“Everyone – Official Theme Song of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Sung by Jessica Mauboy, Steve Appleton, Jody Williams, Tabitha Nauser & Sean Kingston.

The music video for “Everyone” was shot entirely in Singapore. The singers were filmed performing the inspiring tune against iconic Singapore backdrop/landmarks like the city skyline, Singapore Flyer, Marina Barrage, and Esplanade. Intercut with montages of young athletes competing in various sports, the music video captures the youths’ unwavering pursuit of excellence and the positivity they exude in chasing their dreams. Through the snippets of these young sportsmen & women’s unrehearsed performances, we share their aspirations and celebrate the human spirit with the youth of the world.”

(source: YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/singapore2010)

I was very fortunate to be invited by Yukon Tourism on a trip to Whitehorse during the Olympic Games on February 20th, 2010. It was an absolutely amazing day! We left Vancouver on an 8:30am flight, spent the day in and around Whitehorse and were back in Vancouver just after midnight the same day. Awesome!

I will be posting a series of posts of my experience of that day, but one I would like to feature here is Captain Dick’s Sourtoe Cocktail of Dawson City.

What is a Sourtoe Cocktail you ask? Well… you may be sorry that you asked… I tried not to think too much about it when I drank the cocktail and you will understand why in a moment…

A Sourtoe Cocktail is your choice of either Yukon Jack Whiskey or Klondike Vodka, both distilled in Yukon. Then… the Captain drops a dehydrated human toe (toe nail and all!), which is stored in salt, into the drink!

Before you drink it, the Captain recites, “the toe goes into your drink. You can drink it fast, or you can drink it slow. But the toe must touch your lips, and I must witness that.”

As you will see in the video below, I became a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club that day. I received a certificate and wallet card to prove it! In fact, I am member number 34,958! Wow, that’s a lot of people kissing a dead toe!

For more information about the Sourtoe Cocktail, please visit the Sourtoe Cocktail Club website.

For more photos of the event and more of the Yukon trip, please visit my Flickr page.

The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) today announced that sledge hockey captain Jean Labonté has been selected as flag bearer for Canada at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

“Jean has demonstrated throughout his career the determination, athletic excellence, and strong character that embodies the Paralympic spirit,” said Blair McIntosh, chef de mission, Team Canada.”  Jean is a most deserving athlete to not only captain our sledge hockey team but to also lead our entire Canadian delegation into B.C. Place for the first Paralympic Winter Games on home soil.”

The native of Gatineau, Québec has competed in three previous Paralympic Winter Games, earning a gold medal in 2006 and silver in 1998. Labonté is one of the most decorated and admired athletes in the sport, having played in five International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Sledge Hockey World Championships, taking the gold medal in 2000 and 2008, and bronze in 1996 and 2009.

The veteran defenceman demonstrates great leadership both on and off the ice. Labonté is an outstanding ambassador for sledge hockey and for the Paralympic movement.  He has worked tirelessly to promote Paralympic sport across Canada, educating Canadians about sport for athletes with a disability, and encouraging young and old to participate and take advantage of sporting and volunteering opportunities in their communities.

“When the eyes of the world focus on B.C. Place for the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games – the first to be hosted in Canada, they will witness an historic moment in Canadian sport,” said Carla Qualtrough, president, CPC. “The profile of Paralympic sport has reached new heights and our flag bearer, Jean Labonté, has helped lead the way. It is a tremendous honour to carry the flag for your country. Jean, like all of our Paralympic athletes, is about to make Canada very proud.”

The Opening Ceremony of the 10th Paralympic Winter Games is scheduled for 6pm PT on Friday, March 12, 2010 at BC Place in Vancouver.

About the Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) is a non-profit, private organisation with 43 member sports organisations dedicated to strengthening the Paralympic Movement.  The CPC is responsible for creating an optimal high-performance environment for the Canadian Paralympic athletes to win at Paralympic and ParaPanAmerican Games.  By supporting Canadian Paralympic athletes and promoting their success, the CPC inspires all Canadians with a physical disability to get involved in sport through programs delivered by its member organisations.  For more information, visit www.paralympic.ca.

Follow the Canadian Paralympic Committee by becoming a fan on Facebook, and following on Twitter.

(News Release courtesy of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.)

This past Tuesday I was invited to attend the Coca-Cola Live Positively Awards, held during the 2010 Olympic Games at the BC Media Center in Vancouver.

