Twelve hours and counting...

Well, Avie shoots in just about 11.5 hours. I brought my cameras to capture her in practice a few days ago. Here she is shooting air pistol and also sport pistol.






On an unrelated note: I was asked about the death of an American tourist in Beijing today. I was surprised, especially with the police presence here. I saw a fight breakout last night near Tiananmen Square, between a street vendor and someone else. Before it got too intense, police descended and put an end to it. Still, for about 3-4 minutes, they went at it. Unfortunately, a knife-wielding crazed person can end a life in that little period of time. People here are shocked, as it is very safe for foreigners. I can only imagine how much tighter the security will become with this incident in mind.

Mixed Messages in Beijing

I went to view the Opening Ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics last night. Since I couldn't afford/get tickets, I watched the CBC feed from the BC Pavillion beside Tiananmen Square. Canada Olympic House, which supports Canadian Olympians' families and friends abroad, threw a party and arranged the feeds. Actually, they fed us as well: BC salmon, prime rib sandwiches, stirfry and ribs, plus dessert, popcorn, wine and beer (Budweiser, not Labatts or Molsons *sigh*) . All for free which was a very nice thing indeed. I may have gained a pound or two.

Highlight of the evening: lots of proud parents/brothers/sisters in attendance, cheering anything Canadian and singing "Oh Canada". The people at COH really did a great job.

I stayed long enough to watch Canada, and more importantly, Avianna enter the stadium. I videotaped the monitor and then viewed/rewound, until I was sure that I had found her, with her hat on sideways. Before I could text her that questions, she called me from the floor of the stadium. Here first words: "We made it, hon. We made it to the Olympics. " The only call that I've received that was better, was when Irina called me to tell me that Avianna won Gold at the Pan american Games, winning the Olympic quota for Canada.

So, I found that Avianna was wearing her hat sideways, along with Johan Sauer, because they hated the hat but HAD to wear it. The side benefit was that it helped me find her in the crowd of 331(+/-) Canadian athletes.

That being seen, my evening was complete. (There was an on air interview afterwards with Avie which I missed, but that's life.) I decided to get home, which wasn't going to be easy. I'm living on the west end of Beijing and Tiananmen Square is east/central Beijing. Unfortunately, while China wants to portray itself as a world player, its paranoid about people acting freely. As such, they locked down the core. You couldn't get into the streets around Tiananmen Square. The subway stops around the square were all closed. Police and military were everywhere.

Since I couldn't walk up to the Tiananmen East subway stop, I decided to go east and north to Wanfuxing (sp??) stop. I walked east for a quite a distance until I found a street heading north. As I walked up there, it got weird. First, there were police and military about every 20-30 metres, 1 on each side of the street facing each other. Occasionally, there would be a plainsclothed "volunteer". Also, I should mention that there were the odd white van filled with military, who could quickly arrive where they might be needed.

So, I got almost all the way up to the subway line, via a long street with no cross roads, when a police van issuing commands started driving my way. everyone turned around and started walking south. Not me: I wanted to get outta here, so I kept northward. Finally, a military guy comes up and points south, when I was about 60 feet from my destination. He wanted me to walk 20 minutes south, and then go eastward again and circle back north, adding about 45 minutes to my walk. I didn't like that, so I played dumb (which I am very, very good at.)

I told him that I wanted to go to go north to the street. He smiled and pointed south. I said that I needed to get to the subway. He smiled, nodded and implied "Too bad..." Finally, I asked where the subway was. He pointed in the direction that I wanted to go. Immediately, I said "Ahhhh, xie xie!" (Ahhh, thanks!) and casually walked past him toward my goal. I was thining that this was either going to hurt or get me out of there. He said something and I kept walking. I guess that the overriding issue was not to offend westerners, so he let me past.

I then wandered into another bunch of police (not military this time) and they weren't happy to see me coming through their blockade. Again, natural stupidity saved my ass, as I asked where the subway stop was. The female officer told me were it was and I thanked her in Mandarin several times. Off I went. at this stage, even though I was out of the blockade, I ran a gauntlet of police who were stationed along the road every 10 feet. These guys weren't messing around.The only time that I saw anything like this, was in Athens as the riot police rolled out to hit a protest somewhere in the city. Even then, the Chinese presence made the Athenians look like amateurs.

