After a long and tiring Friday, it was good that Saturday was my next day off. My host family were going skiing in Whistler, and had invited me to go with them, and I was pleased to be able to accept. The journey up the coast wasn't as picturesque as it could have been due to rain and low cloud, but I did get glimpses of the beauty and splendour of the 'sea to sky' route as it's known.
On arrival in Whistler, my host family went off skiing whilst I headed into the village to meet Carolyn. It was good to catch up with her after a week, and to hear how the chaplaincy is going in the Athletes' Village in Whistler. This is where all the snow-based Paralympians and their support staff are located. As there are more teams and athletes here, it is busier than the Vancouver Village, and a good number of athletes have dropped into the Whistler Multi-Faith Centre, even though attendances at Prayer and Bible Study sessions haven't yet been that great. It was also interesting to note that some things which seem to work well in Vancouver don't work so well in Whistler - which just goes to show that chaplaincy, and indeed all Christian ministry, needs to take account of its context in order best to fulfil its aim.
After Carolyn left to begin her shift at 2pm, I explored Whistler itself, including the Aboriginal (First Nations) Centre and the Austria House. The latter was built on sustainable and energy efficient principles and after the Paralympics will become part of the legacy to the Whistler community. During the Games, it is home to the Austrian Paralympic Committee, and as part of that it offers tasters of Austrian food and hospitality. To do this it is staffed by a lecturer and group of tourism students from Austria and, as such, is an example of how the Games can also provide all sorts of opportunities outside of sport. I also enjoyed a longish walk around one of the cross-country ski trails. Although there is a lot of good snow in and around Whistler, especially at higher altitudes, the cross-country ski trails have closed a few weeks early due to the warm weather last month.
After my host family returned from their skiing, we ate together before going to the medal ceremonies for the day's snow events. At these Paralympics, as with the preceding Olympics, these ceremonies are conducted in the evening to enable more people to attend them. We also visited an exhibition highlighting some of the developments and innovations that have taken place in Paralympic sport over the years, before returning to Vancouver in time for me to conduct a live telephone interview with BBC Radio Solent's Sunday morning programme - it was really strange speaking on a Sunday morning programme whilst it was still Saturday here.....
Monday, 15 March 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Opening Ceremony Day
Instead of snow, it was rain that greeted me on Friday as I walked to catch the bus into the Village for another early shift. Despite the weather, there did seem to be more people around in the Village, though, perhaps because Opening Ceremony Day has finally arrived, and so the Tenth Paralympic Winter Games are about to begin.
The shift started as usual with some admin and preparation, followed by an expectant wait to see if anyone would come for the 9am Bible Study, but they didn't. A visit to the Polyclinic followed. However, before that visit there was a telephone called which drastically changed the shape of the day.
Earlier on in the week, one of the other chaplains has heard that there was a shortage of volunteers for the Opening Ceremony, so he, myself and a third chaplain said we'd be willing to help. But we heard nothing. Not long after the beginning of my shift a few phone calls were made and received, ending with a request that the 3 volunteer chaplains be at the stadium for a briefing by 1130am. Apparently, we were to be 'people managers' as "presumably that's what chaplains do a lot of the time".
The short notice was fine for me as it's only a 20minute walk from the Village to the Stadium, and one of the other chaplains wasn't too far away; but the third chaplain was still at home on the edge of Vancouver, so she had quite a dash. Our administrator ably held the fort in the Multi-Faith Centre to ensure cover there. At the briefing, we learned that we would each lead a team of at least 10 other volunteers undertaking various roles in connection with getting spectators into and out of the stadium. However, that plan was shelved when it was realised that we don't wear volunteer uniforms [See: 8th March - Accreditation and all that]; and instead we were assigned to the 'Fast Response Team'. After a familiarisation tour of the stadium, we were given a radio and stationed at the Information Booth to help them with whatever they needed whilst listening out for calls for help and action that might be needed elsewhere. Then the challenges followed......
