My view of the win from Robson Square…a perfect close to an amazing Winter Olympic Games for me.

The BC Media Centre hosts a lot of press conferences. One highlight of many of them is long time Vancouver favorite, Nardwuar the Human Serviette asking questions of various people on stage.

First he asked Governor Arnold Swartzenegger about his previous vinyl efforts:

then today, he asked Canadian Ice Dance Gold Medalists Scott Moir & Tessa Virture about Scott’s previous aspirations of becoming a SWAT team leader:

(make sure you watch til the end to hear Tessa finish Nardwuar’s famous jingle)

He even stopped in when the Stanley Cup was here to find his great uncle’s name who won the cup with Chicago in 1961:

Thanks for being awesome, Nardwuar!

(this post originally appeared on 2010.johnbiehler.com)

Amazing first week at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. Here’s some of the Highlights of my first week at 2010 Olympics…

Watching the Olympic flame Downtown… Hours before the Opening Ceremony. It was amazing to see the flame change hands as it was zig zagging through the streets of our host city on its last day (Day 106 of a 40,000 Kms).

A few hours later Wayne Gretzky will be the last torch barer, completing the journey riding in the back of a pickup, in the rain, to light the Cauldron…

Visiting the various hospitality houses:

• Holland Heineken House – The Holland is located at the Richmond OZone – (Minoru Park) and is within walking distance of the Richmon Oval, the long track speed skating venue. I had the opportunity to go there a few nights this week; I saw and met Sven when we celebrate him breaking the OR and winning a Gold Medal – Speed Skating, Men 5000m.  The music and Dj are great entertainment, the beer flow freely @ $4.50 for a 8 once glass, it falls in line with other Olympic prices. Overall I would say, a great venue to enjoy an evening. Note that the House is Close to “NON Dutch Passport Holder” on days when Holland wins a Gold Medal. Expect Long line up…
• Irish House - I was at their opening night, and as much as the space is fun, I didn’t find my space here. It feels like an extension of the Doolin’s Irish Pub, a large tent venue with comfortable seating, decent sounds and average cover bands. The beer is on the expensive side <$8, the entrance fee uncalled for! Seriously… The Irish House has received many noise complaints since it is open late. Expect long line up.
• German House. Great food, tasty beers, friendly Germans and a good spot to watch a game or just hang with friends. You can buy tasty sausages and other German grilled food. Expect Long line up…
• Sochi World – If you like the Olympics and are a fan, I would strongly recommend doing the trip to the Rusky World. Science World has been converted into a demo centre for the next Winter Games in Russia. The Second floor feature the sponsors, a great place to watch hockey, and an Info Centre for the Upcoming Olympic University. Expect very long line up. A must see IMO.
• Atlantic House - Possibly  one of the best place to spend an afternoon while learning about eastern Canada and enjoying tasty food, great beers,Screech (NF Rum). I hung out with friends and found the venue (Backstage Lounge on Granville Island) to be a great reflection of Atlantic Canada. Line up was not that bad on the day we visited the house.
• Switzerland House – I had the pleasure to go to their opening night and for the Canada vs Switzerland Man Hockey game. The food is tasty as you would expect; you can choose between Fondue, Sausage, cold cut plate and various other dishes. The bar is a good venue to enjoy a game. Expect a line up.
• La Maison Du Quebec - I went to La Maison Du Quebec on Quebec day and enjoyed a tall beer, some great music in a large open venue. I would say that overall this is a great location to enjoy a band, taste great bieres Quebecoise and spend a great evening. Line up varies, but they tend to move fast.
• HBC – Pin Trading Center – No Olympics would be complete without trading a few pins. Coca Cola and HBC have partnered up and there is a Pin trading centre at the downtown HBC olympic store. They have daily events, and you can find pro and amateur pin traders networking there throughout the day. A must see spot for anyone interested in Pin Trading or anyone who would like to know more about this unofficial Olympic sport.
• Molson Canadian Hockey House - Molson have been extremely generous to us and granted us access to the venue before the public opening and for a few games. Overall this is by far the best place to watch a hockey game. The fan zone passes are not cheap but if you factor in that this is a all day pass, which include food and “in and out” privilege and the bar serves more than just Molson Canadian. Although why would you want to drink anything else? No Lineup, lots of space, the entertainment is not conducted by your traditional PG 13 host Overall a must do experience for any Hockey Fan
• Club Bud – Burton Event – One of the most exclusive party of the 2010 games, the Club Bud party series will feature 5 different night co-sponsored with another outfit. This week Club Bud (Ustream channel for the red carpet) was hosting the Burton and NHL parties. I attended the Burton party. We got to share space with Karl Lewis, the USA Snowboarding team, talented snowboard artists and various Celebrities.. By Invitation only

Exploring the CODE

• CODE 1 – We attended the Opening Night and enjoyed the various instalations. See our posts on CODE 1 for more information.

