Olympic Games Wrapup

So, the Olymics are over! We are now hosting the Paralympic games which are similar but very different. I'm now the Venue Photo Manager at Sledge Hockey which is an indoor venue, for another two weeks. I'm still shaking my head at how incredibly fast the actual Olympic Games went by after two and half years of preparation. Here are a few observations still fresh in my mind.

 

Alain-Pierre Hovasse at the Cypress Hill 2010 Vancouver Olympic venue. Hovasse is teaching at the Prague Worskhops

 

Plan as much as possible: we did for over two years, down to the very last detail. In the end however, be prepared to toss your plan right out the window, which is what we had to do. The warmest winter on record meant we had to scramble for all our outdoor events where I was involved at Cypress for Freestyle and Snowboard events. For three of the Finals, the course was only available on that day, (rather than days before) and frequently we had nothing set up an hour before the start of the event. It was incredible and sometimes a bit tense. So, plan plan and replan: it shows you what you need to have, rather than what you're going to get. Be flexible, know your stuff and be prepared for the worst case scenario.

The fact is, that although our venue was doomed to fail for so many reasons, it was the most succesful of all the venues. The first gold medal was won with us, and it was the first ever gold medal on Canadian soil in Canadian history (this was Canada's third Olympic Games). We proceeded to get four more for Canada, and one silver, the most of any venue for the host country. We had to change some training times and training sites, but all Finals were held on time and on venue. Other venues were also very successful. The last event was the last hockey game, Canada v USA, which went into sudden-death overtime resulting in a win for the host country. This last game sealed the deal as the most incredible Games we could ever have conjured up in our wildest dreams. Cypress started out with such low expectations just before the games and by the last day of competition went beyond what anyone could have imagined.

 

From my perspective as Venue Photo Manager, it was a huge challenge every day, but photographers on the whole paid us great compliments, some saying we should have been the blueprint for all other events. We accomodated all the very experienced teams of the major agencies, a lot of foreign non-English speaking clients, and a good measure of internet only photographers with low experience. Our goal was to make it the very best event ever for the photographers in every way. The elements were not in our favour but we overcame in the end. Even television, our usual competitor for standing space, actually helped out and gave us more photo positions than we had going in. This is just one of many examples of the kind of cooperation we received and gave out. Failure was simply never an option.

 

So, now the Paralympic has it's own set of challenges; much looser organization, lower staffing levels and lower attendance. We have just barely started (though officially not until the 12th, all teams are here practicing and we are open to the Press), but the stress levels are way way low. We have to be careful not to get too comfortable however: I want every one of the just over 200 accredited photographers coming to these games to have an equally amazing experience. The athletes here are giving their all (never make the mistake of thinking that disabled athletes are lesser athletes) and we have to continue to hold the bar up high no matter what the circumstances.