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Toronto 2015


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For the record, we did go to the zoo today and it did take forever to get there. Bus from Square One to Union Station, train to Rouge Hill, us to Meadowvale, another bus to the zoo.

Tomorrow's agenda. A quick trip through the hockey hall of fame, badminton finals at 2 and wrestling finals at 8.

The Argos will make a comeback once they move into BMO (hopefully). Actually I'm an Alouettes fan, but I love the CFL and will wear any team gear.

I think you took the long way. I had someone drop me off, BUT when I came back I took the Scarborrough/zoo express all the way to Kennedy subway station, and take that back into downtown toronto.

Actually checking the TTC site now, I did a search from Eaton Centre to the Zoo, it takes less than 1.5 hrs taking the green line, getting off danforth and taking the 86A

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That's okay. I bought and started wearing a Toronto Argonauts hat so I look like a native.

Honestly man, ignore MisterSG1, he's a lunatic troll. He kept saying the Pan Am games would be a disaster and now they're a success he's jumped onto this Canada hates USA nonsense...

Canada is the most pro-US country on the planet, we're the biggest investors in the States and vice versa, we have free movement of people, coordinated continental defense and in lockstep with most of our foreign policy. We even sound the same for the most part, MisterSG1 needs to get back on his meds....

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Honestly man, ignore MisterSG1, he's a lunatic troll. He kept saying the Pan Am games would be a disaster and now they're a success he's jumped onto this Canada hates USA nonsense...

Canada is the most pro-US country on the planet, we're the biggest investors in the States and vice versa, we have free movement of people, coordinated continental defense and in lockstep with most of our foreign policy. We even sound the same for the most part, MisterSG1 needs to get back on his meds....

Well the crowd at the Saint Lucia vs USA beach volleyball game begs to differ :P

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Honestly man, ignore MisterSG1, he's a lunatic troll. He kept saying the Pan Am games would be a disaster and now they're a success he's jumped onto this Canada hates USA nonsense...

Canada is the most pro-US country on the planet, we're the biggest investors in the States and vice versa, we have free movement of people, coordinated continental defense and in lockstep with most of our foreign policy. We even sound the same for the most part, MisterSG1 needs to get back on his meds....

Canada is certainly not the most pro-American country in the world

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Desist from this nonsense. It is utterly sub-intellectual. Canada literally stunned the world with its hospitality and warmth towards America in the aftermath of Sep 11. It was like a mother. Such co-operation has never been seen up to that point not will it be ever equalled....so stop.

I am utterly disappointed that the Toronto is not being "shown off" in the Pan Am coverage so far. Absolute letdown.

Perhaps the biggest questionable decision so far which even had the commentators stunned would have been the unfortunate ranking of the Cuban Gymnast after his immaculate High Bar ( I think that's what's its called). It is disgusting that this nonsense still continues in 2015.

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Canada's performance is incredible :o

And only getting better. It helps that the schedule was very front-loaded. With good swimming and wrestling performances the 100 medal mark could be attained today.

So far today

Archery: Lyon into the semi-finals

Badminton: at minimum 1 gold and 3 silvers

Cycling: at minimum 2 silvers

Squash: at minimum 2 bronze, but I think both will be silvers or golds

Swimming: I would suspect a minimum of 4 medals and as high as 7

Tennis: minimum of a silver

Wrestling: would say between 2 and 4 medals.

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The only things that really need to change about the Pan-American Games are to make more events Olympic qualifiers and cut a few Olympic sports that don't offer Olympic qualification. Football, basketball, tennis, golf, etc should either be in as an Olympic qualifier or out of the continental games entirely.

Edited by Nacre
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Just a question, forget what I said yesterday, I won't continue it. I'm watching a live stream of basketball as we speak, and since I seem to focus on presentation of the venue, anyone else a little annoyed by the PASO logo in the middle of the court? I wish there was a 2015 logo there instead.

Is there any rules that it has to be the PASO logo?

Now as for that Medal Ceremony music, to me at least, it resembles something that would work for a Caribbean Games to me. The only medal ceremony music I can remember other than Chariots of Fire at London 2012, was that theme that John Williams wrote for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002 during medal ceremonies. I can see how it can instantly get annoying, the medal ceremony music here.