• CODE 2 – Located at Emily Carr University on Vancouver Island, code two has a few instalation worth seeing. I would recommend taking the time to listen or watch all the media loops..Worth the time, no line up, and a fun thing to do while on Granville Island.

• Code 3 – Located on the lower level of the Downtown Vancouver Public Library – CODE 3 has a fun interactive air canon that shoot up airplane message with beacon light. A fun thing to do with the kids. Expect a line up but fun and creative.

John’s CODE Pictures &   KK’s CODE Pictures

Attending Sporting events

• Speed Skating – Attending an event where you get to witness an Olympic Record is something memorable. I really enjoyed the Richmond Oval. A bit out of the way, but a great legacy venue for after the Olympics.
• Hockey Game – USA vs NOR – The US team won in this amazing game. We scored great seats in the first round of tickets allocation and this was a great game to check out.

Nightly Victory Ceremonies and Themed Days

• Quebec Day – Alex’s Golden Moment - Music and Quebec Talent followed by the Victory Celebration for Canada’s 1st Gold on Canadian soil in 3 Olympics.. Overall I would say that at >$30 the nightly Victory Ceremonies are a good value for the family. Sadly the scalpers are selling tickets at criminal rates..
• PEI Day – Sean White get’s the Gold – Unfortunately we arrived late for the first part entertainment. But we witness Shaun White receiving his Gold Medal. Hedley was the headliner that night.

TNMH and other Events

• Hanging at the BCMC – The Robson Square Media Centre has become a central basecamp for us over the past week; it is a great venue to meet other media outlets, reporters and celebrities. This week we got to meet Canada’s Golden Boy; Alex Bilodeau, Ex-Terminator now Governor Arnold Swartzenergger, taste wine from various regions. Hug the Stanley Cup and get great support to create content for this blog…

• TNMH – Alternative Media Group founded to serve a missing need. Photowalk to the Olympic Cauldron – We held a #TNMH photowalk from the German House to Robson Square via the Olympic Cauldron;  we had a bit more than a dozen photographer come to the ad-hoc event and we where lucky to have a great sunny day for us to explore the Streets of Vancouver.

• Zip Line over Robson Square – By far the most fun I had in my first week, riding Zip Trek’s Zip Line over Robson Square was the highlight free activity of the 2010 Winter Game.

Zip Trek over Robert Square with @mariskar

Final notes; Despite the terrible rain on the opening ceremony night, we had amazing weather this week. I have never seen so many happy people people in vancouver> the streets a.re filled with helping volunteers and fans from over 90 nations.

No fun city? Not anymore, the police and security force has done a great job with crowd control in face of the massive all night street parties.

Overall it was an amazing first week at the 2010 Winter Games.

Bonus: Check out the great 3D view of the venues..

Intrepid Olympic Documentation – Olympic Outsider #15

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Over the past 8 years since attending 2002 Olympic Winter Games in SLC, I’ve spoke to groups at colleges, bars and conferences about the difference between seeing the Olympics on TV and “on the ground.” My examples most always include the first-ever Nepali Winter Olympian (a x-country skiier) and the passion of the Latvian hockey fans as sources of inspiration for my documentation.

Despite the small population and history of totalitarian Soviet control, Latvians ice a team good enough to play in the A Pool but not necessarily good enough to win the big prize. However, you can’t tell them that as any Latvian truly believes their team is as mighty as the rest.

This belief comes from a long history of performing with heart and vigor although often in the Soviet system and/or on Dynamo Riga club team which is filled with Latvians.

The proudest moment for the Latvian Men’s Hockey Team was when they defeated the Russians in 2000 – in St. Petersburg, Russia – at the World Championships led by (former Vancouver Canucks) goaltender Arturs Irbe.

