Day 4: "Reaaaady"

Another early start with a ride on the Skytrain to the Richmond Oval to watch the Men’s Long Track Speed Skating. It was a long and rainy walk (1.5 km) to the venue from the station but it was amazing to see everyone so excited for the event. It did seem a bit odd that everyone (and I mean, pretty much everyone) was dressed in orange but we quickly got up to speed that the Dutch “own” Speed Skating. As we walked along the Fraser River, in the rain, it actually started to feel more like Holland than Vancouver. We were even given a free (and cool) pair of orange Dutch mittens en route to the venue.


The Richmond Oval is a brand new venue that is really beautiful – lots of great light and natural wood. The track itself was amazing but I was most impressed by the camera that moves along a track and follows the skaters at some incredible speeds. One favourite thing - the computer voice that says "Reaaaddddy" when the skaters need to be at the starting line. You can't hear that and not giggle. Just try it, I dare you. Our seats were killer – in the corner in the middle of a sea of orange. For this particular competition, the skaters competed in heats of two with the slowest skaters going first and the strongest last. Although there were some exciting moments along the way, the man to beat – Sven Kramer – ended up crushing an Olympic record and winning gold. When he realized he had won, he climbed the boards to hug his family who happened to be sitting a few rows away from us. Needless to say, the place erupted in celebration!

After the skating, we then headed over to the Richmond Ozone to check out the fun! The rainy walk was fun and we were passed by many Dutch bikes that could be borrowed for the journey. We hoped to have ourselves a beer at the Heineken house but the enormous line and cold rain made us turn back and head home.

Dinner was spent with some great friends and colleagues both present and past at a cool pub called the Regal Beagal (and no, Larry and Jack couldn’t make it). It was great to unwind and chill but it was most amazing to see so many great friends come out! (Thanks to you all! xo)