By @MoniKanada

The Torch Arrives

Last night I stopped by Robson Square to see whether I could watch part of the 24-hour non-stop Paralympic Torch Relay. I got lucky and my timing was perfect! I barely waited for a minute until the torchbearer arrived with the torch safely travelling in a special mount attached to his wheelchair.

The Two Torchbearers

Despite the cold temperatures and that wet stuff falling out of the sky (I had almost forgotten that we sometimes get this here!) there were may be 100-150 people at Robson Square. Together with the crowd I witnessed how the Paralympic flame got passed on to the next torchbearer before it resumed its journey around downtown Vancouver. Today at 2pm the 24-hour torch relay will come to an end and the flame will be taken to BC Place for the Opening Ceremony to the Paralympic Winter Games.

Torchbearers and Their Flames

For me this brief episode last night was a touching one, for two reasons: First of all, there is something about this flame and what it stands for that gets to me every single time. I was similarly moved by the Olympic Torch Relay, which I watched close to the PNE one month ago, in the morning of February 12th, the day of the opening of the Olympic Games. 

Guy and his Inukshuk

And then, besides the flame there was something else that brought back emotions and memories of ‘good old Olympic times’: an Inukshuk made of cardboard boxes, painted in the proper Olympic colours travelling on his owner’s back or ‘posing’ for photo opportunities with Paralympic torchbearers.

Torchbearer and Inukshuk

According to his owner, Guy, this Inukshuk has travelled around town throughout the Olympics and has seen almost all of the official sites. Guy has assembled a proud collection of over 1,000 pictures of the Inukshuk and himself, which he’ll take back to his work place, the BC Cancer Agency. He hopes that he will be allowed to share these Olympic moments and impressions with the patients on a screen where they continuously rotate through. What a great way to bring the Olympic/Paralympic spirit to some of those many, many people that were/are unable to participate in and enjoy the Olympics/Paralympics in our city. Thank you, Guy, for your meaningful initiative! Our world is a better place because of people like you that make a difference in other people’s lives!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. One of her specialties is the work with female entrepreneurs that are open to a holistic approach to business and life. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel

By @MoniKanada

Only three days left before the Paralympic Cauldron will be lit in here in Vancouver and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be opened on March 12th!

I was curious about the Paralympic Torch Relay  and will share some information with you which I adapted from the Vancouver 2010 web site and an online article by the Vancouver Observer.

The Paralympic Torch Relay is one of the most important tools to increase awareness and communication for Paralympic Games. It usually lasts at least seven days and starts after the closing of the Olympic Village.

Through public celebrations, school programs and online, the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay will engage Canadians, and hopefully the world, by introducing us to the stirring stories of Paralympians and other Canadians who inspire by defying the odds. It will shine a light on their achievements, celebrate their passion for sports and help spark a flame in the soul and heart of Canadians. We will have the opportunity to gather and participate in the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay when it visits our communities.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay Emblem is a metaphor for the fire within each and every one of us — the fire of friendship, inspiration and the spirit of the 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay.

Unlike the Olympic Flame, the Paralympic Flame has no traditional starting place, so each Paralympic Torch Relay team has the freedom to choose a lighting method and organise a ceremony that is significant to the Host Country. For the first time in its history, the Paralympic Torch Relay will be run in a non-linear way, with the Paralympic Flame being carried in and around each community while the celebrations take place.

In the last three days of the Paralympic Torch Relay the following Celebration Communities are opening up their events to us to enjoy the experience, celebrate the possible and admire the achievements of Paralympians and others with amazing stories of courage and perseverance:

March 10, 2010:
Vancouver - Hillcrest-Riley Park (Community Centre)
From 11 am - 1 pm
A unique flame creation ceremony by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation will kick off the Paralympic Torch Relay. The Flame will travel in a circular route in Riley Park with exchanges taking place along the route and a street party on Ontario Street.  The event will be launched by Mayor Robertson along with other municipal officials.