Finally, I got on the almost empty subway and managed to get a seat (rare). The government has been discouraging participation in the games for the most part, restricting access or making it impossible to join in. The torch relay through the city was not open to common people. essentially, it was a coreographed event for the safe attendees. Lien wanted to see it but was denied. The opening was done similarly. As such, for the average Chinese, the Olympics is a TV-only event. I saw groups of people huddled around sets as I walked home. This left the streets virtually empty. Sort of a "Dawn of the Dead" creepiness filled the air.

I made it back in time to watch the Flame being lit. Talk about impressive. All I could think is that whatever Vancouver does, no matter how much it spends, it will look bad in comparson.

This morning, I woke late (yeah!) and Lien took me on a tour of the neighbourhood. We watched Tai Chi sword and staff in the park. As well, some guy was very proud to display his kungfu to me. Apparently, there aren't many westerners dropping by. It was too late and hot to join in, so maybe we'll be back in a few days after Avie's events to join in.

After the park, I went to the local market. Very cool. Food, clothing, services, everything was right there. Instead of purchasing breads and such as usual to bring home, we picked up some thousand year old egg and spoke with some of the shopkeepers, then headed off to a little restaurant. They made deep fried bread and wontons right there. We bought some and then headed indoors (they had A/C!!!!) for our meal. Again, I was a novelty. It was fun, filling and very tasty.

Eventually, we returned to the house, for me to work, and for Lien to meet up with some friends before her expedition to the range. Travelling within the city is screwy. Taxis and private cars aren't allowed near venues. Buslines are iffy and volunteers don't know enough. As such, it is a pain to get anywhere. (Another part of the plan to keep the masses away and watching the TV, which is double-plus good.) the ride to the range from the apartment is about 10 minutes. She's been gone almost three hours. Makes one question the Beijing Olympic motto: "We are ready!"

PS: Life improved dramatically 2 hours ago. I found the coffee in the apartment, that we left in April. Yes, its instant,but it is caffffffffffeinnnnnnnnnnnne.

The Big Bang Approaches

Today is the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and I waiting for it to get started. Its 11 am Beijing time and the ceremony starts at 8 pm. I've moved out of the village and have been staying at Lien's place in the west end of the city. Since I'm no longer accredited, I'll be watching the ceremony with the Canadian visitors at the British Columbia Pavillion, beside Tiananmen Square. The pavillion is where Canada Olympic House will be holding its activities during 'high security' times during the Olympics.

Canada Olympic House (COH) is where family and friends of Canadian athletes hang out. The COC runs this, as a way of taking care of people that the athletes might otherwise worry about. Now, the athletes can focus on performance and COH will feed and care for us. Its a good idea. Unfortunately, its main location is within the security zone, so only accredited people (not us) can get in. So, they acquired BC Pavillion (promoting BC and the 2010 Winter Olympics) for the night. Light dinner and refreshments will be made available, so we're set. Well, I'm taken care of.

The rest of the family will be watching the event at my aunts place. This way, they get to watch it in Chinese on CCTV and I get to listen to the show in English. Its easier for everyone and I get to switch off and be my anti-social self for a few hours. Yes, my iPod is charged.

Yesterday, while returning from an epic journey to get accreditation at COH, we were intercepted by the property manager. Someone had reported that a foreigner (me????) was staying in the building. We were politely sent directly over to the Police Station to report my presence. Papers were filled out and reports filed. Eventually, we were allowed to leave but the called back 2-3 times for more details. They had a hard time with my current lack of accreditation. Fortunately, I had taken the precaution of getting a regular visa, so I didn't get escorted to he airport.

Will post more later. Gotta do some stuff.

Awaiting my Pumpkin Carriage

Yep, the clock is counting down. I have what is known as "split accreditation", so multiple coaches can share entry into the village and venues. Well, mine comes to an end tonight at midnight, just like Cinderella. Didn't the Flintstones cartoon do a "Cinderella-Fella" bit? Hmm, I'll have to google that later.

But, before I ride off to my mother-in-law's condo (life ain't that bad in Beijing), I'll have dinner with Secretary of Sport, Helena Guergis. (Okay, not just me, but the entire shooting team, plus who knows who else.)

Basically, Ms. Guergis is the government's lead on sport. She influences what sport in Canada "is". Like, does Canada support the City of Toronto's Pan American Games bid? Well, I'm sure that the City's stand on the demonization of target shooters and Olympians won't come up often. Probably only once, but for about an hour. Ms. Guergis has already publically questioned the City's stand while bidding for the Games. I'll communicate to her that a provincial boycott of the Games by the shooting sports is underway if Toronto is involved in the Games (actually any games) in any capacity. We'll deny the City bragging rights and prestige. This is the only way that law abiding Canadian shooters can get the message across to politicians with agendas.