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Medal music does seem to belong more at Toronto's Caribana or at the Salsa Festival at St. Claire St. But I like it; it brings a fun energetic spirit to the Pan American Games. I think it was composed to make sure it's distinctively from the Americas, so that people outside of it instantly know.


PS, the CBC has indeed expanded on its TV side of the Pan Am coverage up 12 hours

http://panam.cbc.ca/news/article/cbc-expands-toronto-2015-pan-games-coverage.html

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I agree the medal ceremony music is energetic, it just seems like something that belongs on Sesame Street. I guess I just like the triumphant sounding stuff.

I finally lost my cool today at badminton when they tried to stuff twice as many people in the A category seats as there were spaces. When the ushers came up the steps and told everybody to slide closer together I snapped and told them they shouldn't have printed twice as many tickets as there were seats

Wrestling had plenty of seats tonight, but people seemed to want to use the aisle next to where we were sitting as their personal social club. No ushers or security seemed to care that they were blocking other people's view of the action.

It has now been a week since we left home and I can sense that we are getting cranky, that is no reflection on the wonderful time we have had here and all the friendly people we have encountered. It's just a combination of a breakneck schedule and some very short nights of sleep. Tomorrow in our final day at the Games we have archery at 10 and handball at 630..

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Fox334- did John Pineda not make weight? He is listed as a competitor but not in the competition bracket.

Also the wrestling draws are utter bullsh!t. Having the World Silver Medalist Aline Ferriera vs. World Champion Adeline Gray in the Quarter-finals. WTF!!!!!

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Just watched the Baku Closing.......unprecedented. Mind-blowingly magnificent.....

All the reports I have read so far concerning Toronto confirms my initial beliefs that Toronto should not have allowed the existing perceptions of the Pan Am games to influence how they should be treated. Clearly, from the reports, it seems the Toronto people, from CBC coverage to the Opening Ceremony, to practically everything else, made some pitiful underestimations. Yes there is an underrated sporting event happening. BUT this must be understood within the context that it is happening in a city that supports some eight million people ( City, GTA/ Metro) which just happens to be one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Therefore, Toronto's full impact on these games was thwarted by the organisers who were too bolted to the existing perceptions of the Pan Ams. From this, and only this vantage point I would say that Toronto didn't quiet make the grade when - if it had just a bit more faith in itself - could have done so spectacularly WITHOUT EVEN NEEDING THE BUDGET of Baku.

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Some sad news today. Mauricio Fiol has tested positive for anabolic steroids. SO his results will be vacated as long as no appeal is successful . Fiol won a silver in the men's 200m butterfly. Zach Chetrat will be moved to silver and Alec Page (both of Canada) will move to bronze.

Edited by Faster
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And more doping cases coming from baseball players from Colombia, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and a female weightlifter from Mexico. Peruvian swimmer and silver medallist Mauricio Fiol is the most embarassing case so far, though.

Games are pretty good so far and it seems the venues are getting more filled with loud fans. The TV coverage here constantly shows people hanging around the cauldron and taking pics of it all day. That's rich for an event that supposedly sobody cares about in an all-important capital.

Judging is still controversial with swimming being probably the most affected sport along with judo. The crowds are electric, anyway!

Just a question, forget what I said yesterday, I won't continue it. I'm watching a live stream of basketball as we speak, and since I seem to focus on presentation of the venue, anyone else a little annoyed by the PASO logo in the middle of the court? I wish there was a 2015 logo there instead.

Is there any rules that it has to be the PASO logo?

Not that I know. Rio and Guadalajara barely used it all and their brands were more prominent inside each venue. But Toronto 2015 looks like a 70s games with the cheap look (yellow and gray?) and that poor PASO logo.

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I was at Handball today, and they had that stupid PASO logo in the middle of the court again. This was my view if you hadn't seen it on TV or whatever, Brazil gave Canada quite a beating in the game.

IMG_1457_zpslknl0z1a.jpg

I personally like how the court looks myself, with the Toronto 2015 nicely displayed in the endzones even if it is just a basic font. But as for the white "Toronto 2015" branding that shows the corporate sponsors, as you can see in the front along the boards of this playing area, I find that it doesn't stand out at all and seems "blah". Same goes for that yellow "Toronto 2015" found in many venues.

This venue basically sits inside a convention hall, although in the olympics it would be held in a much larger venue, with at least 5000 seats, my guess is that if this were the Olympics, this venue would be presented in that you would see no concrete at all in the background. For instance, i was expecting the walls to be covered over with temporary wallpaper that fits with the Toronto 2015 theming.

