We have been very fortunate to have been given permission from one Airdrie resident to share her amazing experience as a volunteer at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Over the next few days, we'll be posting Heather's updates as they come in.
Visit often and follow Heather's "Experience of a Lifetime" right here!
Introducing Heather - In Her Own Words
My name is Heather Keller, I am 52 years old and I have a husband and 5 children. 2 teenagers still live with us but we are coming to the time in our life when we will soon not have any kids left living at home. That day scares me. I have been trying to ease myself into it for a few years and that is how it came to be that I am a volunteer at the 2010 Olympics.
About 2 years ago, I saw a commercial on TV asking for volunteers for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. I thought it sounded like a great thing to do and while not telling any of my family, I applied. The process took about a year and a half before I was offered a volunteer position as a Net Crew member at Cypress Mountain. I was not exactly sure what a net crew did but I did have a pretty good idea. I knew it was going to be hard work and long hours but I was also ready for the experience of a lifetime. I was ready for some time for me! I packed my suitcase, left my family behind and have moved in with my 25 year old neice in Burnaby for close to a month.
That's where I am right now. 1/2 way through the experience of my life!
About 2 years ago, I saw a commercial on TV asking for volunteers for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. I thought it sounded like a great thing to do and while not telling any of my family, I applied. The process took about a year and a half before I was offered a volunteer position as a Net Crew member at Cypress Mountain. I was not exactly sure what a net crew did but I did have a pretty good idea. I knew it was going to be hard work and long hours but I was also ready for the experience of a lifetime. I was ready for some time for me! I packed my suitcase, left my family behind and have moved in with my 25 year old neice in Burnaby for close to a month.
That's where I am right now. 1/2 way through the experience of my life!
The Adventure So Far...
February 12, 2010
I am 3 days into my adventure and my feet hurt. They are really tired of being wet and soggy in snowboard boots for 8 hours a day. I have worked 3 shifts and have tomorrow off. Thank goodness, although Lindsay thinks that I am going to do the zipline on Robson Street downtown Vancouver with her on tomorrow.
Have I mentioned yet, that it has rained just about everyday I have been here and I will take -20 any day to rain everyday? People just look at me very strangely here when I say that.
My first shift started on Wednesday morning at 8:30 which means I needed to be on the bus by 6:45. The buses are very nice new coaches from Idaho and California and the drivers are on their own adventure driving up and down the windy switch back road to Cypress and back many times a day. It snowed for most of Wednesday but it is a wet snow so needless to say we got wet, but only on the outside. The nice turquoise blue uniform is very waterproof. The helicopters were flying as long as they could bringing in snow and as the big one flies over it blows down the fences, banners and even flattens the moguls so everyone finds themselves doing jobs 2, 3 and even 4 times over again. It's very frustrating and time consuming. Then the bosses from the skiing federations come along to do a run through and they may make you do things over again as well.
Thursday started at 8:30 as well and it was raining. I will not say pouring as I am assured that I have seen mist, drizzle and even rain but have not encountered pouring rain yet. Oh boy, can't wait for that one!!! They issued us a rain poncho which was slightly thicker than a dry cleaning bag and these were to be multi-use items. Needless to say most of them did not last the day. Our crew leader came up with a pair of rubberized lined gloves for each of us and that was about all that would keep our hands warm and dry. They just happened to be Men's XL so I had about 1- 1/2 inches extra at the end of each warm and dry finger. We spent a lot of time on Thursday standing around in the rain while the higher ups tried to decide what to do with all the soft mushy snow.
This morning our shift started at 6 am so that meant we were on the bus by 5:10. It is about a 20 minute drive from Lindsay's (my Niece) to the bus stop. There are some people driving an hour or more so I got off very lucky. It's about 4 turns and I am there. We all have very impressive security tags that are scanned every morning with the RCMP present. You may then be asked to place your bags and the contents of your pockets into a plastic tub and it is x-rayed just like at the airport
We then need to go check in, get a sticker on your work card, a bag lunch coupon and a bottle of water. If you do not get your lunch coupon for whatever reason, you need to do the 10 minute walk back to pick it up. Have I mentioned that it is a 20 minute walk from where they drop you off from the bus to the day lodge. It's a very long walk on the way to the bus at the end of a wet and soggy day. I missed the bus yesterday by 1 person. The guy in front of me got the last seat so we had to had to wait an hour for the next one. People get really grouchy when they are wet, soggy and tired and then are told the next bus is not coming for an hour. ( It was not me!) They brought another bus up front to let us get out of the rain while we waited but the driver could not run his bus to give us heat as these are the :Green Olympics" so we were all colder sitting on that bus than we had been all day on the hill being rained on.
Have I said yet that this is amazing and I am loving it! It is hard work and I am tired but it is awesome!!!!! I do hate rain!! Have I mentioned that??
We have put up "B" fence, and "C" fence. We have taken down "B' fence and "C" fence and moved it over a foot or 2 and then put it back up. I have walked down most of Cypress Mtn. and about 1/2 way back up I am sure. We have slid own steep icy pitches on our butts and put up fence along a 2 foot ledge with a 15 foot drop behind us. I came here for an adventure and that is what I am getting. Thanks goodness for that daily workout for 4 years. I am going to hopefully be at least 10 pounds lighter and in way better shape by the time I get back.
Today started out with a gorgeous sunrise and things looked promising. We were on the chair lift by 6:40 and I must admit that I have never been on a chair lift in the morning in the dark. It was unusual. The fog then rolled in, the wind started blowing and that was the way the day went. It did start to snow finally. The weather at Cypress is even more weird and extreme than Calgarys with the chinooks. We reinstalled a bunch of fence today that had blown down overnight and did get a lot accomplished. You never know for sure if you are going to get a lunch break so you take you lunch along and eat it when you can. Today that was behind a TV platform while hiding from the wind watching some of the test runs. Some of the teams came today to start testing the boarder cross course so we got to see some of them doing that. Canada, France and the US were there. It's pretty cool to watch them and they are really good and slightly crazy. I am sure there will be more tomorrow and on Sunday. I do believe they race on Monday
I have been told that the view from Cypress is amazing and that you can watch the ships come in on the ocean, that you can see islands out in the waters and the city of Vancouver. I have yet to see that and an waiting everyday to see if this will be the day. Sooner or later I am hoping.
I am watching the opening ceremonies on TV and they are about to light the cauldron. I have not even cried yet. I had better go!
LOVE HEATHER
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