2/18/10 Leader Telegram Article

Editor's note: Altoona natives Jennifer Holec and Amy Lund attended the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver this week. This is their final report for the Leader-Telegram.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - When we told people at home that we had tickets to curling, they asked why and felt sorry for us. But we knew better, because curling's popularity in Canada is second only to hockey.
We took a cab to the venue Tuesday and found out later we had been taken for a ride, literally. However, the lines for the bus depot were longer than the lines at Disney World. So, we chalked it up to experience.
As we approached the Vancouver Olympic Center, we saw thousands of people wearing Canada apparel. We thought there must be a Canada hockey game in the vicinity. Instead, we discovered that the Canada men's curling team had won in overtime.
The security line was longer than at the Whistler Sliding Center but still moved quickly. Mental note: Be aware of metal buttons on your clothes. It may lead to additional security screening. But that's another story.
Once inside security we had a bit of a wait before we could enter the coliseum. The weather was gorgeous, and it wasn't difficult to spend the extra time outside.
There was even entertainment for the people waiting outside. An a cappella group performed songs they had adapted for curling, a magician did card tricks and two of the Olympic mascots took pictures with spectators.
Once inside, we found our seats, which were not designed for people with hips. Our seats were two rows from the top, on one of the ends, and closest to the American women's team.
We had gone to the event knowing enough about curling to understand the basics of the sport. Seeing it live, however, showed us there was a lot more to sweeping a rock across ice than we had realized.
The crowd, mostly Canadians, was fired up. Canada was playing Switzerland, and there were probably 50 Swiss fans in the building. Every time the Swiss fans started to cheer, they were quickly drowned out by "Go, Canada, Go!" It felt like we were cheering for our favorite team at somebody else's stadium.
There were an equal number of American and Japanese fans, and a few from Russia and Sweden. There was someone constantly cheering.
One of the best things about watching curling is there are four matches going on at one time and always action somewhere on the ice.
Overall, the crowd was knowledgeable about curling and appreciated good throws, even if it wasn't by their team.
We were surprised by the closeness of the matches, which kept the atmosphere electric. It was an exciting event to go to, although totally different from the luge competition the day before.
We are glad we came on this trip, but if we were to do it again, we definitely would do a few things differently. We would allow more time to make sure we could see everything we wanted to see, such as the Olympic flame. We realize now that 2 1/2 days was not enough time to appreciate the surroundings and the Olympic spirit.
This doesn't mean, however, that our trip wasn't worth it. We have had an adventure to remember. We have done and seen so many new things in our time here, and we are thankful for all our new buddies.

217/10 Leader Telegram Article

Editor's note: Altoona natives Jennifer Holec and Amy Lund are at the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Their reports will appear in the Leader-Telegram through Thursday.
WHISTLER, British Columbia - The Olympics are cool. On Monday, we attended our first real Olympic event: the women's luge, qualifying runs one and two.

After the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili last week, we were curious about the mood at the Whistler Sliding Center.
To get there, we had to take a bus ride up to Whistler. We had purchased tickets for the 11:45 a.m. ride, but arrived at the pickup point early and were able to leave at 10:30. This gave us extra time to explore Whistler, because the luge didn't start until 5 p.m.
The bus trip took about two hours and was filled with breathtaking views of the mountains and Howe Sound fjord.
The bus was filled with many different nationalities, and the mood was lively. People proudly displayed their country's colors in scarves, flags and coats.
Once we got to Whistler, we wandered the town plaza, had our picture taken in a bobsled, and saw where the Whistler medal ceremonies are held. There was a small memorial to Kumaritashvili near a large display of Olympic rings. People had left flowers, pictures and candles there, but that was the only sign that someone had died at the Olympic Games.
We made our way toward the ski lift gondolas at 2:30. The earlier we arrived at the Sliding Center, the better view we could get of all the action.
At the top, we went through security, which was quick and efficient.
Our plan was to start higher on the track and work our way toward the finish area. We found a great vantage point at Turn 11. We settled in and started talking with other spectators.
While we were watching the preparation of the track, we observed the competitors going through their warm-up routines. At first it looked like they were doing an interpretive dance; they were actually doing a mental run-through of the course.
We couldn't believe how close we were to the track. If the security guards weren't watching, we could have reached out and touched it.
During the competition, the loudest cheers were for the Canadian and American lugers. Obviously, the Canadian fans outnumbered the Americans. We felt bad for the lugers from the countries that didn't have many fans, so we cheered for them.
Watching the luge on TV makes it really easy to follow the athlete down the track. Watching the luge in person is a lot of waiting with two seconds of a blur. That is, if you are paying attention.
We stayed at Turn 11 for the entire first run of 29 athletes, then made our way down the hill to experience the course from different points.
This day, we finally felt like we were attending the Winter Olympics. It was cold enough to wear snowpants. We saw a competition, and people around the world cheered their athletes on.
We planned to take in curling on Tuesday. It will be a tad slower, but exciting nonetheless.

2/16/10 Leader Telegram Article

Editor's note: Altoona natives Jennifer Holec and Amy Lund are at the Olympic Winter Games. Their reports will appear in the Leader-Telegram through Thursday.