“Live Positively” represents The Coca-Cola Company‘s philosophical approach to building sustainable communities through initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where it operates. The Live Positively concept grew from the recognition that sustainable growth for The Coca-Cola Company is integrally connected to both its business and its marketing success, as well as its societal role.

The Coca-Cola Company is honouring individuals, families and organizations with the Coca-Cola Live Positively Award during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Each recipient was chosen because of his or her efforts to turn their passion for improving the well-being of Canadians into important changes that have positively impacted their local communities. With a focus on either active living or environmental sustainability, each recipient has a unique and inspirational story to share.

The following were honoured on Tuesday afternoon:

Jennifer Heil & Dominick Gauthier – on behalf of B2ten:

B2ten is a not for profit organization that supports Canadian elite athletes so they may succeed at the highest level of international competition. For more information, visit http://www.b2ten.com/.

Sami Jo Small:

Sami Jo is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the 2009 recipient of the Athletes CAN Leadership Award. Sami Jo is also the co-founder of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Her commitment to sport and her involvement in developing the Canadian Women’s Hockey League has helped create a forum for women across the country to participate in our nation’s sport at an elite level.

Canadian Olympic School Project:

The Olympic School Program is the Canadian Olympic Committee’s primary education program aiming to spread the positive message of the Olympic Games to all students between grades 2-12. The organization has been providing teachers with Olympic Games themed resources for over 20 years.

Vancouver residents are welcoming the world by sharing their hometown’s beautiful landscape and resources with an estimated 2.3 million athletes, officials, international visitors, media, and spectators.

The House of Switzerland Canada 2010 will show its appreciation to the City of Vancouver by hosting a charity auction on its website in support of Streetohome, a partnership between the Vancouver Foundation, City of Vancouver and Province of British Columbia, dedicated to providing Vancouverites access to safe, standard, affordable housing.

“As we are guests in Canada and have enjoyed great support from the public, we would like to give something back to the local community,” said Manuel Salchi, Director of the House of Switzerland Canada 2010.

The House of Switzerland Canada 2010 is auctioning off special Swiss products from its Partners and Sponsors including a Flyer electric bike, exclusive Swiss Olympic celebration jackets, brand-new Nespresso coffee machines, Lindt chocolate gift baskets, fondue sets, raclette grills, and various ski and snowboard wear from Zimtstern clothing.

“We are honoured that the House of Switzerland is donating their time and resources to benefit the residents of Vancouver. Their generous commitment to this community demonstrates the Olympic ideals of unity and humanity,” says Barbara Grantham, Acting President of Streetohome Foundation.

Online Charity Auction Details:

WEBSITE:  http://www.houseofswitzerland.org/de/charity-auction.html

OPENING DATE:  February 22, 2010

CLOSING DATE: February 28, 2010, 12:00PM

HOW TO BID:  Email the item number, contact information, and bid amount to info@streetohome.org. Bids will be updated on the website in the morning, afternoon, and evening.  The highest bidders will be contacted by phone at the end of the auction, February 28th.

WINNING BIDS:  Winning bidders must pick up their items at the House of Switzerland Canada 2010 in Vancouver located at 1696 Duranleau Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC on March 1, 2010 between 5:00PM – 10:00PM.  Only credit card and cash accepted. No home delivery option.

About Streetohome Foundation

Streetohome Foundation is a community organization working to ensure that all citizens of Vancouver have access to safe, decent, affordable housing. They bring together business, government and community leaders to build resources and develop lasting solutions to homelessness. Everyone has a role to play. Find out how you can be part of the solution at www.streetohome.org.

Close

I’ve been quite fortunate in getting tickets to Olympic events here at the Vancouver 2010 Games! I’ve been lucky enough to acquire tickets to several events, all at face value. Events I’ve seen include speed skating at the Olympic Oval, men’s hockey at Canada Hockey Place, and women’s hockey at Thunderbird Stadium at UBC. I’ve also been to a Victory Ceremony and to the Molson Canadian Hockey House twice to watch hockey games there.

The best part about all of these opportunities for me is that I am able to take  photos of once in a lifetime events in our beautiful city!

Here are some of those images to give you a taste of my 2010 Olympics experiences:

Speed Skating:

On February 13th, after winning tickets in the Holland Heineken House ticket lottery for Dutch citizens, I went to my first speed skating event. It was unbelievable! The energy in the Richmond Oval was electrifying! And the fact that Holland’s Sven Kramer won Gold, made it that much better!

