Ryders Olympic Experience

Vancouver will never be the same after the 2010 Olympics!!

2010-03-07T17:53:00.001-08:00

At the Closing Ceremonies, after dancing gay dance moves in a Mountie outfit infront of the Prime Minister, 65,000 people and some 1 billion on TV.... about 300 of us were wisked out a back door. Flowing the other way were 1200 Hip Hop kids who were about to take to the field. The experience of seeing the positive energy and excitment of these kids entering the stadium overwelmed me with joy and happiness. So excited, and scared, these kids were experiencing something truely special that will forever change who they are.
Every person who experienced the Olympics in their unique way had similiar stories and Ive attached below a few links to the best visual summaries of the Olympics. These shots are amazing and will forever bring this special time, that has transformed Vancouver back to reality.
Enjoy, and be sure to take everything you got into your life and everyone around you.

Proud to be Canadian
Over and Out
Brent

Enjoy these links.....

This video is a tear jerker!! Brent
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/index.html?assetid=16afced6-f953-42f8-88ce-46c9493947e9&cid=rss

Fantastic LA Times Article: http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-olympics-plaschke28-2010feb28,0,4599199.column

Amazing Photos

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/photography/olympics/la-ph-olympics-hires-html,0,2625367.htmlstory

The BIG Game and Closing Ceremonies

2010-03-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

What a way to end an amazing couple of weeks of competition, and celebration with anticipation of what some said would be the best and most important hockey game ever! Like all great events, the best was for last. Myself and 300 others who where in the closing ceremonies were caged up together in a tent across from BC Place to enjoy the game. Here are a few clips....

The voyagers, were a classic bunch of french canoeists that had a hoot running around with canoes .

A room full of Mounties watching Canada and USA

With about 80 hours of rehersals, great friends like Brian and Fred, luckily were much better at remembering the dance and made me look good.

The cast, including hockey players, hip hoppers, the white dancers, flag bearers.

These three clips share the emotion and excitment in the cast cage....Ill never forget it where I was watching this historic game.

wwwwwooooooowwww, that was close...Ya hoo!

Thank-you from Brian Williams of NBC

2010-03-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of NBC

Someone I truely respect, that it wraps up nicely the Olympic experience we all dreamed of delivering.

After tonight's broadcast and after looting our hotel mini-bars, we're going to try to brave the blizzard and fly east to home and hearth, and to do laundry well into next week. Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note.

Thank you, Canada:

For being such good hosts.

For your unfailing courtesy.

For your (mostly) beautiful weather.

For scheduling no more than 60 percent of your float plane departures at the exact moment when I was trying to say something on television.

For not seeming to mind the occasional (or constant) good-natured mimicry of your accents.

For your unique TV commercials -- for companies like Tim Hortons -- which made us laugh and cry.

For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.

For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games -- you've made wearing your name a cool thing to do.

For the sportsmanship we saw most of your athletes display.

For not honking your horns. I didn't hear one car horn in 15 days -- which also means none of my fellow New Yorkers rented cars while visiting.

For making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC all these years.

For having the good taste to have an anchorman named Brian Williams on your CTV network, who turns out to be such a nice guy.

For the body scans at the airport which make pat-downs and cavity searches unnecessary.

For designing those really cool LED Olympic rings in the harbor, which turned to gold when your athletes won one.

For always saying nice things about the United States...when you know we're listening.

For sharing Joannie Rochette with us.

For reminding some of us we used to be a more civil society.

Mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making lasting friends with all of us.

The Party continues...and the Gold Medals pour in

2010-02-28T07:27:00.000-08:00

Our Guests from Ontario hit Vancouver with a bang!

2010-02-24T20:10:00.001-08:00

Ya Hoo! Our next lucky winners and guests of the Ryders and Suntech Olympic Contest arrived to more sunny weather and a city buzzing with an Olympic fever!

Brett Lavier landed first from Tillsonburg, Ontario where he owns and operates a successful Canadian Tire store and right behind him from Brantford was Tara Detheridge , where her and her family own and run The Bicycle Shop.

Our First stop was the Can Fund Suite again , for the stunning view before hitting the road to Whistler.

Brett and Tara, where super keen to hit the village and get into the Olympic Experience right away....and we were not disappointed.

Walking distance from the Maxem Cabin is where the action happens, passing the Austria House, Fire and Ice exhibition, International Flags from around the world and CTV's broadcast studio.... the list goes on..

John Montgomery, Canadian Gold Medalist in the Skeleton and all round funny guy, came out to greet the crowd and have a short interview with CTV's hottie broadcaster. Push Play button

Just down Village Lane was Simon Armann and thousands of his Swiss countrymen and women celebrating his 2nd Gold Medal in the Big Ski Jump. This guy is a hoot, and his Swiss possee know how to have a great time! Everyone is loving it!

Day 2 took a gang to the Sprint Team Relay Cross Country out at Callaghan Valley. Canada came 4th narrowly missing the podium, and tons of fun by all.

Thanks Brett and Tara for being awesome guests! Your enthusism and energy was so great to be around!

With Canada missing expectations on the Ski Team, I thought I'd make a couple runs down the hill and start trying out for the team.

The Olympic Adventure Continues

2010-02-24T19:41:00.001-08:00

The highly anticipated Maxem Olympic Fieldtrip happened on Friday the 19th, and it started with a bang.

Adorned in their finest Canadian garb, the crews first stop after the a short Seabus trip was the Can Fund Hospitality suite in the Shaw building.

Conrad Leiderman is an Olympic Volleyball Athelete who started the Can Fund several years ago with his waife to raise money for all Canadian atheletes going for gold. Shaw a major sponsor provided this high end floor to raise awareness and provide a comfortable space for atheltes and their families to relax and mingle with people like us. Ryders is a longtime supporter and sponsor of Conrad and his endevours at Can Fund.