While speaking at Capilano University about the Olympics, I met a Lativan student named Reinis Spaile who posted my enthusiasm on a Latvian social networking website which produced a throng of Latvian fans following along with my Olympic punditry including my “People’s History” manifesto.

My pal Chris Breikss is of Latvian heritage and we’ve spoke of the unique nature of these fans from the Baltic country. He’s rallied the enthusiasm from the Latvian community into a Latvian Fan Unite Facebook group and began rallying meetups and events to both welcome visitors and explore his own Latvian ancestry (personally i am happy to provide a wee bit of inspiration as i think this internationalizing is the best part of the Olympics).

As it turns out, Chris’ Latvian story is stunning – a real life Dr. Zhivago story of sorts including poets, gulags and love.

As explained in Vancouver Sun article by Gerry Bellett: “Tragic tale prompts Canadian to fly Latvian flag – Chris Breikss’s grandfather was a famous Latvian poet and patriot who starved to death in a Siberian gulag after being arrested in 1941″

The tale involves his grandfather, Leonids Breikss, a famous Latvian poet and patriot who was arrested in 1941 when the Soviet army invaded Latvia.

He was sent to a Siberian gulag, never to be seen again by his family, and died within a year of starvation.

“He was taken because he spoke against the occupation and talked of peace and love for his fatherland,” Breikss said.

Leonids’ wife, who is still alive and lives in Toronto, was pregnant at the time with a son — Chris’s dad, Peter, who would never see his father — and the pair eventually made their way to Canada at the end of the Second World War.

“She’s 91 and still remembers the day they came and took him away from her,” he said.

To honour his grandfather, Chris Breikss has become an unofficial Latvian Olympic team cheerleader. Photograph by: Ian Lindsay, PNG, Vancouver Sun

Chris’ fellowship with the Latvians also included a meet and greet with the President and Prime Minister who visited Vancouver to support their team as evidenced in a video clip from the event: President of Latvia Meets with Vancouver Latvians: The President of Latvia, Valdis Zatlers, met with Vancouver Latvians at the University Golf Club at UBC. Later on this day the Latvian Hockey Team takes on Russia in their first game of the 2010 Olympics.

And finally, while at the men’s hockey game vs. Russia, Chris interviewed two Latvian fans with a compelling story with unfinished research, ergo:

According to Martins and Filips Andersons, the flag that they were wearing at the first Latvian hockey game of the 2010 Olympics was from 1917-1918. This was a time when Latvia was first becoming a country in the 1st World War. Could we have had one of the first Latvian flags in hand? It appears so. More details wanted…

An Original Latvian Flag

Now, how do I get my hands on English translations of the collected works of Leonids Breikss?

Hockey talk from the Winter Club – Olympic Outsider #14

{note: Originally appeared in Vancouver Observer as Creating the People’s History of 2010: Accredit Yourself and Start Reporting, Partying, and Schmoozing with the World}

“You know it’s gonna get stranger, so let’s get on with the show” Shakedown Street, Grateful Dead

Ours to Document

How are you spending your Olympics? No matter how you roll, whether you plan to celebrate, protest, or observe, my admonition is to document the people’s history about how the Olympics interacts with our communities like historian Howard Zinn would advise. Perhaps you’re skipping out of school to see some events or explore Vancouver’s hidden gems? Good. Recluse J.D. Salinger woulda wanted you to, but wouldn’t let you know it.

Indeed, the frustrations many feel about the Games is because the VANOC doesn’t represent “us” the way we see ourselves and we want the world to see our communities the way the really are. Not the fabricated, sanitized version TV will spew to the world. Alas, most any sense of excitement is overshadowed by the broken promises, funding overruns, security boondoggles and twisted public priorities. However, the Games are coming soon.

And if we don’t tell the stories from the street, who will?

Accredit Yourself

My personal objectives are:a) story making; b) internationalizing; c) good times.

In other words, I’ll be seeking stories about lesser known athletes, civic conundrums, and festive adventures and inviting other social story tellers along for my forays and finding the best hospitality along the way.

Wanna do the same?

Declare your intentions with a self-accreditation badge and share something you enjoy. Lead a walking tour of Chinatown, the old Expo grounds or your own neighbourhood. Maybe host a pub meet-up for Latvian hockey fans, or show up for a blogger tour of the Police Museum. Rally a field trip to Surrey or Richmond for celebrations and cultural exchange with the rest of the outsiders. I’m envisioning a moveable feast of ad hoc events led by anyone, attended by anyone, no signup. Go with the flow, share your skills and content using web tools.

