SOARING HIGH at AOG

One of the most exciting events at the Alternative Olympic Games is the Alpine Ski Jump where the contestants soar over 100 meters after lifting off at the end of the slope. In our interview, Howie of Team House Finch, told me, “It’s a piece of cake. I can do this in my sleep.” Here we have Howie just after takeoff in perfect form as he lies nearly flat over his skis. In fact, with today’s dim lighting his skis are practically invisible! Howie outdistanced everyone else, landing at 112 meters – over 10 meters past the final line of measurement. The crowd was screaming – they’d never seen anything like it!

Team Goldfinch’s Goldie was perfectly stunning at the Ladies Figure Skating Final today. She performed every element with strength and grace as though it all came naturally to her. In this move, Goldie was executing - not a double, not a triple, but a quadruple toe loop spin. The crowd was on their feet in absolute silence – until Goldie spun right into a thicket of branches that decorate a far corner of the rink. It was truly breathtaking! With only a few scratches, she managed to skate through this potential disaster and, given the degree of difficulty, Goldie came away with gold for her incredible program.

Back at Athletes Village, Rita, of Team Wren, paid an unexpected (although authorized) visit to the dining room in Men’s Housing today to return a team jacket to one of the bobsled riders. Rita was truly appalled at the condition of the place. “Is this a sty, or what? These guys are such pigs!” Well Rita, maybe that's why it's called a 'mess hall'. It’s just best if you don’t even go there.

This reporter is signing off for today.

(As I said before, seeing a Wren is a rare event around here, so when I do it will be included.)