Innocents abroad at the Vancouver Olympics --1

The Olympic games of yesteryear were once for amateurs and fans. Today's games are for pros and corporations ... sponsors, broadcasters, ticket and tour packagers. For ordinary joes, like my buddy and me, dreams of attending the games are a challenge to realize.

Frank: still downhill racing in his fifties; Fletch: elderly skate skier, winter Olympic pin-head. When way last year we discovered we long shared the goal of getting to Vancouver, ever since separately attending the ’88 Calgary games, Frank as ski bum, Fletch as corporate muckymuck, we decided to make it a team effort.

So last week, ordinary joe Frank and ordinary joe Fletch scouted out Vancouver in prep for our Olympic trip … two US Childe Harolds to the Canadian dark tower came. Does Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee (VanOC) really hate ordinary joes?

First thing first: lodging. Frank had already arranged loan of a 17' Winnebago and started looking for a parking slot. Well, not in Whistler downhill racer… nothing for non-residents -- not RVs, not vans, not even cars. But found a nice deal on Jericho Beach; no plug-ins but access to marina shower and food services. OK -- except Jericho Beach hunkers down on the south shore of English Bay, three hours from those alpine and Nordic events at Whistler. But it does have a nice view of Vancouver... and a hospitable marina staff and director.

Transport? Not by car, eh? Only public transport. No parking allowed, not at any of the eight venues scattered about the region. And up in ski country? Only Whistler residents will have access to the new multi-lane highway ‘tween Whistler and Vancouver. Busses? Sure, but not too nearby, eh? Shuttle to Skytrain (Vancouver’s neat light rail -- Seattle should be so blessed); Skytrain to waterfront; Seabus (first one at 6:10am) across Burrard Straight to Lonsdale Quay where busses await the lucky for a two-hour ride to Whistler, shorter to Cypress Mountain. But one must have a reservation for that bus and be half an hour early. OK. But hold on, there’s more -- to use that bus reservation, one must show an event ticket for that day at that venue.

Ah, well, yes … that brings us to tickets.

The two arrested-adolescent, ordinary joes (oj’s) had envisioned going without and picking up tix on the fly at venues, at the VanOC offices, on the web last minute – as in past Olympics. After all, those early prices were outrageous, especially for Americansdue to the VanOC's monopoly grant (see http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/olympics/2010276798_olytickets15.html. )Ah, yes, VanOC hates oj’s... especially American ones.

First stop, official ticket office in Robson Square. Everyone in line was turning in an e-mail reservation receipt and picking up tix. We two oj’s were feeling very self-conscious, bare handed and bare faces hanging out. "What’s for sale?" Damn little: women’s curling preliminaries, victory celebration (whatever that is), some early rounds of speed skating high up in the rafters. Corporate sponsors and eager Canucks had scarfed up all the tickets.

What of re-sales? A friendly sort at a visitors’ center pulled up an official re-sale and auction site. Great! We will hit that back home in Seattle, where we have our computers.

Back home: not much available. No alpine, no Nordic, no sledding (sleighing to those north of Peace Arch), no jumping. Some Free style, (which oj Frank had pronounced was not a sport, at which the visitor center suddenly turned chilly.) Things weren't looking so hot to the two innocents abroad.