The 'No Fun City' Mythology

Last night, my wife and I decided to venture downtown to share in some Olympic excitement. The Canadian women's hockey team was awarded the gold medal earlier in the evening, and moments before we arrived on Robson Street, Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette won Canada's 17th medal.

We arrived at 9:30 just as the nightly laser, light and fireworks show began. We would have been on time, but stopped to watch a great Rockabilly band entertain about 500 people gathered in the middle of Robson Street. There were so many people trying to cross Hornby Street to reach the Vancouver Art Gallery - Robson Square area, the police and traffic control officers were forced to hold the crowds back. While a few impatient folks snuck through while the police were otherwise occupied with traffic, there was no bolting en masse to join the cheering throng. True to our sensible Canadian manners, we all waited until it was deemed safe. Besides, the extra 1/2 block really made no difference since the lasers and fireworks were projected high above the street.

Every night (and day) since the Olympic games began, the massive, exuberant, and in more than a few cases, alcohol-fueled crowds in downtown Vancouver have clearly demonstrated that Vancouver is very capable of offering and embracing large doses of good, clean fun. I saw no fights, I was deafened by enthusiastic cheers, and I was impressed by the collective, tacet understanding that this is Vancouver's moment to shine. We all know it, we all embrace it and best of all, we share it with each other and our city's guests. Sandra and I had a great time. To use a word that until recently was mutually exclusive when combined with 'Vancouver', it was fun! That may come as a surprise to some.

For years, Vancouver had been labeled as a No Fun City. The label, unfortunately, was/is not without some merit. As a musician who has played live in Vancouver for almost two decades, I have witnessed too many great venues being swapped for what is now a plague of generic nightclubs. Vancouver's liquor laws and license restrictions date from prohibition (or perhaps the Spanish Inquisition) and city hall seems very reluctant to change them. Even residents, who knowingly move into neighbourhoods with nightclubs then have the nerve to complain about them, form part of the problem. Then there's the fear of unruly crowds and attendant infantile behaviour, which is certainly not limited to any one city and is usually caused by a select few Neanderthals. This, in combination with the perceived difficulty in getting large groups of people to behave, is utter nonsense. Sure I remember the Stanley Cup riots in 1994; again, slack-jawed bozos ruled Vancouver's streets back then, but poor policing was by far the riot's most combustible constituent. This time around and faced with seemingly insurmountable crowd control issues, the police have been terrific (and, it must be stated, really tolerant considering Vancouver's well known reputation for, um, botany). And in triumphant defiance of the No Fun label, the crowds have been welcoming, full of fervid Canadian pride, and are obviously thrilled to be living in the moment. Vancouver's moment. Canada's moment. The World's moment. Fun, myth-busting times, to be sure.

As evidenced throughout the Olympics, Vancouver has shown the world and perhaps most importantly ourselves that even when we gather by the tens of thousands, we are very capable of well mannered, if not impassioned, behaviour. We can have fun and lots of it. We can gather in huge numbers and celebrate victories as well as losses. We can welcome the world's media, athletes and travellers and show them that, yes, contrary to rumour, you can find endless opportunities for enjoyment in Vancouver. I've heard and even echoed the sentiment that if the citizens of the Lower Mainland, especially Vancouver, are to build upon our reputation as a world-class destination, we will need to adopt the civic mindset of cities like New York, Prague, Copenhagen or San Francisco. Given the wonderful and truly unforgettable experience that Vancouver 2010 has provided thus far, I say: mission accomplished. Let the games continue.

Share the Podium

I was dismayed to learn recently that many of our American media colleagues, including some athletes, took to mocking not only Canada's "Own the Podium" initiative, but our claim to hockey supremacy after the loss to Ryan Miller and Team USA on Sunday. I like friendly competition as much as the next person but maligning Canada's attempt to win more medals than in previous games, not to mention insulting Team Canada's performance is unjust and, in my opinion, bad PR for the USA. Much worse PR, say, than an American snowboarding medalist, caught with his medal (hanging at crotch level) being kissed by a 'fan', then summarily dispatched from Vancouver to his rural home in New Hampshire. The first is arrogance, the other just immature. Wait - both are immature. Only the snowboarder is punished.

Having covered the British press' misinterpretation of OTP in my last blog, I do not wish to beat this story to death. Yet how can we expect other nations to refrain from such poorly considered outbursts when our own Olympic Committee are even more inconsiderate. Their negativity about OTP and therefore the performance of Canadian athletes at these Olympic Games is a PR nightmare. It seems the Communications and Public Affairs staff at the Canadian Olympic Committee forgot to fully apprise CEO Chris Rudge about OTP, the true meaning of sportsmanship, and, perhaps most of all, discretion. Imagine being a Canadian athlete and reading this: "There's going to be a lot of questions asked about Own The Podium," Rudge acknowledged. "We will eviscerate this program in every detail when we're finished. It's painful to go into the autopsy while the patient is still alive and kicking."

Eviscerate? Autopsy? Canada had never won a gold medal on home soil prior to February 12, 2010. Our athletes have now won 6. Canada won 7 medals in Calgary back in 1988. Canadian athletes have won 11, and there are plenty of events to come. By Rudge's estimation, this is tantamount to catastrophic failure. With 10 times the population of Canada, I would expect the USA to win at least 30 or 35 medals. Good for them! Same for Germany, Russia, Norway etc. These countries have always placed a premium on 'amateur ' athleticism and results; they have much larger populations and more available funding. And for once Canada has likewise stepped up in support of our athletes with the OTP program. Unfortunately, OTP was misinterpreted (by those who, I suspect, embrace nationalistic hype) as blindly patriotic, the type of tiresome bravado that makes most Canadians cringe. And so OTP became a lighting rod for insults and abuse.

