Raise a Reader Day 2011!!

For those of you who don't know what Raise a Reader Day is, here's a little background information for you!

Every fall Canucks veterans and newcomers take to the streets of Vancouver to hand out newspapers and pose for photos with smiling fans. Today, they were all at it again with the Vancouver Sun in hand, with all proceeds going towards literacy programs on Raise a Reader Day!  You can get a picture taken or autograph from them in exchange for a donation.  A toonie is usually suggested.

So I didn't sleep a wink last night cause I was so excited to be meeting my Canucks.  Left the house at 6:30am and got downtown by 7:30am.  I was hoping for a Canuck to be stationed out at Burrard Skytrain but there were only the "red shirt' volunteers.  No Canucks.  So I made my way up Burrard and Georgia where Bob Lenarduzzi and Victor de Bonis were handing out papers on one side of the street, and another group of Spike the Mascot, Jordan Harvey, Joe Cannon and Carl Valentine were handing out papers opposite them.  I didn't get pics done with Lenarduzzi and de Bonis as they were busy being interviewed for the news so I walked across the street to the other group and bought a paper and had my pic taken with them. I finally got a picture with the elusive Spike!! Couldn't find the dang bird anywhere at Empire! Woots!!

Please keep in mind that all these athletes are at least 6 feet tall or over and I am not even close.  The sad part is that I am wearing boots with heels in these pics. :(

My next plan was to find out where all the Canucks were hiding.  So I crossed the street and headed down W.Georgia towards the Art Gallery where I ran into Joey Kenward, who does all the Canuck interviews on Canucks.com since Kristen Reid left.  I asked him where I could find Ryan Kesler.  He said he had no clue and that they were looking for him as well. So I kept walking on towards Granville where I passed Darcy Rota and kept going towards a huge crowd forming outside of London Drugs.  This is where I found Ryan Kesler.  He had a huge lineup and for a donation you could take a pic and get an autograph from him.  The front page story of the Vancouver Sun this morning was featuring Kesler and his family as well so it was a no brainer to get him to sign it for me.  The line took about 20 mins and it was awesome.  Such a sweet guy...he did all the poses the girls wanted and was just awesome with the crowd.  Luv this guy!

Once I was done with Kesler, I went back and got a pic done with Darcy Rota!! Jeez....I honestly didn't think the man was still alive!!  He's such an awesome guy...shook his hand and he autographed the newspaper for me and took a pic with me.

After this, I headed towards Robson cause I know sometimes they are at the Starbucks too by Thurlow.  As I was walking down there I ran into the Vancouver Giants volunteers who I stopped to talk to and they were asking if I had seen any Canucks yet...I told them about Kesler and Rota.  One of the volunteers then suggested I head over to the Burrard Skytrain Station cause he had seen two of them there!  I first walked across the street to get a pic with the Vancouver Giants Mascot and then headed to Burrard Skytrain Station.

As I was walking back towards the skytrain station, I was wondering who the two Canucks could be?  As I got closer, I saw it was Mason Raymond and Steve Pinizzotto!!  Of course!! All the Canucks out today were on the injured list...lol.  The line was short so that told me that they had just got there as they weren't there when I had first shown up at 7:30am.  It was now 8:30am.  Mason is soooooo sweet....he autographed my newspaper and then I turned to Pinizzotto and welcomed him to Vancouver and to the team..he smiled and said "Thanks!".  He also signed my newspaper and then we took a pic together. It was sweet. :)

At this point, I was getting hungry as I hadn't had any breakfast as of yet. The Foodbank had set up in front of the Art Gallery and were hosting an organic breakfast by donation.  So I went in, donated, received a little green reusable bag from a volunteer and then received a vanilla chai tea drink box, three different types of granola bars (which I still have in my bag), an expresso donut and a coffee....they had cereals and yogurts too but I wasn't interested in it. I sat at the fountain and ate my food in peace.  I watched the crowds walk down W.Georgia as I ate.  When my tummy was full, I headed down towards Coal Harbour and chilled out there for bit and then met up with friends from work.  It was a great way to spend my morning. :)