I got our first call which was "We need you and your team to block off a gents washroom so that the public can't use it. It needs doing but we don't have the resources to do it, make it happen"!! Apart from the incongruity of asking a woman to work in/around a gents' toilet, this was an interesting task, to say the least. It felt a bit like one of those TV programmes where contestants are given apparently impossible tasks. But within 15 minutes myself and one of the other chaplains had sourced barrier posts, tape with 'Danger' written on it, sticky tape, marker pens, paper, and enough French vocabulary to be able to write a sign in both English and French, and the gents toilets were effectively sealed off!! Don't ask exactly how we acquired everything, but it was pleasing to see that our self-made barricade was still in place when we walked past at the end of the evening some 6 hours later.
After this, our tasks were mainly answering people's questions, directing them to places, and taking wheelchairs to collect members of the public from their arrival point and take them to their seats, and vice verse after the ceremony. We were also privileged to be told to take time off and watch the Opening Ceremony. Our duties meant that we missed the first and last 15 minutes, and we watched from some of the few vacant seats very high up in the stadium, but it was a fantastic experience.
Our role in the stadium made for a long day (I'd left my hosts at 7am and didn't get back until 11:45pm) but it was a good one. As well as the privilege of being present at the Opening Ceremony, I felt humbled by some of those I pushed in wheelchairs, was irritated by some of the public who made unjust demands on volunteers, and had a whole lot of new experiences doing something so different from my usual role. Some may question what this had to do with sports chaplaincy, but it was very practical Christian service, not just to the general public, but also to those volunteers we worked alongside. Our hope is that this spoke as much of God as what we normally try and do.
The shift started as usual with some admin and preparation, followed by an expectant wait to see if anyone would come for the 9am Bible Study, but they didn't. A visit to the Polyclinic followed. However, before that visit there was a telephone called which drastically changed the shape of the day.
Earlier on in the week, one of the other chaplains has heard that there was a shortage of volunteers for the Opening Ceremony, so he, myself and a third chaplain said we'd be willing to help. But we heard nothing. Not long after the beginning of my shift a few phone calls were made and received, ending with a request that the 3 volunteer chaplains be at the stadium for a briefing by 1130am. Apparently, we were to be 'people managers' as "presumably that's what chaplains do a lot of the time".
The short notice was fine for me as it's only a 20minute walk from the Village to the Stadium, and one of the other chaplains wasn't too far away; but the third chaplain was still at home on the edge of Vancouver, so she had quite a dash. Our administrator ably held the fort in the Multi-Faith Centre to ensure cover there. At the briefing, we learned that we would each lead a team of at least 10 other volunteers undertaking various roles in connection with getting spectators into and out of the stadium. However, that plan was shelved when it was realised that we don't wear volunteer uniforms [See: 8th March - Accreditation and all that]; and instead we were assigned to the 'Fast Response Team'. After a familiarisation tour of the stadium, we were given a radio and stationed at the Information Booth to help them with whatever they needed whilst listening out for calls for help and action that might be needed elsewhere. Then the challenges followed......
I got our first call which was "We need you and your team to block off a gents washroom so that the public can't use it. It needs doing but we don't have the resources to do it, make it happen"!! Apart from the incongruity of asking a woman to work in/around a gents' toilet, this was an interesting task, to say the least. It felt a bit like one of those TV programmes where contestants are given apparently impossible tasks. But within 15 minutes myself and one of the other chaplains had sourced barrier posts, tape with 'Danger' written on it, sticky tape, marker pens, paper, and enough French vocabulary to be able to write a sign in both English and French, and the gents toilets were effectively sealed off!! Don't ask exactly how we acquired everything, but it was pleasing to see that our self-made barricade was still in place when we walked past at the end of the evening some 6 hours later.