Canadians and their athletes now have earned gold on home terrain and compete at a much higher level. That was the point of OTP. Losing medals to other great Olympians is not embarrassing - it is simply a part of competition on the world's stage. And now Olympians from around the world know that they can just as easily place second to a Canadian. The fulfilled promise of OTP to our athletes should be obvious to all of us. A pity Rudge missed the real meaning of this excellent, if not poorly named, initiative; as CEO of the COC, his comments have, I believe, insulted our athletes, done damage to their golden reputation, and tarnished the glory that OTP has delivered to all Canadian fans of Olympic competition.

Share the Podium would have been a better name, imo...and much more Canadian in spirit.

U.K. press slams Canada's hosting of Games

Nice. The British tabloid media, joined uncharacteristically by The Guardian, usually a bastion of responsible and non-sensationalistic journalism, are using the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili to vilify Canada and our hosting of the Olympic Winter Games. Insisting that in pursuit of Olympic excellence Canadians have abandoned our penchant for politeness, they instead project an unmistakable arrogance that, thankfully, is one nasty characteristic we did not inherit from our colonial fathers.

At face value, getting worked into a lather by this scurrilous reporting is perhaps akin to getting choked at The National Enquirer for spreading inaccurate tales of tawdry celebrity activity. But this is much more serious stuff. A man died under terrible circumstances that by many accounts were preventable; whether due to human error or flaws in design, it matters little to his family who watched it live and the millions of us who are still haunted and brokenhearted by the images we saw. And yet, Canada, The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, VANOC, and presumably all of us who support the Games are somehow held responsible for a truly awful moment in what is supposed to be - and, in reality, very much is - a wonderful experience.

This quote alone should provide the reader with the tone of the articles:

“Canada wanted to Own The Podium at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. This morning they can put their Maple Leaf stamp on something more instantly tangible: the nondescript little box carrying the lifeless body of Nodar Kumaritashvili back to his home in Bakuriani, Georgia,” wrote Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail. “Made in Canada, it should say. Made by the perversion of the Olympic movement for national gain; made by a culture of worthless aggrandizement and pride.”

Aggrandizement? Are they serious? Talk about aggrandizement. Evidently, they did not hear the cracking, emotion-wracked voices of John Furlong and Jacques Rogge when they altered their Opening Ceremony address to reflect on Nodar's death. They likewise ignored the ovation given to Nodar's teammates from Georgia as they entered BC Place Stadium, as well as the deafening and heartbreaking silence of the over 100,000 participants when they stood for a minute's reflection.

My wife and I are but 2 examples of the millions of Canadians (and Americans, Germans, Dutch, Czechs etc.) who are devastated by Nodar's death. I am certain I can speak on behalf of my fellow Canadians when I say this tragedy has affected us all immensely. No matter how many medals our athletes may win, no matter how successful our Own The Podium initiative, in truth a determined, for-once-in-our-history attempt to aim higher than ever before (is that a crime?), all events and outcomes will be viewed through the prism of Nodar's final run down the luge track. Yeah, us Canadians are a callous, shallow bunch.

The Agony of Defeat, the Thrill of Collaboration

I do not wish to appear opportunistic by referencing the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. I saw it live. I was horrified and sickened. My thoughts go out to his family, teammates and the entire Olympic community. It has certainly given all of us in Vancouver pause as we head into this once in a lifetime 17 day festival.

The anti-Olympic protesters in Vancouver this morning indeed have some legitimate grievances. And yet, in light of today's tragedy, I hope that they will see that while their plight is indeed dire (Vancouver's Downtown Eastside's issues are legion and legendary), the athlete's and supporters who come from around the world need not be used to to bolster their argument. Hopefully, funds generated from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will find their way to the needy. Perhaps more dialogue and a little less confrontation would facilitate this positive step.

Nodar died pursuing his dream. Let us all honour his memory by supporting the myriad positives the Olympics have to offer each of us.

I do not wish to appear opportunistic by referencing the tragic death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. I saw the video on YouTube before it was taken down at the request of the IOC. I was horrified and sickened. My thoughts go out to his family, teammates and the entire Olympic community. It has certainly given all of us in Vancouver pause as we head into this once in a lifetime 17 day festival.

The anti-Olympic protesters in Vancouver this morning indeed have some legitimate grievances. And yet, in light of today's tragedy, I hope that they will see that while their plight is indeed dire (Vancouver's Downtown Eastside's issues are legion and legendary), the athlete's and supporters who come from around the world need not be used to to bolster their argument. Hopefully, funds generated from the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will find their way to the needy. Perhaps more dialogue and a little less confrontation would facilitate this positive step.

Nodar died pursuing his dream. Let us all honour his memory by supporting the myriad positives the Olympics have to offer each of us.

Less than 24 hours to go...

The 2010 Winter Olympic games are finally here. Notwithstanding the whining of those individuals who insist on raining on this parade (as if there was not enough of the real stuff), The Olympics are a real feast, and not only for the athletes, coaches, supporters, the countless media, sponsors, etc. The Olympics give the host city, and country, an opportunity to welcome the world into their home. To celebrate together as one collaborative entity with the main objective (besides the medals, of course) being the best possible experience available anywhere without getting too hammered to do it all over again tomorrow. To celebrate cultural differences and banish intolerance. To share.

I was fortunate enough to have experienced the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, so I speak from experience. Quite simply the games rock. And snow or no, these games, with their live music festivals, performances, art, theatre, light shows and spectacular pavilions, will blow the world away.

So for those who have already complained that Irish House is too loud (seriously!), the lights and strobes that blast into the night sky are too bright, and that the Olympics have nothing to offer them, I say wake up and get thee a camera, a stiff beverage and a sense of community. This only comes around once, my friends. Drink it all in. You can sleep in March.