Fire & Snow - a good mix?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a full supporter of the Olympic Games and as a child once dreamed of being an Olympic athlete. I was a competitive figure skater and so the drive of competition and sportsmanship and pride in one's country drives me to watch the Olympics on TV every 4 years. I love it and can't wait to attend the Winter Olympics in my hometown of Vancouver when they're here in 2010.

However, sometimes I think some things to do with the Olympics should be reconsidered. For example, the women ski jumpers who are still not allowed to compete. In this day and age? Come on! If the sport allows men to compete then the women should be competing too. That's a no brainer. But then there's also the issue of the cost of the games. I know the two week event itself is a huge cost but I support that. I think the Games is a great way to bring the world together in a positive way but I do think the money spent on some aspects of the Olympics could be better spent elsewhere.

I saw on the news today that the Olympic flame en route to Beijing made it all the way up to the top of Mount Everest. What? Why does this fire need to be mixed with snow? Climbing Mount Everest (albeit very cool!) involves a lot of cost and I really don't think a random flame needs to make this trek....especially when the money used to pay for that expedition could be used towards much needed social services in the host City of the games. I know there's the traditionalist view that the flame travels from Greece around the world to the host city, and I support that tradition, but wouldn't a direct flight from Greece to Beijing suffice? And it would be cheaper! Just think of how expensive it is for that flame and all of it's caretakers and PR people etc to travel the world from city to city and protest to protest. I would never attend one of those protests but I do think the money spent on this could be better spent. Here's my suggestion: I think that every time a City is awarded an upcoming Olympics, that the 'flame' budget should go to the Host City for social services or some sort of betterment of the Host City leading up to the games. That way, the flame travels to the City and creates a legacy for years to come. The flame could live beyond the two week event and be shared with people from around the world! Now that's a good mix of Fire and Snow!

I was like a kid meeting a mascot!

I don't recall meeting that many mascots in my life, or maybe I just wasn't all that interested but last week I had the opportunity to meet Quatchi, Sumi and Miga - the mascots for the 2010 Olympics and wow, was I like a kid in a candy store! I was so thrilled to have my camera on hand and I snapped photos of me with each of them. It was really fun! Not sure why, but seeing the cute mascots just brought out the wee kid in me and I wanted to play...it was kinda like I turned 6 years old all of a sudden. Now clowns on the other hand have the complete opposite effect. I don't like clowns. They're scary....they always were as a kid and even more so now as an adult. But the Olympic Mascots....they're the best and made me so happy!