After this, our tasks were mainly answering people's questions, directing them to places, and taking wheelchairs to collect members of the public from their arrival point and take them to their seats, and vice verse after the ceremony. We were also privileged to be told to take time off and watch the Opening Ceremony. Our duties meant that we missed the first and last 15 minutes, and we watched from some of the few vacant seats very high up in the stadium, but it was a fantastic experience.
Our role in the stadium made for a long day (I'd left my hosts at 7am and didn't get back until 11:45pm) but it was a good one. As well as the privilege of being present at the Opening Ceremony, I felt humbled by some of those I pushed in wheelchairs, was irritated by some of the public who made unjust demands on volunteers, and had a whole lot of new experiences doing something so different from my usual role. Some may question what this had to do with sports chaplaincy, but it was very practical Christian service, not just to the general public, but also to those volunteers we worked alongside. Our hope is that this spoke as much of God as what we normally try and do.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Let it snow.....
I awoke on Thursday to a fairly thick carpet of snow that had fallen during the night. Although forecasted by some, it was a surprise to many. However, it didn't last long thanks to the freezing rain that was falling by the time I arrived at the Village. By mid-morning, the snow had gone and the sun was trying to break through the thick clouds that shrouded the mountains to the north of Vancouver.
What has become my daily routine in the Village wasn't disrupted by the weather, although there did seem to be far fewer people out and about. This might have been due to the weather but also might have been down to it being the last full day of pre-competition training for most athletes in the Vancouver Village. I know that some (if not all) of the curling teams were due to train on the ice at the competition venue today rather than the other rinks they've been using until now.
As usual my day included the 9am Bible Study and Prayer session (although once again no-one came); some time manning the Multi-Faith Centre; some general visiting around the Village; some admin; a visit to the Polyclinic; and a time or prayer and sharing with the other chaplains and our administrator. Having been invited to do so, I also paid another visit to Paralympic GB, taking with me a birthday card signed by all of us in the Multi-Faith Centre today for someone whose birthday it was. When far away from home, things such as birthdays can feel quite strange, so it was good to help this person mark a special day.
Just as I as about to leave, two team assistants from another team called into the Multi-Faith Centre to see what facilities and services we had to offer. It was good to be able to show them around, and then share in discussion with them and the other chaplains as to how best we could serve their team.
What has become my daily routine in the Village wasn't disrupted by the weather, although there did seem to be far fewer people out and about. This might have been due to the weather but also might have been down to it being the last full day of pre-competition training for most athletes in the Vancouver Village. I know that some (if not all) of the curling teams were due to train on the ice at the competition venue today rather than the other rinks they've been using until now.
As usual my day included the 9am Bible Study and Prayer session (although once again no-one came); some time manning the Multi-Faith Centre; some general visiting around the Village; some admin; a visit to the Polyclinic; and a time or prayer and sharing with the other chaplains and our administrator. Having been invited to do so, I also paid another visit to Paralympic GB, taking with me a birthday card signed by all of us in the Multi-Faith Centre today for someone whose birthday it was. When far away from home, things such as birthdays can feel quite strange, so it was good to help this person mark a special day.
Just as I as about to leave, two team assistants from another team called into the Multi-Faith Centre to see what facilities and services we had to offer. It was good to be able to show them around, and then share in discussion with them and the other chaplains as to how best we could serve their team.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Paralympic Torch Relay reaches Vancouver
Wednesday was officially a day off for me, and I was pleased that it coincided with the Paralympic Torch Relay's arrival in Vancouver. This torch relay is different from the Olympic one in that it is not a continuous relay but is more community based. It started in Ottawa on 3rd March with a ceremony that involved torchbearers representing each of Canada's provinces and territories. Unlike the Olympic flame, the Paralympic flame has no 'ancestral home'. On each day of the 2010 relay, the flame is lit by representatives of the First Nation on whose territory the celebration is taking place. Today the flame was lit by elders of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and its first stop in Vancouver was a local community park.