I personally thought the Toronto 2015 logo was kind of weak anyways, and in most cases of advertising these games, both the Pan Am and Parapan Am logo are displayed side by side as a pair. But even the Pan Am 2015 logo in the middle of the court may have looked better than that PASO logo. Just me rambling right now.

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Two disappointing races to begin things tonight in the pool.

Fox hopefully you see this. Is the Canadian wrestling team the A team that is going to the Worlds in Vegas or is it a mix? Because the results have been disappointing thus far.

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We have reached the end of our Toronto 2015 adventure. The archery competition was enthralling and Varsity Stadium an excellent venue (with the exception of one concession table for the entire crowd). The handball hall, which we visited tonight, did remind me of the venue when we were in Atlanta in 1996, perhaps the bleachers behind the goals might have been a little larger. The PASO logo doesn't bother me (although I think it is due for a makeover). It had been featured prominently in many venues, center court in handball and basketball and the start ramp at BMX.

Eight days, ten sports, one OC, it's been a fun ride. The Games will be a big success, which thrills me given all the negativity in the build-up. I have a few pet peeves, one being that any anthem besides Canada, the US, or Cuba, was shortened beyond necessity (I heard a version of Mexico's today that I had never heard before). I also want to strangle the MLB schedule maker for having the Jays play at home during the Games, which made the commute from Exhibition to Port Credit a major pain in the backside tonight. These minor irritations will no doubt get lost in the wonderful memories when I reflect on this over the years ahead.

Thank you Toronto. I will be back sooner than later.

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We have reached the end of our Toronto 2015 adventure. The archery competition was enthralling and Varsity Stadium an excellent venue (with the exception of one concession table for the entire crowd). The handball hall, which we visited tonight, did remind me of the venue when we were in Atlanta in 1996, perhaps the bleachers behind the goals might have been a little larger. The PASO logo doesn't bother me (although I think it is due for a makeover). It had been featured prominently in many venues, center court in handball and basketball and the start ramp at BMX.

Eight days, ten sports, one OC, it's been a fun ride. The Games will be a big success, which thrills me given all the negativity in the build-up. I have a few pet peeves, one being that any anthem besides Canada, the US, or Cuba, was shortened beyond necessity (I heard a version of Mexico's today that I had never heard before). I also want to strangle the MLB schedule maker for having the Jays play at home during the Games, which made the commute from Exhibition to Port Credit a major pain in the backside tonight. These minor irritations will no doubt get lost in the wonderful memories when I reflect on this over the years ahead.

Thank you Toronto. I will be back sooner than later.

Glad you enjoyed the games, so you were in Atlanta, can I assume you were talking about the Handball venue back in 1996....the last summer games in either of our great nations. I want the games to do well too, but there still is a fair amount of animosity from the papers, such as this one:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/pan-am-boom-is-a-bust-for-many-downtown-toronto-businesses/article25549661/

I thought that this may in fact be the case as I've said, for every trip to the Pan Am Park, I've made five thus far, all five of them have been by vehicle, and it's been smooth sailing to get there every time, my guess is the effect of holding events may draw tons of tourists into the city, but it may get local residents to avoid them like the plague, I'm not sure of this myself and I'd like to hear more about this.

As for the Blue Jays, given the circumstances, they did the best they could, and the MLB Midsummer Classic thankfully happened this week which shut the season down for a few days anyways, but consider the situation with the "Pan Am Dome". You'll need at the minimum 2 or 3 days to prepare the venue for the opening ceremonies (rehearsels and such), and all that eats away into the schedule, I'm sure they wanted no Blue Jays games during the games, but this was honestly the best they could do. I honestly thought tonight's Jays game was going to be a bust at the box office, but there was actually a crowd tonight of 32,000 strong for a Friday game, pretty good if you ask me, I was estimating a sub-20,000 crowd.

Did you find those handball bleachers painful at all? :)

I want the games to succeed, and I hate to put things this way, but the public still doesn't seem to like it too much. While the Pan Am Dome may easily sell out 45,000, imagine if the entire 45,000 were local people in the GTA, consider that there are millions who did not go and a good portion of those millions probably are indifferent or worse, oppose these games. We'll see in the next few weeks what the end result will be with the public after all of this.

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