A Glimpse Behind the Opening Ceremony Curtain

One of my sources of frustration leading up to arriving at the 2010 Vancouver Games was my lack of itinerary.

When I arrived here, I understood why. Microsoft has been working directly with the United States Olympic Committee on securing me event access. The USOC is juggling 25,000 members of the international media.

It would be safe to say they have just a few things on their plate.

That said, they still managed to score me tickets to the Opening Ceremony. The plan was for me to go with Kevin Neuedorf, USOC Public Relations Manager and sit with the press corps.

Then The Tragedy of the Track happened when Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritaschvili was killed during a training run. Kevin needed to be there so I flew solo.

Or rather, I rode the media bus. One of the perks of being an accredited member of the press is shuttles are provided to many events and media accommodations. I underwent an airport-esque security screening at the Main Press Centre (MPC) prior to boarding the buses to BC Place Stadium.

The entrance for the press was behind heavily veiled curtains, befitting of the Land of Oz. But on the other side were the same over-priced food booths that were found in the public concourse.

Such the anti-climax, just like The Wizard.

The press section was two-tiered. Media who were reporting live were given tables and Wi-Fi. The rest of us were ushered to a seating area located just above the main performance floor and a stone’s throw away from the presentation balcony.

We were given an embargoed media guide with background information and descriptions of each segment with supporting images and text. Everyone in attendance received an Audience Kit that kit that contained a small Canadian flag, battery-powered candle, an LED flashlight, a drumstick, and a blue, white or lavender poncho.

Mine was blue. I think. It was dark and my post-Lasik night vision sucks.

The hour prior to the Opening Ceremony, the audience practiced our role in the performance. There were 230 audience leaders positioned throughout the stadium who cued us, demonstrating when and how to use our props.

And then the Opening Ceremony was underway. Ecstatically, I joined in the wave during the countdown and threw myself into the audience-participation portion of the program.

Until I looked around. Only one-third of the media had bothered to wear their ponchos. Even fewer opened their Audience Kit.

Killjoys.

If you watched the Opening Ceremony, you know it was a visual spectacle that highlighted Canada’s distinct cultures , music and art. Oh, and in keeping with national patriotism, there may have been one or two (thousand) maple leafs that rained down on us.

It was every bit as magical as it appeared on television. A few highlights

*Seeing the athletes’ faces as they entered the stadium for the first time, their Olympic dream finally realized.

* A 20-metre LED light covered bear dropped out of the sky to the main stage in a cascade of falling stars.

*When the audience recreated a northern light sky with thousands of LED flashlights. Giant projectors transformed the night sky into a star chart.

Hands down, the most powerful moment of the evening—something that could never be captured on camera—was when the athletes from Georgia walked in. A blanket of emotion enveloped the crowd as we uniformly stood to honor their teammate who had tragically died earlier that day.

Final respects were made. Tears were shed. And it was a sobering reminder of the dangers as well as the glory that can only come from being a part of the Olympic experience.