The Jury & supporting cast....

Chief Race Director Markus Waldner (FIS) - led the efforts of the jury....then we would agree with him. Excellent at time management especially since everyone wanted a piece of his time...

Markus used World Cup event protocols and then brought along the smaller nations to be part of the Olympic experience.  He developed race day programs that were passed along to the Chief of Race & Deputy Chief of Race for implementation. He trusted the weather forecast in order to make some major scheduling changes that would have caused some problems had it not gone the way we hoped....instead, he nailed it.

Race Director Hannes Trinkl (FIS) - Speed Events

Hannes quietly ensured that the downhill & SuperG courses were safe & fast. We see Hannes at Lake Louise annually for our events. Wears his own version of a western belt buckle.

Race Director Manu Couder - (FIS) Technical Events
Manu, our Frenchman with flair, hair and a scarf was responsible for directing tech event activities.....including an impressive team event outcome.

While Thomas, Michaela, Nobu & myself are all FIS Technical Delegates - Thomas was the named TD to the event.

Thomas Guertzler (SUI) - our most experienced Olympic veteran. 

Thomas had the full full Olympic venue access accreditation....and the keys to the car.  Thomas was on video control for several events ensuring that any DSQ's were captured quickly. Always good for ensuring that a dinner plan was in place each night.

Michaela Dorfmeister (AUT) - Olympic royalty - two time Olympic Gold medalist.

Has the lifetime access pass to Austria House. Michaela impressed everyone with her on-hill expertise and her off-hill endurance.

Nobuhiko Kanzaki  (JPN) - rounded out our TD compliment - was Finish Referee during speed events. Always on time and wearing a smile.

Nobu actually went free skiing on our days off. I learned that he regularly brings athletes to Panorama for early season training - looking forward to crossing paths with him in the future....and he made me an honorary member of the Japanese Team Event team.

Brian Lynam (CAN) - Start Referee, carrier of the bib bag & spare radios and documenter of the Olympic experience.

Mike Kertesz - Operations Manager (FIS)

Mike merged the World Cup finish area requirements with those of the IOC....as well as ensuring the IOC banners were positioned safely on the courses and that all teams had the appropriate accesses to areas on the course.  He also lugged around all of the equipment testing gear to ensure that athletes didn't risk disqualification.  Mike, from Jasper, lived across the hall from me and always had an open door policy...and travels with his own espresso machine.

Tatjana Lussy - Alpine Assistant (FIS)
World Cup administrator - managed all of the bits & pieces that were required to keep us in the loop, get us to Korea and back, got us accredited, accommodated and clothed for our Olympic stint.  

Race Administrators - kept all the wheels turning for every race (and training run) day. These ladies ensured the draw boards were accurate, generated start lists, programs and filled my bib bag each day. Situated at both Jeongseon & Yongpyong - among a million other things, they ensured the event paperwork was accurate and complete. They chased everyone down for signatures....and laughed at my jokes.

Thelma (USA) - didn't like her picture taken but did a great job of the roll call especially with ~ 70 nations competing. She did let her minions out of the race office including..Pat (USA)

and Lucy (USA) - managed the speed event race admin activities at Jeongseon.  She did get out of her dungeon on occasion.

Jaana (FIN) -  also known as Jaana 2 as the ladies events TD was also Jaana.  Jaana 2 ensured that program information was channeled from Markus back to the race office in real time.

On screen credit also goes to the consultants and advisors that made a difference and to the hundreds on the alpine workforce that built and maintained all of the courses at Jeongseon and Yongpyong. The workforce included several Lake Louise Sled Dogs who made the trip from Canada. They led air fence and start area crews and their efforts were noticed and appreciated.

B.

Snow Notes

As I look back on the trip a few anecdotal stories come to mind like....

The time Ted Ligety's coach 'borrowed' a snowmobile to get him to the start in time to race.

That our loaner phones' ringtone was the Olympic theme song - 'Let everyone shine' - it got pretty annoying after awhile.

That Ivanka Trump stayed at our Jeongseon hotel (Park Roche) after we moved over to Yongpyong.

Because of limited electrical outlets and converters, it was easier to use this space for my laptop...

That there was no real Olympic TV channel on Korean TV but you could find Olympic events on the tube - short track speedskating....or short track speedskating.

That many of the structures for the Olympics are temporary and the Olympic legacy may be just storm drain covers...

That in Canada House there was a display put up by the City of Calgary as an 'Interested City' for the 2026 Games and I actually came home with a City of Calgary pin.

That this animated Sooharang went through a 'song and dance' about every 30 seconds....all day & all night and you could hear it from our hotel rooms.....until someone went over and unplugged it.  An act worthy of a gold medal.

That our FIS suits were a bit baggy in the butt.

B.

Time to go home

It was a relaxing start to the day. We enjoyed a late breakfast knowing the day was going to be very long.

The shuttle van picked us up at noon to take us from Yongpyong to the Jinbu KTX train station.  This KTX high speed rail line was built specifically for the Olympics. It connects the Coastal Cluster and Mountain Cluster with the Incheon airport in Seoul.

Given that many events were completed, I fully expected the train to be full. I had heard that the luggage storage in each car is pretty small - so it was appreciated that each of us were booked 2 seats on the train. One for us and one for our luggage.  It turned out to be a non issue as there was only 6 people in our car.

This was one of the older versions of their bullet trains sitting in a station along the way...

Our train speed probably peaked out at ~ 130 kmh on this route and when it got close to Seoul it didn't run much faster than 60 kmh.  I had plenty of time to get to the airport.

The countryside was very similar from Jinbu until we got close to Seoul and then the city went skyward.  Blocks and blocks of apartment towers mark the city. It is obviously not the way to see a city of ~ 10 million people - by taking a train ride through it....

