Kenadian

Oh, and I think you mean the jumps can't be used in Summer.

I do agree with you on that. It is too bad that VANOC had to cut back the full scope of the project. Of course, their responsibility and priority is to ensure excellent competition venues for 2010. That means when cuts were made, the training facility was first on the floor. I hope that the Canadian Ski Jump people can at least build off this facility. Could they seek sponsors and raise funds to add the smaller training jumps to the Callaghan Valley facility after the 2010 Games? Vancouver and BC's construction costs are out of control these days, but hopefully after the Olympic frenzie, something like that can happen and be built at a more reasonable cost. Then again, are the jumps going to be there for a long time? I recall discussion of making them temporary.

What is there to not get? I did as you always suggested. I read the article. Mixed reactions greet Olympic ski jumps Ski jumpers praise facilities but sports group worries about effect of cutbacks Jeff LeeVancouver Sun Wednesday, January 02, 2008 WHISTLER - Canada's best hopes for Olympic medals in ski jumping and Nordic combined kicked the tires of the country's newest ski jumps this weekend, and proclaimed themselves pleased. But officials at Ski Jumping Canada say they're still worried about the long-term growth potential for the sports because of cost-cutting changes the Vancouver Organizing Committee made when building the two jumps at Whistler Olympic Park for the 2010 Games. On Monday, about 50 young male and female ski jumpers from around the continent took to the lower jump. They're in the Callaghan Valley this week for the North American Junior Nordic Combined Championships and the Canadian Ski Jumping Championships. While Stefan Read, Canada's top-ranked ski jumper tried the K95, the smaller of two jumps built in the Callaghan Valley, 20 km south of Whistler, his father Ron Read said he worries the facility doesn't have the support to build on Canada's tiny ski jumping community. Read is the high performance director for Ski Jumping Canada, and a member of the International Ski Federation's ski jumping sector. He said Vanoc's decision to scrap original plans to build several small development jumps and put down plastic and porcelain mats so the jumps can be used in the summer means it will be difficult to build new talent for a sport already at the bottom of Canadian sport development. "These jumps are the equivalent of the double black diamond ski run," he said. "And nobody starts on the double black diamond run." But John Heilig, Vanoc's Nordic facilities manager says the jumps are the catalyst for a resurgence of ski jumping and Nordic combined in Canada. He's working with supporters in Squamish to create a new club and he said he thinks the new jumps complement the existing summer training facilities in Calgary. And he notes Calgary's large jump, the K114, is closed because it's out of date. "If we didn't have the facility here, there would be no large hill jumping in Canada," he said. "So these two facilities complement each other. We can do effective summer training in Calgary, and our winter training here." . . . . Read said Vanoc's decision to cut back killed Ski Jumping Canada's plan to base its national training facility in the Callaghan. . . . . . .

That is really great news! I'm glad to hear that the Callaghan Valley ski jump is such a world class facility. It looks like VANOC is on track to deliver excellent competition venues for 2010.

I'm sure right now some premier in some province is cooking up a scheme to rob developers of their winning proposal so that in 20-25 years his buddies will be able to develop an Olympic venue on said property. O Canada, my home and crafty land.

D'oh! I read the article too fast...more like mis-read! I thought only 34% were aware of the Games. Sorry...but still a little extra PR wouldn't hurt.

And why is this Sam Sullivan's job? Isn't it VANOC's?

That is a dismal failure. They need to do better and more marketing. If they are to unite the country like their mission says, then more people need to at least know this is happening.

It's all happening so fast! Soon there will only be 2 years left.

OK, saw the plush toys at the Bay today...gotta say, they were pretty damn cute are really popular. Huge crowd gathered around. Smart timing on the unveiling. Just before Christmas.

LOL! Is that BC's own Pamela Anderson on the computer? Everyone's seen her Muk Muk's and Quatchi.

Realistically, I don't see a mascot plush toy ever making enough money for any organizing committee to consider it a major revenue generator. It is mostly a marketing tool for getting people engaged in the Games (mostly children). The serious money comes from sponsorship.and tv.

I don't think VANOC has to worry about the sasquatch as a trademark because it is something from the common domain. If they called it Mel the Sasquatch and made it look like the Kokanee mascot, then there'd be an issue, but the two are of completely different designs and even attitudes. Quatchi seems young and kind of dumb whereas the Kokanee mascot out smarts the humans every time.

Yes, and a Muk Muk guitar pick. And Muk Muk gum drops. And Muk Muk ear plugs. And Muk Muk chocolate kisses. And a Muk Muk toque! Here a Muk, there a Muk, everywhere a Muk Muk! But I read a quote from VANOC's Brand Manager in Metro today that said if there was enough popular support for the idea, Muk Muk merchandise could see the light of day. We should start a petition or something.

I'm always curious about people who can volunteer. Great that you can, but how do you find the time? Unless you are a kid, a student, retired, inbetween jobs, or well off financially, how do you have the time to commit to what they require?

I'm not surprised to see Muk Muk running away with it here. The word around the watercooler this week was that most people think he's the winner and they'd be likely to buy him before the others. Too bad he isn't for sale.

Now that they have arrived, which Vancouver 2010 mascot is your fave? Or maybe you think they all stink like a sasquatch? The official trio of... And Muk Muk, their marmot sidekick (but unofficial mascot)

Poor Mukmuk...he's not a mascot, he's a sidekick.

I think the trio is for both Olympic and Paralympic Games because the current trend is to market them together, but if you read their bios, Quatchi and Miga are more for the Olympics and Sumi is more for the Paralympics. According to their bios, Quatchi likes hockey, Miga likes snowboarding, and Sumi likes the Paralympic sports.

"He didn't think 'Sumi' would be parodied into 'Sue Me.'" I'm sure Seb Coe didn't think his brave new logo would be thought of as Lisa Simpson pulling a Monica Lewinsky.

Here's the website for the designers of the mascots...they clearly have a specific style: Meomi Designs

I guess they are kinda cute. Looks like they form a totem pole when they all stand on top of each other like that (screen cap pic on page 6). They kinda feel Asian to me, but they are certainly more West Coast than the logo.

Somehow, I think it is doubtful that the new "critter" will be an existing animal restyled into a plush toy. I get the feeling that it will be something kind of new. Almost everything has been done before and I think everyone is expecting a bear or some other fuzzy animal. But like the expectation that the logo would be another maple leaf or snowflake, the VANOC people seem to prefer to take a U-turn and do something different. We'll see in an hour.

"The 1992 Barcelona Summer Games may not rank as the most memorable, but it seems its mascot, Cobi the dog, is." WTF??? Most people regard Barcelona has having hosted one of the most incredible Olympics EVER! It was perhaps the most wildly successful Olympics at creating a tourist destination. This just proves the point that you can only take what journalists write with a grain of salt. Just because it is written in a newspaper or a blog doesn't make it true.