Today was the final day of the 21st Olympic Games.
Ben Koons, New Zealand’s 
first and only male nordic skiing Olympian finally finished his Olympic race. The 50km race was one of the hardest competitions here at the Whistler Olympic park. In addition to being arguably the toughest race course on the planet, the weather made the challenge even greater. Rain, wet and very slow snow greeted the strongest field of competitors in the world as they approached the mass start. Read More
As a long-time coach of juniors in Nordic combined and cross country skiing, I find it exciting to see my former athletes skiing here at the Olympic Games. 
It brings back lots of memories and also makes you think who are the athletes that win Olympic medals.
Today was, for me, one of the happiest days of my career as a coach. One of my former skiers won a gold medal. Read More
In the last week of the Games, the excitement of the event is still very high. For most sports, the last events are the team events, and with National pride on the line, the competition is definitely exhilarating to watch.
In skiing the success of the team is truly dependent on the performance of every athlete. It is also in a big way dependent on the performance of their skis. Wax plays a huge role in the very difficult snow and weather conditions of the Whistler Olympic Park. Read More
The Olympics are not just an athletic event. It is hard to fathom the 
magnitude of the whole business and how much is involved in organizing such an event.
For example, transportation. It seems that all the buses from both the U.S. and Canada are currently present in the Vancouver area. Most are decorated with Vancouver signs. Talking with the bus drivers I’ve found out that they have come from as far as Pennsylvania, Texas and even Florida! I’ve heard that there are about two thousand buses involved in the three-week-long games. Read More
After yesterday’s trip to Vancouver, I realized the difference between sport fans and athletic fans.
As you know, the Vancouver Olympic Games are actually held in two places: Vancouver hosts the indoor sports like figure skating, hockey, curling and speed skating. Whistler sports are outdoor-oriented and include skiing, biathlon and sliding events like luge, bobsleigh and skeleton. Read More
Life in the Olympic athlete’s village reminds me of an ideal, albeit fictional, community. The dining hall is open 24 hours a day and serves foods prepared by 
famous Canadian chiefs. Acer Computers are the official sponsor of the village, so there are three computer centers with skype video and teleconferencing capabilities. There are two large game rooms with Nintendo Wii systems, ping-pong, and pool tables. There is a large fitness center, several cafés and a full service medical/dental center. Read More
Today was a tough day for the New Zealand Nordic ski team. Ben Koons had everything he needed for a successful first time Olympic race: great skis, good wax, 
and a perfect sunny day. The only thing he was missing was the experience necessary to compete in an Olympic competition, an event where every tactical mistake has a huge consequence on a skier’s performance. Read More
After last night’s coaches meeting, I decided to go check out the Whistler village, about a 10-minute bus ride from the Olympic athletes’ village. This is the heart of 
the “Whistler half” of the 21st Olympic Games, with the other half being the “Vancouver Half.”
I was blown away with the decorations in the village, and the number of people celebrating the games and taking part in all the festivities available. Read More
The Olympic Games are now in full swing and everyone has gotten their daily schedule down to a routine. Well, at least as routine as it could be at the Olympics!
My day starts at 7 a.m. with a quick breakfast 
and a bus ride to the Nordic venue, which is about seven miles away from the Whistler Olympic Village. Again, on the way to the venue, every bus must pass a full security check. Interestingly enough, the majority of the check while leaving the secured territory focuses on the underside of the bus. This 
operation takes about 5 minutes in addition to the 5 minutes it normally takes to open the security tent. It might not sound like much, but a 15-minute ride quickly becomes half an hour. Read More
The first day of cross country racing was filled with surprises. Some of these surprises were good, and some not so good. I will start from a disappointment on the New Zealand team.
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