Bell Pitch Orientation @ BC Place

OK...so I was very excited about going to BC Place tonight so I could see all the amazing and wonderful changes they have made to our old and worn out BC Place.  Most of it I had already seen from working the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at Olympics last year. However, there were a few things that I noticed that were new.  The amount of TV's in the corridors are astounding.  Now nobody has an excuse for missing any play of the game while waiting in long beer or food lineups.  There are at least 1100 TV's in the building attached to every column of the building.  The bathrooms have super sensitive sensors....you just need to get near the sink and you'll have two taps to choose from to wash your hands from.  Towels are sensored too.  Edgewater Lounge has been renovated, the seats inside the dome were still being placed and polished, testing for the very large video screen was being done.  The seats are awesome cause they were comfortable to sit in and they all came with cup holders which is always handy.

For Whitecaps, Level 4 will be closed as there are only 22,000 seats and the dome was made so it would be soccer specific and it would cover the areas not being used.  For the BC Lions however, all floors will be open and the full dome will be open for all seating in the upper levels.

This picture above was taken from the bottom of the East Airlock.  You can see just how massive this screen is.  Its the 2nd largest in North America.  Only Dallas has a bigger one but their stadium is twice as large as BC Place.  

Saw a couple new food carts called "Steveston FC" which I think means Steveston Fish and Chips but don't quote me on that. Another one was Beef on a Weck....not sure what that is.  Anyways...the concession stands will all be there and I'm sure they will keep experimenting with different types of beers as well.

Also this year, there will be NO SMOKING PERMITTED at the stadium.  There will not a be smoking pit provided either as there was in past years.  So be prepared by bringing some Nicotine gum.  Its only a few hours....I'm sure you can get through it without whining to a CAT member or Whitecaps Customer Assistance Member that you need a smoke. Cause truth be told, we really don't care for your bad habits. ;)

A lot of the other changes that were made, were done to the Lions and Whitecaps dressing rooms.  The Lions dressing room was completely renovated.  To get a look at the dressing rooms, go to this video. BC Lions Dressing Room Renos.

There was still alot of construction going on inside and we all had to wear construction vests while on our tour.  Alot of it was just stuff laying around...I'm sure they will work around the clock to have it all done by Friday night.  My first game back in the building will be on Friday night when the BC Lions take on the Edmonton Eskimos for first place in the west!!  I'm so excited, I can hardly wait!

Keep that Win-Streak Alive!

Any body else watch the Roughriders get raped today?  It was supposed to be a clash of the two hottest teams in the league.  It turned out to be a Roughriders Spankfest!  Our BC boys came away with a 42- 5 showing!   

The Lions highlight reels from today's game are full of action however, one Saskatchewan fan posted this on youtube as the ONLY highlight he thought was worth mentioning.   Can't really blame him.

The BC Lions started off their season with a dismal 0-5 start.  Fans and staff alike were all wondering if our boys would be able to turn it around. The Roughriders weren't doing any better but pressed the panic button right away by firing Coach Greg Marshall and Assistant Coach Doug Berry and bringing back their former Coach Ken Miller to the field.  Since then,  both teams win ratios have improved drastically.  Riders went on a 3 game win-streak and the Leos were on a 4 game win-streak.  Our boys have so far outplayed their opponents 125-42 points since going on this win-streak.  

Lets hope they can keep this up with their next game against the Edmonton Eskimos in the Leo's newly renovated home, BC Place on Sept 30, 2011.  A win would get them to 2nd place in the West and a good chance at making a Grey Cup appearance in November.

I'll be going in for tour of the new home on Monday so I'll let you know what I think of it later.

On a side note, has anyone tried the new BC Lions BBQ Sauce yet?  Apparently its supposed to be very good.

Whitecaps - The End of the Empire!

