btvancouver

Happy Monday!

The Paralympics are now underway in Vancouver and Whistler! And while the “buzz” isn’t nearly as intense as it was during the Olympics, it’s still great to see these amazing stories of personal triumph from all the athletes.

I was doing some shopping on Saturday morning in downtown Vancouver and took a walk through Robson Square. It was so much quieter compared to those two weeks in February, where Robson Square was a sea of people. There are still plenty of things to do downtown to get yourself into the “Paralympic Spirit.” The Zip Line is back up and running. The Mint has a display of the Paralympic Medals (which you can see at the downtown Vancouver Library). The cauldron has been re-lit. And there’s plenty of entertainment throughout the downtown core.

Keep your “Team Canada” gear handy this week. — as you’ve only got a few remaining days to take in what’s left of the Olympic/Paralympic Celebrations. By this time next week, they’ll both be nothing more than memories. So make sure you soak it all in — before it’s too late!

K

Where were you when Canada won the gold medal in men’s hockey on Sunday February 28th? Riaz and I chatted about “the moment” this morning on Breakfast Television.

I was watching the game at a friend’s house in Yaletown — right by the Live City Yaletown crowd. And hearing the city go nuts once Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal — is something I will never forget.

Check out this video which captures the moment Vancouver broke out into celebration. Someone set up a camera along False Creek. And what you hear — is amazing!

K

OK. So the Olympics are done. And life is slowly returning to normal for me and thousands of other people across Metro Vancouver.

Everyone is beat. While the Olympics were an amazing experience for us in the city, I think many people (especially us at BT) are a little on the tired side. Very long days spent covering all the events. Then we all had a few (or more) late nights thrown into the mix, so we could experience the vibe of Vancouver and Whistler.

Being away from my home for the duration of the Olympics, meant I ended up eating out quite at bit in Whistler. I experienced some great restaurants (those huge cookies from Moguls and that poutine from Zog’s are both to die for!). So today, I headed back to the gym.

Now, I’ve never been much of a “fitness” person. I don’t enjoy going to the gym. In fact — I usually dread it (especially when I have to wake up at 4am). But this year, I swear…I’m going to really try to get into a regular routine when it comes to going to the gym. And look…I’m even going on the record! Uh oh. This could kick me in the ‘you-know-what’ in a couple of months.

But for now…day one…done.

K

It’s an Olympic-first!

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler — are the very first games to have a Pride House catered towards gays and lesbians who are taking part in the Olympics and watching the competitions, too.

While there aren’t any specific numbers on gays and lesbians competing in Vancouver and Whistler — there are many of them. But not all of them are publicly “out” with their sexuality. And that could be for a number of reasons. They’re not ready to take that step. They fear it could potentially damange their chances in judged competitions. They fear rejection from their colleagues. And in many countries taking part in the 2010 Olympics, homosexuality is outlawed.

The Pride House is a venue for everyone to feel welcomed and accepted at the Olympics. And it’s been a very popular venue in Whistler. It’s going to stay up and running in both Vancouver and Whistler until after the Paralympics end on March 21st. Then there are plans to continue this legacy at future Olympics — like in London in 2012. For more information on the Pride House — visit this website.

I had a chance to talk with Mark Tewksbury the other day. He is most famous for winning the Gold Medal for Team Canada back in 1992 at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. But when Mark was competing — he was holding back a very deep secret. Mark is gay. And he didn’t tell anyone for fears it would affect his chances at owning the podium. Mark went public with his sexuality in 1998. And is a huge advocate for gays and lesbians competing in sports. We ran some of my interview with Mark this morning on Breakfast Television — and also showed you the Whistler Pride House. Take a look at one of my live segments from this morning.

I’m off to Vancouver for a couple of days. But will be live once again in Whistler on Monday morning — as we look back at the Closing Ceremonies. And look ahead to what’s next for this community.

Have a great weekend! And enjoy what’s left of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler!

K

I just had the pleasure of meeting Canadian Olympic Medalist Mark Tewksbury. Mark won the gold medal in men’s swimming back at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992. And he’s in Whistler to promote the very first Olympic Pride House.

Mark is openly gay. And a huge advocate for equal rights for all athletes competing in professional sports.

Friday on Breakfast Television, you’ll hear what Mark has to say about the challenges of being gay in professional sports. And we’ll show you the Whistler Pride House.

