The Olympic Flame passed through the Maritimes recently, and after seeing it in Halifax, I proceeded to follow it all the way to New Brunswick! I attend the ceremonies in Halifax and caught a glimpse of Sidney Crosby – and more importantly, Olympic snowboarder Sarah Conrad. My friends and I used to snowboard with Sarah – in the fall – behind Cole Harbour Place – on Zamboni snow. Her father was a big advocate for the sport even then, and built the first rails that Martock ever used, if memory serves me. Go Sarah!
The Halifax Ceremony featured music by Skratch Bastid and Classified, and tons of Coca-Cola and RBC memorabilia and exhibits. People were scrambling to get the limited edition cola bottles – especially the one that glows different colors. Gotta love corporate sponsorship – and Coke is certainly the king.
A week later, I found myself in the car headed to Moncton, New Brunswick to see the torch once more. Turns out my sister there was chosen as a torch-bearer – and all the family was converging on Moncton to show their support. So my lovely wife an I drove 600 km return to see Monica wield the flame or 10 minutes or so. Long drive, but certainly worth it to see this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Go Canada! Even though I won’t be at the Games on the other side of the continent, it was nice to experience a part of them at home.
