Bryan’s Olympic Return

Alright, the Olympic Winter Games are over and I have returned home to the great state of Missouri.  It’s not quite as exciting as Whistler, BC, but it’s going to be Spring soon and that’s enough to keep me around.

I tried to keep notes on things that happened around the Games as they happened just for my own amusement later.  I came home with about 30 pages of notes.  I have no idea how to transform those notes in post form; there are just too many of them.  I’ll try to hit up some of the highlights and then if anyone has any questions, you can just leave a comment and I’ll answer the best I can.

Friday 5 – Winter Olympics

As Weller pointed out on Wednesday, I was recently informed that I got a job with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  I’m going to be headed out there either on January 25th or February 4th (they’ll let me know tomorrow) and I’ll be back on March 3rd unless they keep me around for the Paralympics which take place immediately after the Olympics.  I will be a “Venue Systems Manager” (OoooOOOOoooo) which means I’ll be in charge of the transportation of athletes and media from the Olympic Village to the venue.  Basically I’ll be making sure that all the buses are running on time, carrying all the people they’re supposed to carry, and making sure that everything is ready for them when they step off the bus.  I was also told specifically, “This is a stressful job.”

But I was also told that it’s a blast and I’ll be meeting all kinds of people from all over the world, which excites me.  I do plan on taking my laptop, though I don’t know if I’ll have internet access or how much time I’ll have to give updates, but I’ll try my best.  Now onto the Friday 5.

The US Olympic Hockey Team

Last Saturday the United States announced the roster for the upcoming Olympic Games after the Winter Classic in Boston.  One of the things that is immediately obvious is  the lack of veterans present on the team.  Gone are US team stalwarts like Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk and Chris Chelios.  Now the team will be led by players like Patrick Kane, Erik Johnson, and Phil Kessel.

Only three players have past Olympic experience, Chris Drury, Brian Rafalski, and Jamie Langenbrunner.  The other 20 are first timers.  I’m hoping that can work as an advantage for the young team.  Maybe they won’t necessarily realize the magnitude of the task at hand.  There shouldn’t be much pressure on them as they US has only won a medal once since 1980′s Miracle on Ice.