Olympics

Posted on July 29, 2008

   In less than a week I will be leaving for Beijing and the summer games. To say that I’m excited about this adventure is an understatement. I will be working with CBC and covering women’s softball and men’s baseball. Not only will this be an incredible sporting event, but also a cultural and political event. I have no idea what to expect when we get there, I have heard mixed reviews from people who have already been to China. This will be my first experiance in an Asian culture. I hope to be able to blog on a daily basis, at least that is my intent, but I really don’t know what will happen until I get there. I certainly will be writing about my “sporting” experiances, but will also try to give you a first hand account of my daily “cultural” experiances. I will also try to upload pictures, again, who knows how tight restrictions will be. One thing is almost certain, I will be a different person when I get home.

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Ken Read

Posted on July 16, 2008

When I was a young aspiring broadcaster growing up I admired Ken Read and the Crazy Canucks. They gave us so much to cheer and be proud of during their prime days on the “White Circus”. It broke my heart when he met with disaster out of the gate at Lake Placid. Following his retirment, I was privileged to become a colleague of Ken’s. We worked together on alpine coverage for TSN. He was knowledgable and professional, and we became friends. He also proved to be a very astute businessman. He turned around the fortunes of Alpine Canada in a very few short years. I was shocked to hear of his departure today, but under the circumstances, not  surprised. He always put his family first. It will be a huge job finding his replacement, I don’t know if anyone can do the job he did. I for one hope he leaves a legacy of success for the Alpine Team for many years to come.

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Calgary Stampede

Posted on July 15, 2008

I had planned to blog from the Calgary Stampede this year on a regular basis, but circumstances beyond my control, a balky computer, wouldn’t allow it to happen. I returned home yesterday after two weeks in the wild west, and what an incredible experiance. I used to live in Calgary, back in the early 80’s, so heading back there is like going home. It is one terrific city. If you like the outdoor life, it is definitely the place to be.

The Stampede itself is worth the trip. It is true western tradition, an outstanding example of the rough and ready west. It is the Alberta ruggedness brought to the city. The event itself is truly phenominal! The people are friendly, and the rodeo and chuckwagon races are breath taking to watch. You can actually feel the adrenaline rush when you’re in the stands.

When it comes to rodeo and the chucks, it’s not a matter of if you get hurt, but when, and how badly… Thankfully the injuries sustained by the cowboys weren’t serious, unless you consider a broken sternum or broken elbow serious. There was a horse put down at the chucks, that really sucks, but again, it’s part of racing.

The Stampede is one of the great cultural events of western Canada, and the biggest social event on the Calgary calendar. Props to the organisers of the show, to the people of Calgary…You should be proud of what you do every year.