Calgary 1988 - looking back 20 years to the Olympic Games and its impact

[Coldrsx]

anyone have pictures?

I have one somewhere with me and howdy/heidi and the olympic flame passing by here in Edmonton.

[Humble Nonpareil]

Originally Posted by Doug

I've got 3 Olympic banners. More fond memories...climbing up a light standard with a wrench and screwdriver while my brother watched for cops.

Me 2.

I have a blue one.

One story that still haunts me though: Mom worked for 3M as a host at the airport, ferrying atheletes around and making sure they didn't feel misplaced when they landed.

At some point, she managed to meet Vladislav Tretiak and he bestowed upon her a signed goalie stick!! If you're old enough to know this name...I'm sure you understand the impact he had on the sport.

Well, she set the stick to the side in her office, and it got pinched.

I still long for the stick I never had.

One memory I'm partial to though, is that of the opening ceremonies. I was one of the MANY kids in the fancy blue suits and the silver sneakers (man, I wore those things out the following summer). I even got my certificate signed by Robin Perry, who was the fox that lit the big cauldron at McMahon Stadium. That made my 10yr old day.

Getting to see Canada play and beat the "evil" Germans (last Olies before the wall collapsed) and watching the Jamaicans go by on their sled upside down in the hairpin also resonate as fond recollections.

Thanks for the mems, IOC!

[Coldrsx]

^funny thing, i have a signed Tretiak i use for outdoor pond hockey:>

[ummagumma66]

i have a Tretiak jersey

[Edmonchuck]

@ Doug, are you sure that there wasn't going to be even greater upgrades vs what is happening now?

[You Need A Thneed]

I remember being at the ski jumping, seeing Eddie the Eagle's jump live, with 60,000 other people in attendance, some even standing on the flat areawhere skiiers slow down.

Yelling back and forth "Tastes Great" & "Less Filling" and doing lots of waves.

Fun times. I was 9 at the time.

[Edmonchuck]

Eddie the Eagle!!!!!!!!!

[mr.x]

Calgary had its time in the light...give it to someone else....not to mention that it's also about being original.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Edmonchuck

@ Doug, are you sure that there wasn't going to be even greater upgrades vs what is happening now?

Actually less. The upgrade plans at COP now include things like gymnasiums, athlete housing, a sports high school, a hotel and conference center. COP is a signifcant profit generator and the bet is that improved facilities could bring in even more. The only significant item that was planned for 2010 bid but not in the current plans was a wind screen for the ski jumps.

[RWin]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

Calgary had its time in the light...give it to someone else....not to mention that it's also about being original.

Right! I sure hope Vancouver gets it.

[Calgarian]

What a good way to gear up for the Vancouver Games.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

Calgary had its time in the light...give it to someone else....not to mention that it's also about being original.

Yeah, I hope Vancouver's Games go well and I wish them luck. Hopefully the Games have a big impact there as well.

I don't know as much as the Vancouver forumers probably know, but a few of the facilities will be converted to other uses in the future that will have a legacy effect. The Richmond Skating Oval will be converted to a multi-sport facility after the games (ice surfaces, ball sport courts, indoor soccer, etc.) with the ability to convert to a speed skating facility for future events via removeable flooring. The olympic village will be converted into a multi-use area after the Games, with condos, rental, parks and plazas, retail, etc. From what I can gather, the Canada Line, at least as a rapid transit corridor, was inevitble, but the Games bumped up its construction a few years. All in all, between Calgary and Vancouver, there should be some world class athletic facitilies for years to come, plus facitilites that have been converted to other good uses.

I don't think the notion of Calgary getting another Games in 15-20 years is to steal Vancouver 2010's thunder. It would just simply be something that would be of great benefit to Calgary and the region.

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by RWin

Right! I sure hope Vancouver gets it.

[Coldrsx]

[Mid1]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

They're gone from the signs already Mid, replaced with those new white "Heart of the New West" signs.

Too bad because I liked those signs. Anyone else think Howdy and Hidy look better then those new mascots for the Vancouver games?

[Surrealplaces]

Originally Posted by josh white

^ You might remember that Calgary bid and lost the 2005 expo bid to Nagoya, Japan. Expo is something I doubt Calgary will ever bid for again.

Agreed. Anotherr bid for the expo would be a waste of time. The bid process is far too political, and it's very difficult for a Canadian city (any Canadian city) to win it.


As far as the Olympics go, they really did change Calgary forever. Much of Calgary's bold, brash, can-do attitude can be attributed to the Olympics.

[Doug]

Plus Expos have been real money pits in recent years. They aren't the draw they once were.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by frinkprof

I don't think the notion of Calgary getting another Games in 15-20 years is to steal Vancouver 2010's thunder. It would just simply be something that would be of great benefit to Calgary and the region.

Well, I wouldn't bank on another Western North American Winter Olympics for a very long time. We had Calgary in '88, Salt Lake in 2002, Vancouver in 2010....the most logical future option for Canada is really Quebec City. But I would think the Summer Games should now be Canada's main priority, so forget the Winter Games altogether. Perhaps Toronto 20???

With Vancouver, I wouldn't want us to host the Winter Games again. We should be doing something different, keep the experience original. We held the World's Fair in '86, the Winter Games in 2010...maybe the Summer Games in like 40 years? Calgary should be doing the same.


Whistler Olympic Park was completed in December. It's where all the nordic trails are as well as the ski jumps:




And as you mentioned, Richmond oval:

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Mid1

Too bad because I liked those signs. Anyone else think Howdy and Hidy look better then those new mascots for the Vancouver games?

Both are good in their respective ways. Calgary's seem a bit eighties-ish and reflected the 1988 Games [and Canada] quite well.

Vancouver's trio mascots reflect west coast culture, its Asian influence, and First Nations myths. Not to mention that they're so adorably cute....they are a huge cash cow for VANOC.

[Mid1]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

Both are good in their respective ways. Calgary's seem a bit eighties-ish and reflected the 1988 Games [and Canada] quite well.

Vancouver's trio mascots reflect west coast culture, its Asian influence, and First Nations myths. Not to mention that they're so adorably cute....they are a huge cash cow for VANOC.

To me they seem weird but that's just my opinion. Been to Vancouver many times (alot of great times) and hopefully these games can further put it on the international scene . My other question for the past few years is what are they going to do with the Vancouver Downtown Eastside during the olympics?