Although the Paralympic Torch Relay lacks the history and continuity of the Olympic version, it felt like a great celebration of triumph over adversity and the role that sport can play in this. There were 22 torchbearers who took it in turns to run, walk or be pushed around a 400m circuit of the park. People with a wide variety of disabilities were included, and each had a different story to tell. It was also a community celebration, where disabled and able-bodied people, young and old, mingled together in a relaxed and happy way that I have rarely experienced before. I ended up talking with several people during the event, both local people from the community and also disabled athletes who'd come to join in the celebration from slightly further afield, including a Paralympic Gold medallist from Atlanta in 1996 who was so pleased that the Paralympics had come to her city.
After this uplifting celebration of the human spirit, I headed into the centre of Vancouver. Here, among other things, I visited the Olympic and Paralympic countdown clocks (the former having already counted down to zero), and the Olympic Cauldron on the waterfront near Canada Place. This, of course, is currently unlit but a burning flame will soon be shining out from it again, once the Opening Ceremony for this Paralympic Games has taken place.
Although the Paralympic Torch Relay lacks the history and continuity of the Olympic version, it felt like a great celebration of triumph over adversity and the role that sport can play in this. There were 22 torchbearers who took it in turns to run, walk or be pushed around a 400m circuit of the park. People with a wide variety of disabilities were included, and each had a different story to tell. It was also a community celebration, where disabled and able-bodied people, young and old, mingled together in a relaxed and happy way that I have rarely experienced before. I ended up talking with several people during the event, both local people from the community and also disabled athletes who'd come to join in the celebration from slightly further afield, including a Paralympic Gold medallist from Atlanta in 1996 who was so pleased that the Paralympics had come to her city.
After this uplifting celebration of the human spirit, I headed into the centre of Vancouver. Here, among other things, I visited the Olympic and Paralympic countdown clocks (the former having already counted down to zero), and the Olympic Cauldron on the waterfront near Canada Place. This, of course, is currently unlit but a burning flame will soon be shining out from it again, once the Opening Ceremony for this Paralympic Games has taken place.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Settling into a daily routine
Another early start on Tuesday, as I was on the early shift once more. (It seems that I've mostly been allocated this 8am-3pm one.) Once again, I got a lift and so was at the Multi-Faith Centre before 7:30am. My first task was to prepare my Bible Study notes for the 9am prayer and Bible study session. I opted for Psalm 23, and worked on comparisons between the roles of shepherds and coaches/mentors. But the study remains unused for now as no-one came at 9am, so I enjoyed a 'quiet time' on my own with some Christian music playing in the background.
Later in the morning, I visited around the Village. Having introduced myself and the Multi-Faith Centre to the GB team office yesterday, I did the same at the Japanese team office today. Loughborough University, where I'm Visiting Sports Chaplain, has a special relationship with the Japanese Olympic Committee, meaning that during the run-up to 2012 Japanese athletes use the sports facilities on campus when training or competing in Europe. As a result of this, I've been familiarising myself with Japanese culture, especially their religious culture, and so it seemed natural for me to make contact with them here.
This was followed by my daily visit to the Polyclinic; lunch; the chaplains' prayer and sharing session; and some admin - the beginnings of a daily routine being set.
Soon after 3pm, I headed back to my hosts, walking more of the journey than 'usual' as it was a nice day, albeit colder than it has been. It was also earlier than I've been so far, and it was good that I was back in time today to be able to share an evening meal with the family for the first time.
Later in the morning, I visited around the Village. Having introduced myself and the Multi-Faith Centre to the GB team office yesterday, I did the same at the Japanese team office today. Loughborough University, where I'm Visiting Sports Chaplain, has a special relationship with the Japanese Olympic Committee, meaning that during the run-up to 2012 Japanese athletes use the sports facilities on campus when training or competing in Europe. As a result of this, I've been familiarising myself with Japanese culture, especially their religious culture, and so it seemed natural for me to make contact with them here.
This was followed by my daily visit to the Polyclinic; lunch; the chaplains' prayer and sharing session; and some admin - the beginnings of a daily routine being set.
