The Bubbies &
Zaidas Blogging group found ourselves with a rare opportunity to enjoy
each other's company and reflect last Monday. It was the day after the
closing Olympic Ceremonies in Sochi and so we spent some time chatting
about the Olympics in Calgary in 1988 and other musings. Here are our
thoughts for your enjoyment.
We talked a lot about Western Spirit and trying to define what that was. The 1988 Calgary Olympics were the first games that didn't end up in a deficit, and that is attributed, in large part, to the many volunteers. At that time Calgary had a real small town attitude, we would depend on each other to get things done. This attitude extended to our neighbors as well. Okotoks
opened their town to the Russian teams to practice. Folks were fighting for
space in Calgary to practice. So the Russians went south, and Okotoks had a unique cultural exchange.
There was a sense that the Olympics were getting too big and too
expensive and we wanted to show that you could do it on the cheap. The
buildings were meant to be used repeatedly, and they have proven to be.
Here are some 1988 Olympics Observations from Manny. "I was part of the Emergency Transport Office. If athletes needed a ride somewhere or there was a problem, we were called. I remember that in the evenings Eddie the Eagle had nothing to do so he would come
into the office. He was aware that folks thought he was a joke and he used to day: "I am the best that
England has to offer!". He was a real character.
We used to pick up
the athletes who had just competed and bring them down to Electric Avenue. For those too young to know what that was it was a strip of
nightclubs on 11 ave SW. It was the hotspot for nighttime activity.
Another experience I had was picking up the Swiss bobsled team. They had arranged to have their bobsled painted once they arrived in Calgary, so I was to take them to a Swiss fellow who had a paint shop in Bowness. All of a sudden, one of the Swiss team starts taking off his clothes, his jacket, his shirt...
I asked what are you doing?
He had a slab of Swiss bacon strapped to his body to give to his fellow country man in thanks for painting the bobsled!"
Finally he shares: I was at the opening and closing ceremonies for Calgary and we were all cheering so hard the stands were shaking!
Bob tells us "My Olympic experience was slightly different. The Olympic organizing committee advertised for locals to take in billets during the Olympics. We had a couple from the US who expected us to wait on them had and foot! I would say I was a volunteer driver, talked into it from our Billets from Philadelphia. Because we were so generous our Olympic experience was my wife cooking and me driving around as a taxi driver. In reality I didn't mind driving around as I got to see alot of the Olympics."
Bruce shared “I did a lot of weight lifting during the Olympics - 8 oz at a time” He remembers it fondly but as a time of a lot of work and a lot of high security. "During the Olympics I was responsible for the janitors at Telus. Telus sent all of the janitors home because they were afraid that folks would sabotage the Olympics. I hired a contractor to weld the man holes shut because they were afraid of sabotage. After the Olympics we had to open them up!"
Sandi was a volunteer down at the Olympic plaza. Her job description was never very clear but she remembers it fondly. She also shared that she was one of the pin collectors and she still has an Olympic pin collection.
Irina was the only blogger on our team who has been to Sochi. She tells us of a visit 30 years ago, when she was still a teacher: "It is not a big city. It is by the Black Sea. The subtropics. A resort town. It was very expensive to go but on the rare occasion the government gave you a deal to go. It is an all inclusive resort (like in Mexico). I received papers from the government who gave me a deal. It is rare for someone like a teacher to get one. This was during the days of Communism. From the Ukraine it was a 3 - 4 hour trip. It was so much different than what I remember."
The final word will now go back to Bob who spent some time exploring the display at the Jewish Centre:
Hats off to Sylvia Rempel, founder of Sun
Ice Ltd. Clothing Co, 59 Discovery Ridge Point S.W. Calgary AB T3H 4R1. And what
a wonderful legacy, - supporting women, men and children in underprivileged
countries.
Now it's YOUR TURN. Share your Olympic Memories in the comment section of our blog!!
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