The view was spectacular and allowed us to sit high above , the crowds and the chainlink fence to get a steller view of the Olympic Flame , the Rings and a crazy panoramic view towards the North Shore Mountains....and our office.

After swilling their beer, and filling our travelers, the crew was off to the streets of Vancouver!!

A A good time had by all....even in crampt elevators!!

Our Special Guests and Olympic Gold

2010-02-21T20:37:00.000-08:00

We were so happy to have Daniel and Lise Murray, who own and operate a Canadian Tire store in Montreal , Quebec to be our first winners of the Suntech Olympic "Go for Gold"

promotion.

As soon as the Murrays, Vancouver started to get blessed with the majical sunshine thats been warming our hearts ever since.

We were lucky to be attending the 1000 meters Long Track Speed Skating finals at the new Olympic Oval in Richmond, just south of the city center.

Christine Nesbitt came through in the last pair to win Canada a its 4th Gold Medal.

Winning Gold has not been as plentiful for Canada yet in this Olympics, so this experience was truely a special one.

Thanks-you Danile and Lise for the great time!

You've probably heard about the amazing crowds hitting the streets of Vancouver. This clip will give you a small taste of that at midnight last night. Like I mentioned , this city will never be the same after this event.

Great Canadian Olympic Vibe

2010-02-18T21:44:00.001-08:00

OK, This town is insane. No really I have never seen so many happy people celebrating intense competition with such passion and enthusiasm as whats going on in Vancouver. Walking the streets of Vancouver, even if you dont go to a competition is full entertainment.
Id update you on all the competition but there is so much great information out there like this link to get daily short videos: Check it out and sign up at www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-videos/daily-host-video--vancouver-2010-day-7_283428g110288-ft.html

This is a Medal Ceremony in Whistler that takes place every night in the new Olympic Plaza. The energy and vibe they have created keeps the crowd hopping from the time you enter with "go go girls" and dj's right through to the featured entertainer of the night like Feist, Bare Naked Ladies to name just a couple.

Have to make mention of Canada's first Gold Medal on Canadian soil , Alexandre Bilodeau, who took it in the Mens Moguls. His medal has now lead the way to a couple more ....and more to come Im sure.

Even though there is not much new snow on the local mountains, Grouse brought "The Beast" in. This snow machine is something out of Starwars and Mad Max.

4 DAYS IN AND ITS A BLAST!

2010-02-17T09:10:00.000-08:00

A few pics to kick todays post off.....

RB is back , rippin up Lonsdale leading the Torch Relay

These Euopeans know how to do it right!

The Norway Father/Daughter Team...its a family affair.

This am the boyz starting the day off up Grouse Mountain on this spring day here in Vancouver. Suppose to get to 15 degrees

A tame furry friends came out to say hi....good eatin for February!

RB alias Captain Canada having fun with the locals

Vancouver and Whistler are putting on quite a show after only 4 days of competition. The media loves to play up how Canada "Can't get it up" during the opening ceremonies mechanical malfunction, its all party on the streets. Todays post is a big share of some of the sights that are happening across the nation.

Kelly Ford Dulson, the better half of our Ontario Ryders Crew (Just kiddin Martin) sent in these photos of the Flame passin through her hometown Stratford, Ontario during the Torch Relay.

More recently her brother Chris at the Luge track in Whistler having a good time cheering on these speed freaks.

Yummy mommies hanging out with Michael Buble during the NBC Today Show thats been filming up Grouse Mountain, our local hill.

The Medals weight over 1.5 lbs, and look awesome. Medal count as of today is :

Germany 9

USA 8

France 7

Canada 5

Korea 4

Go Canada Go!!

The First Medal, Ski Jumpin and Partying

2010-02-14T22:57:00.000-08:00

Day 1 took James, Melanie and I to the first event of the Olympics...the Normal Ski Jumping at the Whistler Olympic Park. Until you've seen these guys huck themselves off of these massive jumps its hard to believe it.

They even let me try the jump out....scary!

Almost as much fun as the event is the people that come out from all over the world. Some of the hardcores even had the barley breakfast.

Melanie got a chance to meet and talk to Bonnie, the CEO from Hudsons Bay...good smoozin, while James was broing down with USA VP Joe Diden , but the Secret Service were a bit grumpy.

The first Gold was handed out with the Swiss Harry Potter look alike Simon Arrmann winning with a decisive 108 M jump...blowing the field away!

Mel and James won tickets to the Victory Ceremonies and instantly hit the mosh pit and danced to The All American Rejects...ending day 1 in style.

Sooo many places to go, events to report on.....here is a good recap video.

http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-videos/daily-host-video--vancouver-2010-day-3_277334g110288-zY.html

TORCH RELAY...CANADIAN STYLE

2010-02-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

The day before the Opening Ceremony bought the flame through North Vancouver. What better way to bring it home was a good old game of Hockey. After a few phone calls out to the boyz it was game on.

For more photos http://briangoldstoneimages.com/pond_hockey/

and a BIg thanks to Chris Carter and his crew for a great time !

THE OLYMPICS ARE FINALLY HERE!!

2010-02-12T12:30:00.001-08:00

After 6.5 years and....

Massive plans of execution to pay for and build the venues in Vancouver and Whistler

Organizing to bring in 5500 atheletes & officials

Media fighting for and setting up everywhere around the city

A torch that started in Greece , traveled 45,000 kms by 12,000 bearers to all corners of Canada

........The Winter Olympics are only hours away from its official Opening Ceremonies.....Ya hoo, and we want to share it with you through this blog to provide you with a behind the scenes look at a only a few of the amazing events that will be happening.