Soon after 3pm, I headed back to my hosts, walking more of the journey than 'usual' as it was a nice day, albeit colder than it has been. It was also earlier than I've been so far, and it was good that I was back in time today to be able to share an evening meal with the family for the first time.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
The Village is Inaugurated
An early start was needed on Monday as I was on the shift that starts at 8am. I was about to leave the house to catch the 7am bus when my host, who was also just leaving the house, said he'd give me a lift as the Village is on his journey to work. This was really kind and meant that I got to the Village much earlier and with a smoother, quicker journey.
The first hour or so was spent manning the Multi-Faith Centre, and doing some final preparations for the morning Bible-study and prayer time. This takes place at 9am each day and is the responsibility of the chaplain on the first shift. It was great when someone turned up, and I enjoyed sharing this time with her - although the way our discussion went meant that I used hardly any of what I'd prepared!
Then I manned the Centre until the second chaplain came in at 11am. Soon afterwards, I went visiting in the Village, during which I called in at the office of Paralympic GB to introduce both myself and the Multi-Faith Centre and what it offers. It was good to meet some of the people there, not just team members but also the team assistants. Each team has one or more team assistants allocated to it to be their first point of contact for questions etc. This is just one of the many jobs done by volunteers. After lunch, and the chaplains' prayer and sharing session, I made my daily visit to the Polyclinic. I also visited the adjacent fitness centre and mobility aid repair centre.
Due to conversations I had, I didn't manage to finish my shift until 4pm; but then walked into downtown Vancouver for a few hours off before returning to the Village around 6:30pm ready for the Village Inauguration Ceremony. Usually each team is welcomed into both an Olympic and a Paralympic Village with a short ceremony ending with their National Anthem being played. In this dual site Paralympics, these ceremonies are happening at Whistler, so the Inauguration Ceremony was designed to take the place of these by welcoming all the athletes together. There were speeches, the introduction of the 2 honorary co-mayors of the Village, and some music from representatives of the Four Host First Nations. (There will be more about these peoples in another day's entry). Another chaplain and I went on to the athletes' lounge for the post inauguration 'party' for a short while, before heading home at the end of a long but worthwhile day.
The first hour or so was spent manning the Multi-Faith Centre, and doing some final preparations for the morning Bible-study and prayer time. This takes place at 9am each day and is the responsibility of the chaplain on the first shift. It was great when someone turned up, and I enjoyed sharing this time with her - although the way our discussion went meant that I used hardly any of what I'd prepared!
Then I manned the Centre until the second chaplain came in at 11am. Soon afterwards, I went visiting in the Village, during which I called in at the office of Paralympic GB to introduce both myself and the Multi-Faith Centre and what it offers. It was good to meet some of the people there, not just team members but also the team assistants. Each team has one or more team assistants allocated to it to be their first point of contact for questions etc. This is just one of the many jobs done by volunteers. After lunch, and the chaplains' prayer and sharing session, I made my daily visit to the Polyclinic. I also visited the adjacent fitness centre and mobility aid repair centre.
Due to conversations I had, I didn't manage to finish my shift until 4pm; but then walked into downtown Vancouver for a few hours off before returning to the Village around 6:30pm ready for the Village Inauguration Ceremony. Usually each team is welcomed into both an Olympic and a Paralympic Village with a short ceremony ending with their National Anthem being played. In this dual site Paralympics, these ceremonies are happening at Whistler, so the Inauguration Ceremony was designed to take the place of these by welcoming all the athletes together. There were speeches, the introduction of the 2 honorary co-mayors of the Village, and some music from representatives of the Four Host First Nations. (There will be more about these peoples in another day's entry). Another chaplain and I went on to the athletes' lounge for the post inauguration 'party' for a short while, before heading home at the end of a long but worthwhile day.