Greetings from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver! It is not, however, winter here. Sunday, it was close to 60 degrees. The flowers are blooming, the cherry trees are blossoming, and we didn't wear coats at all today.
Some might think our Olympic adventure started on Friday when we left Eau Claire. They would be wrong. This trip has been in the works for more than two years. Even with all the planning, it hasn't sunk in that we are really at the Olympics.
We arrived in Vancouver via Amtrak from Seattle Sunday morning. Our goals for the first day were to take in the atmosphere and experience the city in the midst of the Olympics. We also wanted to do some shopping and see the Olympic flame.
We are staying with a Vancouver resident and another Canadian right in the middle of Vancouver. Our original plan had been to stay in Victoria, on Vancouver Island. We thought it wouldn't be that difficult to get back and forth on the ferry each day. Thank goodness we were set straight by our Canadian friends.
Sunday afternoon we took a cab and headed downtown. Our first stop was the Olympic Superstore at the Hudson Bay Co. store. The line to get in was a block long but moved quickly. The inside of the store was like the day after Thanksgiving sales, but we found some Olympic paraphernalia. One goal met.
We went to dinner on Granville Island and had some great seafood, and had a Wisconsin sports bar-type experience when Canadian freestyle mogul skier Alexandre Bilodeau won the first gold medal on Canadian soil. The crowd was cheering (and so were we). It was hard not to join in when the crowd was so electric. Goal two met.
Our last adventure of the day was to check out what we thought was an authentic Irish pub in the art district. We ended up playing bingo while a duo played the ukulele and a suitcase as a drum while 8-track movies of Russia played on a big screen. The beer was good.
To end the night, our cab driver attempted to take us by the Olympic flame. Unfortunately, you can't get there by car, and the police are pretty adamant about that. No one got in trouble. Goal three not met ... yet.
None of the goals would have been met without the help of our friends here in Vancouver. We would have spent most of our day traveling to and from Victoria and never had a chance to experience the city and some of what it has to offer.
We planned to head up to Whistler Olympic Park on Monday to see the women's luge qualifying runs, hoped it would feel more like the Olympics then.

Sunday's Leader-Telegram Article

TheTelegram requires a purchase to read this article online. What you don't get to see are the pictures. Amy and I were also mentioned on the front page as corresponding for the paper beginning February 16th. Can't wait for this all to begin this Friday!!!! (our part of this article starts about half-way down)


Leader Telegram News Front Page
Olympic dreams: Locals to attend event
Longtime friends

Karlene Lorentz. Former competitive speedskater Karlene Lorentz is thrilled she will be able to watch a speedskating event at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Posted: Saturday, February 6, 2010 11:00 pm Updated: 11:20 pm, Sat Feb 6, 2010.

By Gary Johnson Leader-Telegram staff 0 comments

Just like during her competitive speedskating days, Karlene Lorentz expects to feel the adrenaline flowing next Sunday when she steps into the Richmond Olympic Oval, a venue at the 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Eau Claire resident and her husband, Jeff, will attend their first Olympics, spectating at the finals of the women's 3,000-meter speedskating event.

Karlene, 56, started speedskating during her youth with the Eau Claire Roll-On speedskating club. After taking several years off, she returned to speedskating and finished third in the women's master's division of the 1997 National Long Track Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y.

"Some of the skaters in the Olympics this year skated in past meets with me, though they were younger," said Karlene, a homemaker.

Calling his wife "the athlete in the family," Jeff Lorentz is happy Karlene will be able to see speedskating in person.

"I think it's going to be a great experience for her," said Jeff, 57, who works for the state Department of Transportation. "I'm hoping she enjoys little flashbacks of when she was competing competitively."

During their trip, the Lorentzes will see their son Chad and his wife, Wendy, and they plan to stay a couple of nights at a hotel about 60 miles out of Vancouver.

The Lorentzes will be at the games for four days and hope to find tickets for several events, drink hot chocolate and enjoy the camaraderie of the international event.

"I love the Olympics," Karlene said.

Friends since fourth grade, Jennifer Holec and Amy Lund have a list of adventures they want to experience before they turn 40.

The 1992 Altoona High School graduates can cross another one off their "to do" list when they attend the Vancouver Olympics.

"Both of us love all the events," said Holec, 35, an Eau Claire bank manager. "The hardest part will be that we're missing some while we're traveling. Otherwise we'd be glued to the TV."

The women said the chance to see the Olympics in person in a neighboring country was too good to pass up.

Holec and Lund hope to see athletes and famous people in person while soaking in the Olympic atmosphere.

"Being in the middle of what you see on TV, that will be amazing," Holec said. "I'm going in with not a lot of expectations. We'd like to see the flame and just talk to people."

The longtime friends will see at least two events - luge and curling - but hope they can get tickets for more events.

Lund, 36, a social studies teacher at LaFarge High School, called the thought of being at the Olympics "almost a little unreal."

"One of the things I like to do is travel to share my experience with the kids," said Lund, who teaches geography. "The Olympics are a great example of how countries can work together instead of always talking about fighting. People put that aside during the Olympics."

Holec agreed, saying professional sports get too heated at times.

"It's the camaraderie of all the athletes (in the Olympics)," Holec said. "It's more for the love of the sport at that level."

Lund said there may be other Olympic trips in the women's futures.

"I'm hoping this won't be my last Olympics," she said. "I hope it will give me a taste of what it is like. And if I see somebody famous, that would be cool."