Also, before I ride off into the sunset, Avie and I will be attending the Canadian flag raising ceremony in the Village. I'm pumped for this. Hell, I put on the right uniform and shaved. I actually look nice, if you can believe it.

I better go. I might be able to make another entry before I ride out. If not, it will be in the land of normalacy. It sounds sorta nice.

Much better, thanks

Well, things are better today. First off, thanks to those who sent some encouragement my way (you know who you are). Apparently, I get whiney when I am jetlagged.

Its a bit of a grind here. The weather was iffy, but I'm managing the heat better than I had expected. Actually, Avie brings it up more than I do. Before dropping some weight, hot days knocked the hell out of me. Now, its "just hot" and I carry on with my business.

I'm realising that this place is a bit like high school. There are Olympians/athletes running for some sort of representative role with the IOC. Personally, I haven't focused on the issue, because I'm not eligible to vote as a coach. But, seeing the reps last night made me think of people running for student council. They line up in front of the cafeteria and smile, trying to engage people coming in or out. One fellow, a martial artist from Korea, has impressed me by standing out there since the first day we arrived. In the heat, in his martial arts gi (outfit), pressing hands and saying hi. He is trying hard, and apparently was noticed by the other candidates. Last night, EVERYBODY was out there, doing the same thing. Unfortunately, like student council elections, its coming off as style without substance. They should talk with Barack and learn how to communicate about issues.

Training went well yesterday. Still there are some isues to deal with. I spoke with Roger daniels from Trinidad and this is his second Olympics. He comented that he was more focused this time. In Athens, he felt distracted with idea of being at the Olympics. It doesn't get any bigger and that does play on your mind. Well, this is his second run and that distraction is behind him. The experience was good to hear and Avie and I both took it to heart. Yes, its big but its still just a shooting match.

My message to Avie has been pretty straightforward: you're prepared to perform. You've trained hard and put in many, many hours. This Olympics isn't about winning, but about performing to the best of your abilities. Perform and let the bean counters decide the standings afterwards.

Simply put, we are both here to learn and then apply that information for London 2012. I have learned and hope that I can put that knowledge to good use. This is Avie's fourth major games (2 Pan Ams, 1 Common Wealth, plus now the Olympics) and each experience brings new knowledge.

I'll probably dig myelf in deeper with the powers that be, but as a coach, I have to be pushier. Yes, that got me in trouble before, but the system doesn't support the meek. I need to identify all possible resources and then push them to deliver. We see and hear of programs at the Village, but we never heard of them at home. They aren't of much use here, while we're getting ready to perform. We'll see what is available and figure out how we can squeeze the system for more. If services cannot be communicated and delivered, then maybe I can inquire about them and acquire them for my athletes.

Okay: its 6:30 am (awoke at 4:54 am to my roommate reading text messages, after fighting to fall asleep witth his snoring) and I need to prep for breakfast and a day at the range. I also have a radio interview with an English-language Chinese radio station, that is broadcast around th world. Think of the Chinese version of "Voice of America". Should be different. Here's hoping that I don't say something that gets me removed from China.

The promise doesn't quite match the reality

Things are not quite what one would hope here. The promise doesn't quite match the reality. We have internet cafes and wireless hotspots but:

• I've been trying to get my email (via targetshooting.ca) and that isn't accessible.
• I've been trying to update my Facebook (via a browser) and that isn't accessible (intermittent?)

Its a bit of a drag, to say the least. Hopefully, it will improve over time.

Also, the weather didn't hold out. The smog is back and visibility is about 1-2 km. When you enter the 50 metre range (part indoor, part outdoor), the smog is evident. Even in the short 25 metre range, you can see the "air". Personally, while most people are following the odd/even rules for cars, it doesn't seem to be working. Its as bad or worse than anything that we saw in April, without the traffic restrictions. So far, it doesn't appear to be affecting the shooting athletes, but it is still several days out.

Most "big name" countries are here. I've seen Nestruev (Russia), Tirode and Dumoulin (France), Sekaric (Bosnia/Herzg.), Grozdeva (Bul.), Dorjsuren (Germany), to name just a few. I've seen Katy Emmons (Czech.), but no Matt Emmons (USA) or any other Americans. I had heard that the USA team was holding a pre-Olympic training camp in South Korea. That should allow them to acclimatise from the jet lag.