Its time to say Farewell to Empire Stadium and Hello to the new "Bell Pitch" downtown. aka BC Place.  I've been with the Whitecaps since 2006 as an Usher at Swangard Stadium but I remember when the Whitecaps played at BC Place for the first time in 1983.  They used to sell out games at BC Place back in the early 80's under the NASL.  Thats 60,000 people!!  They would sell out seats under the new USL at Swangard as well with a capacity of 6,500 standing room and have managed to fill Empire Stadium consistently with  22,000 at almost every game since moving to the MLS.   That's the third highest fan attendance in the league!!!

Since moving to the MLS at Empire Field, my job has shifted to that of a Customer Service Team Member than that of an Usher as Empire has their own Ushers.  Opening day was incredible.  Our very first game against Toronto in the MLS and it was a beautiful sunny day...rain managed to hold off.  The excitement in the air was electric as I saw the familiarity of old club members I had looked after in my tunnel section at Swangard show up and hugs were exchanged and it was especially great seeing all the new faces and meeting new fans.

The small group of Southsiders who used to sit on bleachers behind the goalkeeper at Swangard were now an army of a  few hundred and made it tradition to walk from Oscar's Pub on the corner of Hastings and Boundary to the Stadium chanting and singing about their beloved team before every game.  It was like all of the sudden the city realized they had a soccer team and were excited about cheering them on!  

The Vancouver Whitecaps Players had sent out a video message a few months back talking about that very specific day as it was the one that stands out in their minds and about the phenomenal fan support they have had all year long.  

If anyone is interested in being part of the Southsiders entourage, here is their website where you can get the lastest of their cheering repertoire so you don't feel left out! Southsiders Songbook

They are playing for the Cascadia Cup today...a rivalry they have had with Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders in the USL that go back many many years. 

Hopefully our boys will go out with a win today!!  Their new home, Bell Pitch aka BC Place is awaiting their arrival on Oct 2, 2011.

Welcome to my World!

For those of you who know me, this will be no suprise but I like to volunteer for many events, especially sports events that happen in our beautiful city of Vancouver and surrounding areas.  I've decided that facebook just isn't a great way for me to share the events that I do and what my life has been like as a volunteer for the last 8 yrs.  I had my first taste of volunteering right after the City of Vancouver won the bid for the 2010 Olympics.  I was lucky enough to get tickets from my employer at the time to go to GM Place where they announced Vancouver as the winning city!  The first major event to come to Vancouver was the World Weightlifting Championships in 2003.  I found it to be a very enjoyable experience and was hooked. 

With many other events coming to Vancouver as tests for the Olympics, I had to do them all...or at least tried to.  Since then I've been involved with the NHL Draft 2006, World Junior Hockey Championships 2006, JCC Sports Dinner Awards 2006, Mastercard Memorial Cup Championships 2007, BMO Skate Canada Championships 2007, FIFA U-20 2006,  Right to Play 2008, World Police and Fire Games 2009, IIHF Semi-Annual Congress 2007, Volkswagon Ultimate Shoot-Out 2006-2009, Juno Awards 2009, Vancouver Olympics 2010 - Opening & Closing Ceremonies at BC Place, Molson Canadian Hockey House and Subaru Vancouver International Triathlon 2011.  I started working with the BC Lions in 2007 as a CAT (Customer Assistance Team) member and am currently with the Lions.  I am also working for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and have been since 2006.  Still trying to crack the Vancouver Canucks....that place is like a fortress! 

Volunteering is like an addiction.  Once you start, you don't want to stop.  If you love sports, meeting new people and pushing yourself to do things you wouldn't normally do, this is a great way to gain that experience.  Many of my friends gain FREE items from me from these events in the past such as tickets to the stadiums or items from 'giveaway' nights.  Its a great way to share my love of the event with people I know and get them interested too!  This blog's intention is to share some of my experiences with you.  I hope you'll enjoy it.

Twitter got Juiced!

