They are getting closer, the Olympics are coming and like them or not, there is nothing you can do about it. For some strange reason I am leaning toward the not liking them side of things. This surprises me, as I am an Olympic junky when they are thousands of miles away but it seems not so much when they are in my own backyard. Once the flame is paraded through our little community in February 10th I will probably be held up in my basement, watching the events the way they are suppose to be watched, on my TV.
Fortunately if I must venture out into the mayhem, I will not have far to go. As an official celebration site, the Lynn Valley Village Plaza promises to be a hub of Olympic excitement. Lynn Valley residents will be able to gather without too much effort and watch the events amongst a crush of other Olympic revelers, on large screen TV's, set up around the plaza. There will also be live performances under a covered stage every evening along with all sorts of other activities for kids and adults alike. There is a chance even a curmudgeon like me might enjoy themselves but the pessimist in me says otherwise.
As a community we stand to get a lot of international attention, as the media shows off our small backwoods neighborhood to the world. Will this make a big difference you our lives in the years to come? I doubt it. I believe that any concerns about being under a media microscope are unfounded. The exposure we receive may attract a few more tourists in the coming years but out side of that, Lynn Valley will remain the same.
If you don't believe me, just take 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 pin point them on a map or if they have been there.
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 such as me, acquiring tickets to events is either cost prohibitive or simply unavailable. The Lynn Valley Celebration Centre is their best opportunity to share in some of the Olympic experience and who am I to deprive them of that.
In the end, I am sure my curmudgeon self will yield to the Olympic loving persona but until then, "Olympics?"
"Bah Humbug!"
Lynn Valley Olympics