Personally, I'm having a tough time with waking up. I'm juggling some work issues (own damn fault) and working to clear them through. As such, I'm not sleeping well and when I do fall asleep, nothing wakes me up. I'm sleeping through alarms, phone calls, etc. Part of the problem is that I have a roommate (great guy, Eoin white) with a snoring problem. Actually, he doesn't have a problem snoring: he does it quite well. So, I wear my shooting earplugs to block it out. It does, as well as blocking out everything else. As such, I've missed two team dinners and barely got out on time for the bus in the morning.

I went to team services to see if they could help. Their help... wasn't. They have no alarm clocks. They went to show me how to use the alarm clock on the phone handed out, but, I didn't rate one of these. Yes, there is a hierarchy at the Games, and as a partially accredited coach, I am way down the list. The moral of this story, as with everything in our sport, is simple: total self-reliance. While in the Village, I should have assumed no alarms clocks (turned out to be the case) and should have brought two (the one I did bring is insufficient). I should have also prepped myself to make sure that I had real backup. (Because you have staff doesn't mean that you have the use of the staff.)

To be honest, and this will make me seem like a jerk, I am looking forward to leaving the Village. Yes, its very nice and the staff do their best to help. But, shooting is not a priority for the Canadian staff. We have one athlete who is considered a medal contender (Susan Nattrass), according to the guy from "Road to Excellence". As such, they don't talk to anyone else before the Games.

We're finding that there are some problems, but without access to the sport medicine specialists, we arrive to the Olympics with the problems. IF we had access beforehand, we could have addressed the issues months ago and arrived stronger. Being here, highlights what little regard is held for this sport by our NOC. So, the sooner that I am out, the sooner that I can plan for the next quadrennial, again focusing on how to make the most with whatever we can patch together.

This has been a good learning experience. There is a different mindset to preparing for the Olympics. The stakes seem higher.

Well, the lights have been turned off in the internet cafe and I've been told that they are closing. If I can find a hotspot that works, I'll come back online shortly.

Does this make my ass look big?

Well, we made it to Beijing without incident. The flight was 13 hours non-stop. No major hiccups at either airport. No lost luggage. No delays in ground transportation. Really, no problems and so much better than when we were here in April for the ISSF Beijing "Good Luck" World Cup.

What can I tell you so far? The hospitality is impressive. There are volunteers and facilities staff everywhere. Everyone wants to help and, if you can hand them a pin afterwards, they freak out. Its kinda funny. But, then it gets weird. Let me explain.

I like distance between myself and strangers. I tell people that I'm antisocial and they laugh and say "Sure." I smile and on we go. But, I really like space and when I can find it, solitude. (That's why I live in Toronto, and spend most of my time either coaching or training people. Go figure.)
What weirds me out is that everyone is SO nice and SO helpful. One person insisted in getting me a coffee in the self-serve line. I went there, because it was self-serve. This morning, I found an empty section in the village cafeteria at 6am. There was nobody near and I thought that is communicated a desire for solitude. So, a volunteer came to sit with me and chat. Don't they know better not to approach a Canadian just having his first cup of coffee.

Not to worry: I was polite, exchanged pleasantries, finished up fast and beat a hasty retreat. (Personally, I figure he was pretty tough. I had just finished jogging and was pretty sweaty. He probably thinks all westerners smell pretty nasty.)

What else? Well, the sun and sky is visible and things look lovely. Many people with more experience have said that the Beijing village (called Dream World 2008) is the nicest they've ever seen. The gardens pictured are lovely. The rooms are spacious by Chinese/European standards. Everything is clean, and, there are lots of volunteers saying hello.

Right now, I'm in one of the Village Super Recreation Centers. Essentially, there is wi-fi, computers, an arcade, meeting rooms, TVs (currently on BBC), business centre (fax, printers, etc.), and pretty comfy chairs and couches. Everything that you need to connect to the outside world. Unfortunately, I can't get to my regular email (haynes-at-targetshooting.ca). Somehow, I can't connect to it, but my yahoo account is good.

And what does the title mean? Well, I received a team package of clothing. Some of it looks really nice (some: not the Chinese-Canadian Maple Leaf Paisley Camo PJ Pants). Unfortunately, all the fit was the hat, a pair of flipflops (never to be worn) and a pair of shorts. I have sizes from small through 3-XL in my package. I don't know who put the package together, but they must have been on drugs. So, this afternoon, I'm off to fitting and hopefully I can get them swapped. Yes, I'm getting the full experience.

Okay, enough rambling. We hope to hit the range tomorrow. Keep y'all posted.