K

Team Canada has FINALLY won a medal up here in Whistler. And it was worth the wait! GOLD for Manitoba’s Jon Montgomery on Friday night in the Men’s Skeleton. What an amazing accomplishment! He is the talk of the town up here in Whistler. I was out with some friends on Friday night and the buzz in the Village following Montgomery’s win was incredible!

He was asked to describe what it’s like to do the Skeleton. And Jon’s response was “Get in your car. Get up to 140 km/hr. Open the door. And stick your face within an inch of the ground.” Okay. Good enough for me!

I was out for dinner with friends in the VIllage on Saturday night — and we managed to catch Montgomery’s gold medal ceremony. It was awesome. The Village came to a standstill with everyone watching every television monitor available. And all of us burst out together — singing O’Canada at the top of our lungs — with lots of cheers and applause. It was an awesome feeling. And something we haven’t experienced in Whistler until now.

The weather has been totally amazing for the last week. I went to the top of Whistler on Friday afternoon and took the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for my very first time. The views are breathtaking. Definitely something to do when you come up to Whistler — in the winter or summer.

Like many of you — I’ll be watching Canada vs the USA this afternoon. GO CANADA GO!

See you on Breakfast Television tomorrow morning — live from Whistler Village!

K

Hard to believe the first full week of competition is drawing to an end with the Winter Olympics! It feels like we’re just getting started!

Still no medals to report for Team Canada up here in Whistler. And hopefully that changes today.

The next few days will be very interesting up here. Things should get extremely busy because of the FANTASTIC weather we’re expecting. VERY mild conditions with PLENTY of sunshine. You should come check it out up here for the day if you’ve got the time! But leave your car at home. Visit ridebooker.com for some great deals on getting between Vancouver and Whistler — and even some discounts on lift tickets, too!

I was busy doing BT live from Skiers Plaza this morning. We showed you the really cool Fire & Ice show they have up here every single night — and previewed this weekend’s great entertainment! Plus I did a live interview with BT in Calgary and chatted about the first full week of the Olympics. Check out one of my segments!

Have a great weekend!
K

Day six and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a medal up in Whistler today — with the women’s downhill set to happen this morning. And conditions couldn’t be more beautiful. Nothing but blue skies, sunshine, and mild temperatures in Whistler! Gorgeous!

Whistler is busy. But not nearly as busy as I (and many others) had expected. Call it, “Olympic Aversion” with people avoiding this area during the Olympics. It’s pretty common and has happened in other cities which have hosted the Games. But if you’re interested in coming up for the day to check things out or even do some skiing, there are plenty of great deals to be had! We chatted about some of those options this morning on Breakfast Television. Check out one of my live segments from this morning in Skiers Plaza.

Tonight will be VERY busy in Whistler Village. Barenaked Ladies is doing a free concert. And Our Lady Peace will perform at the Victory Ceremony tonight. Let’s hope for a little Canadian Gold to dazzle the podium!

See you tomorrow morning!

K

Happy Tuesday from Whistler! I’ve been up here for a week, now. And it finally snowed in the Village overnight! But the snow caused some problems with the Alpine course in the Creekside area. And officials had to postpone today’s scheduled runs. The weather has also caused delays down at Cypress Mountain.

But the weather is going to be FANTASTIC over the next few days with sunshine expected for both Whistler and Metro Vancouver. But very mild temperatures. So it will be interesting to see how that impacts the outdoor events. Hopefully it doesn’t make our already tough snow situation, even tougher!

A friend and I hopped in the car and drove down to Vancouver yesterday afternoon to get a little “Vancouver vibe” into our systems. And I was really surprised with how QUIET the Sea to Sky Highway was. Absolutely NO delays in either direction. And the security checkpoint just north of Squamish — was a ghost town.

Here’s a look at one of my live hits from this morning’s Breakfast Television. I was doing BT from the Village Stroll and we looked at how businesses are doing with the Olympics in Whistler.

Today we’re working on finding you cheap and easy ways to get you up to Whistler during the Olympics. You’ll see that tomorrow on BT!

Have a good day!
K

Hello from Whistler!

This community has really picked up over the last couple of days.  The village is MUCH busier and people are starting to get into the Olympic spirit!

I caught up with Olympic Gold Medalist Ross Rebagliati this morning in Skiers Plaza.  He’s a great guy.  We chatted about everything from his views on the weather situation and how that could impact athletes, to the tragedy at the Sliding Centre on Friday morning, to how he found traffic on the Sea to Sky Highway coming up from Vancouver.  Tune in to Breakfast Television tomorrow morning to see some of my interview with Ross!

Have a great day!
K