Gold Medalist, Sven Kramer of the Netherlands.

Victory Ceremony:

The first gold medal for Canada was awarded to Alex Bilodeau on February 15th. I was at the medal ceremony to see it happen!

\

Molson Canadian Hockey House:

On February 15th, Tom Cochrane played at the Molson Canadian Hockey House. Guests to his stage included Tyler Stewart of the Barenaked Ladies, and Donald Sutherland. It was an amazing show and the House was full of energy and excitement! A super fun time! If you have a chance to watch a game at the Molson Canadian Hockey House, take it! Included in the FanZone ticket is entrance, food, and non-alcoholic beverages. Beer is $7.50 tax and tip included.

Men’s Hockey:

I was at the USA vs Norway game on February 18th. We had seats right behind the photographers’ pit and I was able to sneak into the photographers area for about 20 minutes in the second period! It was amazing to be so close to the action and having the players bang up against the glass right in front of me! Here are some of the shots from that game.

Women’s Hockey:

On February 22nd, the Swiss played the Russians in Women’s Hockey at Thunderbird Stadium out at UBC. After a well-matched game, a few injuries, overtime and a shootout, the Swiss were victorious, winning 4th place in the 2010 Olympic standings! Congratulations Switzerland!

Believe it or not, there are still tickets available for upcoming events! We are into the final week of the Games and your final chances to see some awesome Olympic athletes in action! Try your luck for tickets at the Vancouver 2010 Fan to Fan site, Craigslist, or even right outside the venues from people trying to simply sell extra tickets at face value because they are unable to attend the event. It doesn’t always have to be pricey!A 10 Day

Yesterday was my first day at the Olympics and it was amazing!  Vancouver is a beautiful host city and the BC Tourism Board http://www.hellobc.com has done an excellent job promoting the city and its gorgeous scenery.

The day started out with a photo walk around downtown taking pictures of the Olympic flame, then down to Robson Square to see the Chinese gold and silver medal pairs figure skating champions do brief performances.  Then we went to the British Columbia Media Center! And watched some snowboard half pipe and hockey on TV.

Late afternoon I headed to the Pacific Coliseum as I was fortunate enough to wrangle a ticket to the Short Track Speed Skating.  At Wednesday’s Short Track was Women’s 500M quarterfinal, semifinal, and final—yes, we did get to see the final, including flower ceremony.  In the end China won gold, and the home team, Canada won silver!  It was also Men’s 1000M and Men’s 5000M semifinal relay.  In the relay 4 teams compete at once, each with 4 guys on the ice so you can imagine it was quite crowded.  But due to a disqualification, the final will be even more crowded: 5 teams, 4 guys each!  That would be very exciting to see.

It was a fantastic day to be there as new Olympic Records were constantly being set and broken.  What you learn when watching Short Track, is its not over till its over!  You may think you’re out of the qualifying and then 2 skaters knock each other out and suddenly you’re in second place!  Even though these are fairly short distances and people are going at super high speeds, the leader of the pack can change in a heartbeat.  Fight till the end, the race doesn’t end til you cross the finish line!

If you have the opportunity, I recommend short track for the excitement and the crowd’s enthusiasm.  And if you’re Canadian, don’t forget a cowbell to cheer on the home team!

Going to this event by myself, I found the other fans to be extremely friendly and helpful. During the event, I sat near some very friendly Canadians and had a great time exploring the public transportation system with some guys from Toronto. Vancouver was clearly planning ahead for this event: although the line for the 10 Bus to go downtown was a 1/4 mile long, the city had buses coming right after each other to pick us up so I don’t think I waited more than 20minutes before I got on the bus.  Very well done, Vancouver!

Inspiring event! Great day! Awesome Olympics! Wonderful host city!
Guest Post Written by: Toffler Niemuth
Twitter: @tofflerann

AdHack is hosting a 2nd photowalk to shoot Olympic advertising (preferably the un-official kind) tomorrow, February 18th @ 3pm, meeting at Stadium Skytrain station, to help get some photos for our contest at http://olympicadawards.com. After the photowalk, it’s beers at the On the Edge pub to watch Canada vs. Switzerland men’s hockey.

Here is the blog post for more info: http://blog.adhack.com/2010/02/17/photowalk-to-capture-olympic-ads/

Close