I plan to meet international arts and media-minded visitors and show them Vancouver beyond Stanley Park and Granville Island (though those are great too).

Personal Documentation

“The first thing you’ll probably want to hear is about my trip to Nagano, Japan where I rented a crumby flophouse to turn into a coffee and craft shop and all that kinda David Copperfield kinda crap, but all I remember from Nagano is that snowboarder whassis name getting all hassled – why can’t anyone just leave people alone – makes ya wanto head to the mountains and live in a bunker.”

- (not a) lost chapter from Catcher in the Rye

SLC 2002

After seeing the torch in Olympia, WA, I loaded up a car with my brother, a stack of tickets, two ounces of herbal supplements and a trunk full of NW micro-brews and smoked meats and cheeses. After 13 days and 28 events, I’d documented with 700+ photos, dozens of video clips, a couple TV appearances, partied with gold medalists and lent Don Cherry my hat.

I also learned the power of grassroots reporting by sharing a video clip of the first-ever Nepali Winter Olympian (vid) and observed the passion of Latvian hockey fans. I also learned what you see on TV is very different from on the ground – ain’t it all bad. Heck, the Olympics brought public transit and liberalized beer laws to Utah!

Torino 2006

I remained in Vancouver, living on Torino time with 4:00 AM cappuccinos and frustrating hockey games while my colleagues Mssrs. Krug and Scales were the new media pioneers encamped in Turin at the Piedmonte Non-accredited Media Centre, testing streaming video cams, visiting hospitality houses, and rallying photo walks in between events and business outreach.

I assembled a collection of Olympic Outsider podcasts and frequent Olympic Notebooks to document the sports, media, and business issues of the games. But the gem of the Torino 2006 social media experiment was the “Social Media and Sports Symposium” – a panel discussion delivered from Vancouver and Turin over the web featuring Ross Rebagliati discussing the changing role of blogging since Nagano with Roland Tanglao and Will Pate ~ the old media begin to notice the magma bubbling up from renegade tech-journ-artists.

Beijing 2008

Everyone wondered how the bureaucracy and policies of social control would affect every aspect of the Games and the torch relay was famously interrupted several times and the Olympics became a politically-charged event akin to days of Moscow and LA boycotts compared to relatively non-political Games in Athens and Sydney.

This time around, I again contextualized content from colleagues Kris and Rob who stormed Beijing like savvy pirates covering street food, conferences and fencing. From the Occident, I assembled massive storypacks from their artifacts through Raincity Studios and crafted educational toolkits and closely observed the nuances of IOC’s priority of protecting rights-holders.

Vancouver 2010

Leading up to Vancouver turn to spend, there were a bevy of events to podcast including the Governor-General presenting the Olympic flag from Oslo, the flag tour with Crispin Lipscomb and Duff Gibson, plus reconnaissance of venues in Whistler, Cypress, Richmond and Vancouver.

But the big effort started with rejection from the worldwide press briefing and an open letter to VANOC – which sparked commentary, meetings and ideas. The letter also attracted media of all flavors to the conversation about the roles and regulations in the grey space between “accredited journalists” and “fans with cameras and recorders.”

Now the fruits of this conversation are evident with publications and organizations building coverage communities and logistical resources for all sorts of journos – more on these below.

Handing the Laptop

London 2012

A few months ago at the IOC Congress in Copenhagen, ad man Martin Sorrell spoke about the “Digital Revolution” (video) Slide Deck (.pdf) to the assembled dignitaries and extolled the virtues of easing IP restrictions, embracing fan media makers and using social media channels.

While VANOC was late to the revolution (they have made efforts @2010Tweets – Youtube), London has a head of New Media evangelizing Change, Social Media and London 2012 plus concerned citizens are using social media in a non-confrontational manner to express concerns directly to Jacques Rogge. Dr. Andy Miah of Univ. of Western Scotland will be documenting what he sees here and sharing in the UK after participating in the Social Media and the Olympics Panel at Northern Voice here in Vancouver.