 

 

.....but there sure are a lot of towers.

The Incheon airport is south of Seoul so you travel by the outskirts of the city and then head back out.  From Jinbu to the airport, there wasn't a flake of snow. The train is very comfortable and quiet.

It was interesting that one of the last photos taken on my trip to the Winter Olympics was of a baseball game in Seoul.

My flights home were awesomely uneventful - direct to Vancouver and then a short hop back to Calgary. Since I gained back the day I lost at the front end of the trip, I got home to Calgary at essentially the same time as I left Korea.

B.

Team Event - race day

There was definitely a buzz in the air on Team Event race day. It was the last alpine event of the Olympics and folks could definitely 'smell the barn' as it were.

I was at the start (what a surprise) on the blue course. My job was to ensure the correct athlete was in the gate, that coaches didn’t interfere with the athlete or with the cameramen or vice versa....and to close the gate after each racer.

Michaela Dorfmeister (yes, the 2 time Olympic champion - DH & SG Gold at Torino 2006) was on the red gate.

I am clearly stronger than Michi as this was her gate closing handle.....

and this was mine...

 

They will be scratching their heads about how my handle got bent.....but that will stay an Olympic secret.

Here the ladies are ready to manage the elimination board as the event progresses...

 

The course workers, slippers, gate keepers were all ready to go...

 

The view from my blue gate.

The 'buff and shine' crew was up on top Markus' restaurant covering up the framing 30 minutes before race time.

 

Continuing the precision discussion, a course worker came by and with a tape measure and ensured the panels were all in the exact same spot on each gate.

 

Another course worker then came by and marked on the pole that spot with a Sharpee.... 

 

 

It all became very clear why all of this precision was required once the race started. 

 

The better athletes hit the gate panels with both hands knocking the gate out of the way. To the athletes, knowing the gate poles are exactly the same width apart, that the gate panels are the exact same height means they can hit them the exact same way all the way down the course.

Many are skiing 'blind' as the panels are at eye level.  With 6'7'' Ramon Zenhausern (SUI), some would say that he had a bit of an advantage as he could see over the gate panels.

 

The dye crew came through and really putting the icing on the cake.
 

 

It looked great from the start and we even had a bit of a crowd.

 

 

Each gate had a course worker responsible to ensure the gate panel was in the correct position after each run. They would all scurry out between runs, adjust the panel to the Sharpee marks and then scurry back.  It worked perfectly.

There was a brief moment to check on Markus and his restaurant staff....all good.

 

 Ten minutes before the first run - the teams have to announce the head-to-head pairings.

 

 

 

The race however did not start without a lumpy bit. If you saw the CBC coverage, there was a scramble as the first Korean athlete had the wrong bib number on. Each team of 6 is given a set of bibs with their nation marked on it and then numbered 1 - 6.  Each athlete is assigned a bib based on the team's entry. The mistake wasn't noticed until the athletes came into the start chute - my start chute. Hence the scramble to get it swapped. Unfortunately, when you are supposed to start at 11:00:00 am for TV, the delay caused the event to start at 11:02:00 am. A serious fail for any good race organizer.

Time flew as the event progressed. Canada was eliminated by France in the first round and the start area crowds got smaller as teams were eliminated but the intensity level continued to grow as teams advanced.

The final had Austria vs Switzerland.  The Swiss bear or rutting elk - not sure what it was that Ramon Zenhausern was channeling but it worked again as the Swiss Team prevailed over Austria.

And just like that, the Team Event was over. Teardown in these situations don't take long as the hill is stripped of all equipment.

Here the Swiss coaches celebrate their team's victory...

The Venue Ceremony podium - Gold - Switzerland, Austria - Silver and Norway - Bronze

 

Well deserved - the workforce also posed for their own photos at the finish line.

 

I came across fellow Sled Dogs who were able to enjoy the event as some of the crews weren't needed on the hill. 

This shirt was unveiled after we got back to the IF Lounge. 

 

 

The photo below may go down as the 'official' event photograph.  Both the ladies & men's juries and FIS staff were at the Team Event. This was likely the only time we were ever in one room together.  Most folks are looking pretty relaxed. They deserve to be.

 

 

Interestingly, a snowboard event was on the monitor beside me when the photo was taken and everyone was interested to see if Ester Ledecka (CZE) would make Olympic history and win gold in 2 different sports - winning the alpine SuperG and win the parallel GS in snowboard.  She did.

 

While this was the conclusion of the Olympics for alpine events and many of us will be heading home, the World Cup season is not over. The FIS race directors had already shifted gears as Markus, Manu & Mike were heading to Kranjska Gora in Slovenia for the Men's GS & SL and Atle, Pilou and Andi were off to Crans-Montana in Switzerland for the Ladies SG & Alpine Combined.

 

After this, all Winter Olympic eyes turn to 2022 in Bejing.  Bernhard Russi was flying there the next day to continue his discussions for their events. As he did at Sochi and here in PyeongChang, he is designing their alpine courses. The PyeongChang Olympic chapter has been written but the first draft of the Bejing chapter is well underway.

 

So how did we celebrate?

It was a pretty mellow post-event celebration.  We were all a bit fried - also everyone needed to pack, return loaner cell phones & loaner skis (and return a few loaner cars) and to confirm next day travel plans.  Except for Nobu, who was traveling back to Japan - we all had long flights from Seoul.  For dinner, six of us skipped the meal plan restaurant and all ordered the Burger Set at the Gelande Pub in the gondola base building.

 

 

O ya.....and we enjoyed 4 pitchers of beer.

 

Cheers!

B.