First full shift
Sunday saw another bright day dawn but the weather was much cooler - and later on in the day there was a lot of rain. Locals said this would probably fall as snow in the mountains, which would no doubt be appreciated by local skiers and snow-boarders alike. Thinking of the Paralympics, there are no snow-boarding events in the programme (as yet), but there are a variety of alpine and nordic skiing events.
Although my shift wasn't due to start until 11am, I left my hosts relatively early so that I could be sure of the transport getting me there on time. I have to get a bus, then the subway (underground train), followed by a 10-15 minute walk in order to get to the Village. It was about an hour's journey altogether, as the public transport worked well together.
This shift began with me spending some time chatting and getting to know the American chaplain who'd been on duty since 8am. I then manned the Multi-Faith Centre whilst he went out visiting in the Village and had lunch - we had no administrator on duty until early afternoon and it's important that there's someone in the Centre at all times it's open, so that they're there to respond if anyone calls in or telephones. The third chaplain came on duty at 2pm, and the 3 of us spent time sharing updates about the concerns and happenings of the day so far, and praying together.
Afterwards, I visited the Polyclinic within the Village. This is a small and compact 'hospital' but one with full facilities including emergency room, MRI and CAT scanner, X-ray and ultrasound imaging, pharmacy, physical therapy department, and various specialities including ENT, dentistry, ophthalmology and orthopaedics to name but a few. The Polyclinic is also host to the anti-doping facilities. One thing it doesn't have is beds - if athletes need overnight care they are transferred to a local hospital. I was told that the Polyclinic in Whistler also has a fully-equipped operating theatre as local hospitals are further away from there. (Apparently this is in a tent-like building similar to those used by the military in places such as Afghanistan.) I was given a guided tour of the Polyclinic, and will visit it once a day whilst on shift, and have a similar role there to a hospital chaplain at home.
Towards the end of my shift, it began to feel strange to have had a Sunday without either going to church, or leading/attending a service in the Village. An internet search revealed one Anglican church with an evening service at 6:30. So, at the end of my shift at 6pm, the Roman Catholic priest who'd come into the Village to lead Mass was kind enough to give me a lift to the church, which thankfully wasn't too far from a bus route to get me back to my hosts afterwards.
Although my shift wasn't due to start until 11am, I left my hosts relatively early so that I could be sure of the transport getting me there on time. I have to get a bus, then the subway (underground train), followed by a 10-15 minute walk in order to get to the Village. It was about an hour's journey altogether, as the public transport worked well together.
This shift began with me spending some time chatting and getting to know the American chaplain who'd been on duty since 8am. I then manned the Multi-Faith Centre whilst he went out visiting in the Village and had lunch - we had no administrator on duty until early afternoon and it's important that there's someone in the Centre at all times it's open, so that they're there to respond if anyone calls in or telephones. The third chaplain came on duty at 2pm, and the 3 of us spent time sharing updates about the concerns and happenings of the day so far, and praying together.
Afterwards, I visited the Polyclinic within the Village. This is a small and compact 'hospital' but one with full facilities including emergency room, MRI and CAT scanner, X-ray and ultrasound imaging, pharmacy, physical therapy department, and various specialities including ENT, dentistry, ophthalmology and orthopaedics to name but a few. The Polyclinic is also host to the anti-doping facilities. One thing it doesn't have is beds - if athletes need overnight care they are transferred to a local hospital. I was told that the Polyclinic in Whistler also has a fully-equipped operating theatre as local hospitals are further away from there. (Apparently this is in a tent-like building similar to those used by the military in places such as Afghanistan.) I was given a guided tour of the Polyclinic, and will visit it once a day whilst on shift, and have a similar role there to a hospital chaplain at home.
Towards the end of my shift, it began to feel strange to have had a Sunday without either going to church, or leading/attending a service in the Village. An internet search revealed one Anglican church with an evening service at 6:30. So, at the end of my shift at 6pm, the Roman Catholic priest who'd come into the Village to lead Mass was kind enough to give me a lift to the church, which thankfully wasn't too far from a bus route to get me back to my hosts afterwards.
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