Since we arrived last Wednesday, I’ve already experienced so much that I don’t know where to start. Perhaps the best place is with life in the Olympic Village, which really is very special. I was there in Salt Lake City and Turin, so I did have a rough idea of what to expect. But I like the Village most here in Vancouver. The rooms are lovely (there’s even a bathtub, hurrah!), there’s a lot of recreational facilities (Internet, game and TV lounges), huge gyms and, finally, a food tent with a wide variety on offer: McDonalds, McCafé, pizza, pasta, etc., and all of that around the clock.
The view from our beds directly over the skyline of Downtown Vancouver is impressive. Unfortunately, the weather hasn’t been especially good so far, as you’ve no doubt heard. It’s one of the main subjects of the press coverage.
So we were also pleased that the opening ceremony was indoors, although the atmosphere would probably have been even better in the open air. The closing ceremony of Salt Lake City and the opening and closing ceremonies of Turin are still clear in my mind. I remember very clearly the emotional moments and the great shows, but I also remember the long waits and freezing cold beforehand. So, I put a few too many layers on here and, with my ski jacket and around 20 degrees centigrade in the stadium, I really broke out in a sweat... Not something that usually happens at Winter Games ;)
It was a great feeling running into the stadium with the Swiss team. And, of course, I was especially pleased for and with Stéphane as Swiss flag-bearer.
So far, my training has gone well. Although I haven’t been able to train on the competition rink at all. Yesterday, my coach and I moved out of the Olympic Village and went to stay with a family in North Vancouver. As my competition doesn’t start for another 10 days, I still need a bit of peace to maintain my concentration and save my energy until then. But, I will, of course, be following the other competitions and crossing my fingers for the Swiss athletes. In particular, I’d like to say many congratulations to Anaïs and Antoine for their incredible performance in their Olympic debut. What a fantastic start for the Swiss figure-skating team!
Sarah Meier and Manuela Pesko
www.sarahmeier.ch