Thats right! Ryan Kesler has managed to get Kevin "Juice" Bieksa to join Twitter!!  This is the best thing to happen to twitter...having Kesler and Bieksa both on!  Its been 3 days now and said he wouldn't throw out his first tweet until he had 10,000 followers.  That only took a couple of hours.  He now has a following of almost 28,000!  This ALMOST makes me want to get a cell phone!  The convos so far have been absolute GOLD between him and Kesler.  Here are the twitters if you want to follow.  @Ryan_Kesler and @kbieksa3.  Trevor Linden is @trevor_linden.  Just throwing it out there!  Oh! And according to Bieksa,  Alex Burrows is slowly learning his ABC's and will be tweeting shortly!  HAHA!

The Boys are Back in Town!!

Now who isn't excited to have our beloved Vancouver Canucks back in our city!?!?  I know I am and so were all those fans who came out to support our boys on the weekend!  Got to Rogers Arena early before the lineup got insane on both days!  Of course it had to start raining on the very fist day of camp.  Lined up outside under the Georgia Viaduct outside Gate 3 with a mixture of teenagers, adults and young children.  People were dressed in their blues and greens and came with signs and cheers!  Its like something happens to the people in this city when the Canucks play..the energy just becomes so much more vibrant and electric! 

First day of camp and my friend (fellow volunteer) and I are able to get close to the ice.  Ryan Kesler was just finishing his practice alone on the ice when we walked in.  There was a kid, about 10 yrs old there who ran down to the glass and started screaming from the top of his lungs "Ryan Kesler!  I love you Ryan Kesler!".  Ryan was standing on the ice on the opposite side of the glass.  He kept doing this and Ryan kept laughing..you could tell he was loving every moment of it.   He loves "Canuck Nation". Next thing you know, he comes over and tries to give his stick to the kid and a bunch of pucks to the girls.  "Kes" is such a class act!! Unfortunatley, a girl took the stick from the kid it was intended for but it worked out ok. 

Canucks are split into two groups.  Group A came out at 9am and Group B at 11:30am.  Group A had Kevin Bieksa, Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows, just to name a few.  It was very apparent who the star of the show was as the screams got louder when he appeared.  Signs went up and the "I love you's" started.  Yes, Kevin "Boom Boom" Bieksa stole the hearts of many young teenagers that morning! The drills started and Bieksa was playful with the crowd, trying to loft a couple pucks over the glass with his stick and failing.  Crowd laughed. Then the drills started.  To his credit, he was easily the best defenceman on the ice.  Group B had the same kind of action....but it starred our captian, Henrik Sedin, Chris Tanev and Keith Ballard. I had to leave for a CAT team orientation for the new BC Place with my friend before the practice ended.

Day 2 of Camp.  It was still raining hard when I got up at 6 am to get my butt down to Rogers Arena for second day of camp!  Gates opened at 8:30am but had some entertainment while waiting in line.  A couple of enthusiastic girls decided they were going to get the crowd going by performing a cheer.  It went something like this "Give me a T! Give me an A! Give me an N! Give me an E! Give me a V!  T-A-N-E-V,  TAN E-V!!"  They tried it with Schroeder but kept screwing up his last name!  It was funny to watch.  

So, again, Kes was on the ice first just finishing up his practice before the rest of the crowd entered.  He went over to the other side of the rink this time and did the same thing with them when they started screaming for him....he truly has the "Heart of a Canuck".  So this time Group B came out first.  As they started their stretching in the middle of the ice, someone cat-called them!  The guys all laughed and so did the crowd.  Nice way to start the day.  

The drills went on for most of the morning and the girls were trying to get Volpatti and Tanev's attention.  Oh, to be a teenager again.  Once they skated off, Group A came back on the ice at 11:30 am.  Bieksa was the the last to show up on the ice....you couldn't miss it.  Screams galore!  He seems quite comfortable with his fans though....only blushed a couple of times.  One girl put up a sign on the glass that read " There once was a Moose who drank lots of Juice!"..got a good chuckle from one of the trainers on the ice.  Bieksa smiled at it as well.  The drills started and everyone got into it.  It was a bit more gruelling than the first day, lots more scrimmages and bumping.  It was great to see our Canucks back on the ice.  Here's a picture of Bieksa and our new Canuck, Marco Sturm.