Since most of this week was spent volunteering for the games, I'm going to have a blog full of pictures. My job as host at Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre consisted of long stretches of boredom punctuated by short periods of action, excitement and chaos. I could write volumes about the personalities of my fellow volunteers, but I won't. The kids were the real kick. I'd almost forgotten why I loved teaching. Kids can be irritating and moody, but their often just self conscious, and when they're up, their vitality is contagious; although it's also exhausting. My main jobs were distributing lunches and medals. I was impressed by how volunteers can pull together such a huge show. Nothing ever went exactly as our reams of written instructions suggested it should, but there were no major gaffs and I was impressed by how everyone concentrated on the main event. The presentation of medals always went off with a solemnity worthy of the impressive efforts the athletes had made in the races. When I took pictures, I concentrated on one girl from the Okanagan Zone because I met her on the first day and was curious to see how she would do. She has a fairly minor handicap and was the first person to enter the BC Winter Games on a sit-ski. She did so well that she even entered the final day of team relays as the only handicapped skier.
Emily and some of the other members of the Okanagan girls' team early Friday morning. They were talking and texting when I asked them if I could take this picture.
Emily waiting for her turn in the Sunday relay
Waiting for the hand off
Coming in to hand off the baton to the third member of the team
Poling off the course
Biathlon was also at Sovereign Lake
Some of the colourful biathlon crew
The winner of the Sunday relay crosses the finish line
Jumping off the podium after the medals presentation. The Okanagan team won the silver medal, but they were third in this event.
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