They’re getting closer, the Olympics are coming up, and like it or not, there’s nothing you can do about it. For some strange reason, I lean towards the side of things that I don’t like. This surprises me, as I’m addicted to the Olympics when they’re thousands of miles away, but it doesn’t seem so when they’re in my own backyard. Once he calls her a parade through our little community on February 10th, I’ll probably be kept in my basement, watching the events the way they’re supposed to be seen, on my TV.
Fortunately, if I must venture into chaos, I won’t have to go far. As the official site of the celebration, Lynn Valley Village Plaza promises to be a hub of Olympic excitement. Lynn Valley residents will be able to effortlessly gather and watch the events among a throng of other Olympic revelers on big-screen televisions set up around the plaza. There will also be live performances under a covered stage every night along with all kinds of activities for children and adults alike. There’s a chance that even a curmudgeon like me would have fun, but the naysayer in me says otherwise.
As a community, we can get a lot of international attention as the media showcases our little neighborhood to the world. Will this make a big difference in our lives for years to come? I doubt it. I think any concern about being under the media microscope is unfounded. The exposure we receive may attract a few more tourists in the years to come, but other than that, Lynn Valley will remain the same.
If you don’t believe me, just grab this list of the last five Winter Olympic sites.
1992 – Albertville, France
1994 – Lillehammer, Norway
1998 – Nagano, Japan
2002 – Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
2006 – Torino (Turin), Italy
Ask 10 people if they can point them out on a map or if they have been there. 80% of those surveyed will say, “I have no idea and no, I don’t.” This will be the same for Lynn Valley. Once the Olympics are over, our 15 days of fame will also be over and we can go back to living in anonymity.
I think the biggest advantage of being a celebration site is that my children will be able to experience some of the excitement of the Olympics. For an average citizen like me, purchasing tickets to events is either prohibitively expensive or simply not available. The Lynn Valley Celebration Center is your best opportunity to share in some of the Olympic experience and who am I to deprive you of that.
In the end, I’m sure my curmudgeonly self will give in to the Olympian love persona, but until then, “Olympics?”
“Bah bullshit!”