Sochi 2016

Residents of Sochi will enjoy the benefits of social media for community discourse from early days of their Games as they received a Knight News Challenge of $600,000 to use for:

“… the latest online tools to both discuss and influence the impact of the games. A web site and database will allow the community to track and debate how the plans are changing life there over a five-year period. The idea is to help residents better prepare for the Olympics, to inform the media about the city’s issues and to use discussions about the games as a way to improve life in Sochi.” A notable achievement to celebrate by – props to young Fulbright scholar, Alexander Zolotarev – and I hope i can help out!

Strong, Free, Social

While some are quick to polarize attitudes about the Games into pro or con,  I am convinced that embracing a variety of opinions about the Olympix events is of significant value. While IOC and VANOC policies may be sources of personal frustration, by documenting the people’s history of the arts, sports and civic issues around Vancouver, we can effectuate positive change in our community and pass on knowledge for future events.

With this spirit in mind, the True North Media House campaign encourages social media education, aggregation and collaboration. My cohorts and I assembled a toolkit of practical resources to help find, tell, and share stories:

Stellar Work! The lads behind With Glowing Hearts – the Movie demonstrate the importance using creative art to document the social transitons and civic landscape which otherwise go under-noticed. Their ongoing film project includes a segment about the True North Media House evolution which Scales also discusses at Vancouver Access.

Good Idea! Like predictive back-to-school essays, some of my cohorts have published posts about how they will spend their Olympics – consider doing the same. Meet: John Biehler, John Bollwitt, Rebecca Bollwitt, Duane Storey plus the crew at Vancouver Access 2010 who are providing epic info resources for fans and props to event mapmaker 2010VanFan AKA Andrea.

Hang your @

Need a place to plug-in? You can meet like-minded doppelgangers at several physical facilites – each with a distinct point of view and requirements including:

• IBC at Canada Place 2 – no use mentioning it cause you ain’t getting anywhere near it unless you’re already sorted out
• BOB co-working centre – Building Opportunities through Business program has a drop-in co-working space and is hosting some CODE activities
• Network Hub – a entreptrenuraial co-working space renting desks by hour or month
• W2’s Media Arts Centre (also hosting the Legal Observers program) – call for pricing details
• BC International Media Centre – run by the provincial secretariat and hosting some accredited trad. and social media outlets
• Squamish tourism and rumours of more centres at UBC, Whistler/Blackcomb, Carnegie Library and others …?
• A city full of coffee shops and libraries with wi-fi and tables (tip your baristas)

Need a place to publish your work? Find an online community which suits your tastes like: Vancouver Observer, Now Public, Orato, Rabble.ca, Media Co-Op /Dominion or roll your own blog, set up Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo accounts to season, and you’re rolling.

Best Social Practices

There is a huge difference between sticking your content on Facebook and sharing it for the public enjoyment and archiving. Without giving your the full “Web2.0″ manifesto, here are three critical steps to maximizing the reach and longevity of your creations.

• Publish your work Creative Commons – this alternative copyright framework allows you to give permission for non-commercial use with conditions of attribution and share-alike-ness (CC on Flickr)
• Tag it specific, tag it general – tags are meant to increase findability – i’ll use #van2010 for all Olympics related content and tags for community-specific awareness e.g.: #vo2010 #tnmh + track in HootSuite so I see everything</plug>
• Share it to last – don’t hide your content and expect your work to live on, instead, publish content across multiple sites including Wikimedia commons & Archive.org

It will get Weird

No matter what you think now, expect mind to expand and evolve as you find some inspiration or motivation which you never previously considered.

Perhaps, you’ll discover the notion to express yourself or find new co-conspirators to create a new reality or play a role in helping others explore the places you pass each day.

If not, methinks you’ve missed out on the biggest chance for international fellowship since Expo 86 – and whether you plan to celebrate, protest or observe, you now have the ability and opportunity to contribute to the public record.

So, what do you plan to contribute to the future?

Photo Credits:

Canadian fans – Dave Olson

Roland, Ross and Dave – Rachel Ashe

Ski Jump – Dave Olson

Media Badge – John Biehler

Claudia Pechstein on drums – Dave Olson

Roland, Ross and Dave 2 – Brad Rees via Dave Olson

Seahorse Snacks – Kris Krug

Duff Gibson & medal – Dave Olson

Scales, Maih and Krug – Via Andy Miah

Governor General and Mayor – Dave Olson

Dave and Nadia at Fresh Media – John Bollwitt

Protest Sign – Dave Olson

Don and Ron – Dave Olson