100 Days to Vancouver

Countdown to the Winter Olympics, posted in Rockefeller Center

Well, okay. Now it's less than 100 days to Vancouver. But at the time, that was accurate.

In celebration of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Rockefeller Center hosted an Olympic Festival on Wednesday, November 4th. Eric first heard about it weeks prior to the event and was very excited about it. He LOVES the Olympics. The event promised to be great, and right up his alley - various challenges, performances by Olympic athletes, photo opportunities, demonstrations and displays.

Unfortunately, Wednesday, November 4th ended up being the morning that Eric flew home to Florida to be with his mom, and he had to miss the Olympics in New York. Of course, I couldn't let this event he was so looking forward to pass by with neither of us in attendance, so I went by myself to check it out on his behalf.

It really was a lot of fun, and Eric would have loved it. I wasn't there for the whole time, but while I was there I saw quite a bit of fun stuff. They had replaced all the flags around the Plaza with Olympic flags, and there were booths set up with various things on display, such as old ice skates, ice dancing costumes, and curling...I don't know, sticks? Brooms? Pusher things? I know nothing about curling. So, we'll say curling equipment. Yeah, that's good. We'll go with that.

Funny old ice skates

Curling stuffs

In addition to the displays, they did have some challenge stations and other hands-on type things set up. Unfortunately, this is really Eric's department, so I skipped those. I am athletically challenged.

The hockey station, as an example of the things I skipped

They also had a photo station where you could get your picture taken in a bobsled. Normally, Eric and I would be all over this, so I went ahead and did it myself. I opted out of wearing the helmet, though - something about putting my head in something that had been over the faces of who-knows-how-many New Yorkers and tourists alike just didn't appeal to me. Call me crazy.

Being in a bobsled definitely calls for a thumbs up.
Eric found it amusing that I still had my purse on my shoulder. See? Athletically challenged. I can't even take an authentic photo.

My personal favorite part of this festival was the performances. The first one I saw was a duo of ice sculptors. They didn't speak, but put on quite a show as they carved their sculpture. They danced around and got the crowd involved (often by throwing snowballs at us), and toasted their finished creation with ice mugs that shattered when they clinked together.

One of the ice sculptors at work

Working together

VIDEO: Ice sculptors

The finished sculpture

With their ice mugs

After the ice sculptors, Olympic skiers and snowboarders gave a performance on trampolines - with their skis/snowboards on! They did all sorts of tricks and flips and that sort of thing...even some synchronized tricks!

Snowboarders

Skiers

These two guys were jumping on the edges of the trampoline to catapult the top guy into the air - he got so high! The future mother in me was in a panic that he would miss the trampoline on his way down and hit the pavement of Rockefeller Plaza. Sigh. I am my Nana's granddaughter for sure.

VIDEO: Snowboarder performing a series of 10 tricks

VIDEO: Synchronized snowboarder jumping

After the jumping, it was time to move over to the skating rink for an ice dancing performance. They had a couple Olympians perform (forgive me, I can't remember who they were), and then had some children perform.

Ice dancers

VIDEO: Ice dancers

And that was it! There was other stuff going on before I got there (and there might have been after I left), but I got my fill of the Olympic spirit plus plenty of photos and video to show Eric so he could feel like he was there, too.

Speaking of me going to events in Eric's stead, stay tuned to see the most definitive evidence of my true love for my husband...I went to the Yankees ticker tape parade. Oh, goodness gracious. That will be posted tomorrow!