Maple Ridge celebrations will take place at Spirit Square beginning at 6:30 pm.

March 11, 2010
Vancouver (UBC) — Celebrations on the UBC campus will take place outside of the Student Union Building near the UBC Thunderbird Arena — home to ice sledge hockey competitions. The event will begin at 11:00 am.

March 11-12, 2010:
Vancouver Downtown - Robson Square:
Time:   March 11-12, 2010   2 pm – 2 pm (24 hours)

The 24-hour Torch Relay will start from the stage at Robson Square and the Paralympic Flame will travel in a repeated loop along Howe, Georgia, Granville, Smithe, Bute and Robson with the exchanges of the Flame taking place at various locations. Celebration activities will include simultaneous live entertainment, sponsor activities, sports demos and cultural crafts display. Throughout the whole 24 hours the Paralympic Flame is continuously carried and passed between torchbearers.

The event concludes around Robson Square at 2:00pm on March 12. The Paralympic Flame will then be brought into BC Place for the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

I'm planning on going to one of the above celebration sites and let that torch spark a flame in my heart. Will I see you there?

PS: Follow the Paralympic Flame on Twitter: http://twitter.com/followtheflame

And go here  (choose album 'March 2010') to see some amazing pictures from the Torch Relay in Whistler on March 8th!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. One of her specialties is the work with female entrepreneurs that are open to a holistic approach to business and life. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel

By  @MoniKanada

After all the buzzing excitement and fun we’ve had during the Olympics, Vancouver has come to a state of content exhaustion, just like nature after giving birth to a raging thunderstorm or a heavy rainfall. I personally feel this way, too: Calm and exhausted, yet utterly content for having been part of something meaningful that has provided joy and inspiration to so many people.

Do you feel a bit empty and abandoned, too? I sure do. Where is everybody? The city seems so empty. Many of the special venues and sites have been dismantled, and all our cheerful friends are gone. For all of us that are suffering from POA (post-Olympic abandonment) here is the good news: Apparently, we don’t have to wait very long before we will see more friendly guests here in Vancouver and Whistler who want to celebrate with us!

YVR Airport has already started to provide a warm welcome to the first Paralympic athletes, their officials and spectators. We are expecting approximately 1,350 athletes and officials from 40 countries and 44,000 spectators in Vancouver and Whistler to celebrate outstanding athletic achievements, true passion for sport, and the greatness of human spirit and all it makes possible.

Are you ready for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from March 12-21? Today, three days after the Olympic Flame is extinguished in Vancouver, a new flame will light in Ottawa, sparking the official start and inspirational journey of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Torch Relay. And in just 10 days, on March 12, her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will officially open the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games at BC Place in downtown Vancouver.

Now that we are on the radar of the world in such a positive light, can we prove that Canada is a country where the Paralympics are supported and celebrated as enthusiastically as their big brother, the Olympic Games? Do we have it in us to be ambassadors for the true meaning of the word “Paralympic”, which is “alongside the Olympics”?

I realise there will be less athletes and spectators, less entertainment, less disciplines for athletes to compete in etc.  The Paralympics will run on a much smaller scale, at least on the outside. However, on the inside, where courage, determination, passion and persistence live, the Paralympics might actually outshine the Olympics when it comes to the extent of inspiration and valuable lessons they will offer to all that are open to see.

I challenge us to do our part and create a welcoming, joyful and supportive environment for all athletes and guests of our Paralympic Games. Don’t put those red clothes, the mittens and the Canada flags away quite yet. Let’s take some of that newly gained Canadian spirit and paint Vancouver and Whistler red again, and let’s have some more fun – we know how to do that now! Go Canada Go!

Related Posts: Vancouver Olympics done. Paralympics here we come!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. One of her specialties is the work with female start-up and seasoned entrepreneurs that are open to a holistic approach to business and life. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel