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2010 Olympic Legacy: Richmond reflects on the Games

By Richmond Sentinel

Published 4:38 PST, Mon February 24, 2020

Last Updated: 2:13 PDT, Wed May 12, 2021

Richmond residents were asked to reflect on the 2010 Olympic Winter and Paralympic Games. Here are their memories:


John and Joan Young

It was the chance of a lifetime to be a Blue Coat volunteer at the fabulous Vancouver Olympic Games.

 We experienced spirit, pride, and patriotism for Canada. We heard spectators singing O’ Canada with great emotion. We witnessed it spontaneously sung by passengers on the new Canada Line as we travelled to Vancouver. We were immersed in the excitement, fun, happiness and joy of Vancouverites and visitors from all over the world. We wished the Games and the sense of joy it brought could go on forever. 

We’ll always remember watching the Speed Skating competition – especially the Canadian team, listening to the roar of 8,000 spectators as the skaters raced around the track, seeing the colours, flag waving, and spectators of the many different nations.

Before the Games began there were a lot of naysayers and complainers.  It was great to see them swallow their comments and backtrack as the success of the games unfolded.

-John and Joan Young are longtime volunteers and the founders of the popular Forever Young running club.


Cherelle Jardine

I was asked by the City of Richmond to be the "Do you Believe" spokesperson for the CTV commercial that highlighted the Richmond O Zone stage. (Former news anchor) Pamela Martin interviewed me for the spotlight.

As well, my mother-daughter band The Jardines performed at the opening ceremonies at the O Zone Main Stage. which was a dream come true—as was sharing the stage with world-renowned performers.

The main stage showcased music for 17 nights. One of the evenings was "Musical Expressions,” the running concert series I produced for seven years. The entire experience is one that I will never forget.

-Cherelle Jardine is an accomplished locally-based recording artist.


Bob Jackson

For 10 weeks I was a volunteer VANOC VIP Driver. I worked from the end of January to the middle of March for both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.

On the day of the Olympic gold medal hockey game, I was staged across from the hockey rink. Near the end of the third period, I had to drive a guest downtown. On my return trip I got stuck because of the crowd marching after Canada's victory.

During the Olympics, I probably drove about four dozen different committee members. Some interesting characters. On one trip I had a couple of NHL officials in my car.

-A longtime community volunteer, Bob Jackson currently chairs KidSport Richmond.


Camryn Rogers

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since Canada hosted the Winter Olympics. As a 10 year old, I remember watching the hockey games at my elementary school.

I was honoured to be one of the 3,500 elementary school students who performed at our own Richmond O Zone at Minoru Park. We sang at the pre-opening ceremony to open the Games in these beautiful red and white outfits.

It was so much fun, and having everyone come together to celebrate and cheer on Team Canada was an unforgettable experience. It truly takes the support of everyone to make amazing events happen and to lead our Team to victory. Hopefully this year, I will be able to take all those feelings of excitement I had watching the Games into the competition with me.

-Camryn Rogers is one of Canada’s top prospects in the women’s hammer throw.


Lanie Man

What we remember most from the 2010 Winter Olympics is the Richmond City Hall pond flooded with cranberries. My kids were still toddlers then, so we didn't watch live events. We went to the O Zone and on the ferris wheel with an aerial view of the Olympic rings and the maple leaf made up of cranberries. We also went to the Oval when it opened. We watched the events on tv and followed the slalom and half pipes, which are my favourite events.

-Lanie Man is a proud Richmondite and dedicated member of the Richmond Kajaks Track and Field Club.


Linda McPhail

The Olympics was a very exciting time in Richmond. Holland House (in Minoru Park)—if you could get in—was so much fun.

Being half Dutch, seeing the Dutch speed skaters was very exciting, as well as many great Canadian speed skaters. We were at the event where Sven Kramer was disqualified for an incorrect change of lane.

The one moment that really stands out for me was being at the Richmond O Zone in Minoru Park the evening The Tenors sang "We are the Champions" and everyone waved their red mittens.

Through the ticket lottery we got tickets for the opening night ceremonies. Feb. 12 is my wedding anniversary, and it felt like they threw a party for us.

We also got tickets through the lottery for curling, speed skating and women’s hockey. My daughter went to the women’s hockey and loved it. We really enjoyed the speed skating—there was such an energy and vibe in the oval.  

