Day 8: Why didn't they hold the Winter Olympics someplace where it snows?

Well, today we had to do something we hated to do.  We left our last event, snowboarding, when the event was only halfway through.  If you saw any of the event on TV, you probably know why.  The day was such a challenge that we didn't even take any pictures.

We were up and out of the house by 7 am and it's still surprisingly dark at that time at 49 degrees latitude!  We had an easy drive to Capilano University, and hopped on a bus after a quick cup of free hot chocolate.  (Did we mention how nice the people are up here?)  The drive was less than an hour, and the walk from the bus we knew quite well from having been there for Aerials the other night, but it was even longer to get to the Snowboarding location.  Our event was the Women's Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom, and we had seats this time, not General Admission.  All General Admission tickets had been refunded, as the officials in charge of such things had deemed that because of all the rain in the weeks leading up to these Games, the area reserved for standing was not safe for all those people.  So we trouped up more than 200 steps to get to the seating area, and found our seats.

Here's the problem:  it was raining when we woke up, and it NEVER stopped.  We had an hour to wait before the event even began, and we were starting to feel the effects of the cold and rain already.  We never heard for sure, but the temperature had to be just above freezing.  After about 15 minutes, I decided to take Julianna to the store, to see if we could buy rain ponchos.  I figured it would at least get us into a warm, dry tent for a little while.  None of us had even eaten any breakfast yet.  We had just grabbed some snacks as we left the house, intending to eat on the bus, but we couldn't.  Then we figured we'd eat when we sat down, but it was too wet to get out our bars and crackers.  So she and I walked down the nearly 200 steps and over to the Merchandise tent.  They were out of ponchos, and didn't have any seat cushions (wet metal bleachers are very cold) so I bought a shirt for Tony so that I could have the sturdy plastic bag they put purchases in.  So at least we had a seat cushion for Julianna.  Then we sat down in a corner of the Merchandise Tent for a few minutes so we could eat.  While we were sitting there, an Olympics volunteer walked in, carrying two cardboard boxes.  Someone asked, "Are those rain ponchos?"  and he replied, "I think so."  Several of us nearly pounced on the poor man.  They turned out to be giant trash bags, but we happily took them.  Julianna and I left, and walked back up the -- say it with me -- more than 200 steps, and sat down again.  Tony and Bodie returned a few minutes later, having gone to get hot chocolate.

The event started shortly thereafter, and we loved it.  It's two women at a time, racing down the course, which had to be even trickier than normal for them, because of the rain.  The crowd was hardy, and cheering on the athletes, particularly the Canadian girls, but there was also a strong contingent for the Russian athletes, and the one U.S. snowboarder.  It's fast paced and very exciting.  We could see almost the whole way up the hill, plus there was a video screen to watch.

Well, the first part of the competition took an hour, and after that there was an hour to wait before the second half.  All of our jackets were drenched (the ponchos helped keep the warmth in, but as far as our being wet, it was too late!)  I had given my gloves to Julianna, because hers were soaked through, so my hands were pretty cold.  We were all quite uncomfortable, and Bodie looked miserable.  We decided we couldn't last another two hours in our condition, so we headed back to the buses.  We felt bad leaving early, but we did feel we had already enjoyed an hour of exciting competition.  As it was, we weren't home for another two hours, what with the walk back to the bus, the drive back to the University, and then our drive home, stopping on the way to buy pizzas.

It is really, really hard to describe how completely wet and we were.  Mom, remember when we kayaked in Kauai, and then forded that river, and you had a one inch area on the waistband of your pants that was the only part that was dry?  Laura, remember that water ride at Busch Gardens last summer, when you took the brunt of it and had to pay $5 to stand in that giant hair dryer?  It was like that.  Bodie's turtleneck, which was under his jacket and his outer shirt, was wet from the wrists to the elbows, from the neck down to the upper chest, and from the bottom up about four inches.  The money in Tony's wallet had to be laid out on the table to dry.   My purse was inside another bag, and the kleenex inside were wet.  We're talking WET, here, people!  And don't forget cold!  Were we to have fallen through the ice on a frozen lake, we would not have been wetter or colder.

Our afternoon from there was enjoyable and relaxing.  We watched the USA/Finland hockey game, and the gold medal Women's Curling Match.  Even watching the Olympics on TV is more fun when you are where it's happening and can say, "I was right there!"  Even as we type this, we can hear the fireworks from the festivities in downtown Vancouver.

We will be leaving Vancouver tomorrow evening to return to the good old U.S. of A.  Please be praying for smooth travels for us!  Good Night!