-Linda McPhail is a longtime Richmond city councillor.


Susan Walters

It’s hard to believe 10 years have gone by. I was able to take in an Olympic curling event, multiple concerts, and the Paralympic hockey gold medal game. Everywhere you went there was a sea of Canadian pride as we proudly wore our flag, maple leaf emblem, and red mittens! There was such a sense of community – both locally and nationally.

I loved coming to work in the heart of the Richmond O Zone. For library staff, one of the best parts of working during the Olympics was meeting countless new people, sharing information about Canada and cheering on athletes with our community and visitors while the games played on large screen TVs. Interactions with world class athletes were common with Holland Heineken House right next door. 

The legacy of the Games continues to give back to our community with the Richmond Olympic Oval now a world class sporting and fitness venue for residents and visitors alike.

-Susan Walters is Richmond Public Library's enthusiastic and dedicated chief librarian.


Julie Halfnights

My Olympic experience was a thrill, from the opening of the oval to the last day of the Games.  

I was a bit of a skeptic as it was being rolled out, but was asked by Ted Townsend (from the City of Richmond) if I'd be interested in helping local speed skate volunteers in putting on their first event at the newly-opened oval. The speed skate folks had all the experience on the technical and skate side, but hadn't managed the volume of spectators and media, nor did they know Richmond as we did.  

I was appointed to the Richmond Spirit of BC Committee, along with other community leaders and former Olympian Shirley Olafsson. She was a character and worth the work to get to know.  She and I and a few others went out to community events with her Beijing torch and, eventually, a model of the 2010 torch, to allow people to see it and have their photos taken with it. This was all in a bid to raise understanding and excitement about the Games. Shirley also took her torch to many local schools and provided children with the opportunity to run a lap around the gym or field with her torch. I was also appointed to the Richmond Olympic Torch Committee, another interesting exercise. 

What stands out for me? The Torch Relay, as it went across the country. Spirits switched from somewhat negative to full-on excited. To see Rick Hansen bring it into Minoru was amazing. Our Spirit Committee was fortunate to be 'corralled' with Canadian Olympians from former Games. We got a sense of their national pride and heard just enough about the work it takes to compete at that level to be humbled.

As a 'team lead' at the oval, VIPs who stood out for their kindness were Donald Sutherland, Wayne Gretzky and the Dutch Royal family. My absolute highlight was on the last day, when I 'caught' Clara Hughes discretely having her photo taken with some of 'my' volunteers (we had been told 'absolutely no photos while on duty’). Clara is the epitome of Canadian kindness, humility and thoughtfulness, and immediately took the blame for getting them 'in trouble'. In previous interactions with Clara between races and after she won her bronze medal, she always went well beyond expectations to thank people with a smile.

The last day of the Olympics I went to the O Zone at Minoru. I sat with a crowd of people watching the men's gold medal hockey game—a perfect end to my two weeks of 'vacation' spent volunteering at the Olympics.

-Julie Halfnights has volunteered since childhood. She continues to be a pillar in her community.


Jack Taunton

For me, it was a four-and-a-half year project in terms of preparation and the number of test events we did. World Cups and world championships certainly had us very prepared. At the end of the (Vancouver) Games, it was stated that they were the best ever. Preparation was a big thing, and we had a tremendous team.

We had 5,500 Olympic athletes and 1,350 Paralympic athletes from 82 and 42 countries (respectively). And we had 25,000 Games volunteers and accredited media to look after. We were dealing with H1N1, much like what we're seeing now in China. It meant all our volunteers had to be vaccinated. We had to look after an estimated 1.6 million spectators.

Every morning at 6 a.m. my team had to begin preparations. We also had to report on food quality. Had there been any outbreaks or food poisoning? What was the state of the water, or the air quality? We had to leave a legacy, and we left 250 defibrillators and the mobile operating unit, which are still used today.

-Jack Taunton was the chief medical officer for the 2010 Games.


Carson Bradley

Although my memories are a bit blurry since I was just eight at the time, I remember going to the Richmond Olympic Oval to watch speed skating. I remember it was fun, and also remember attending a few hockey games at Rogers Arena. 

The best and most memorable memory of the Games was watching the men's gold medal hockey game. It was such a big deal for my family, and we were all crowded in our living room. I'll never forget the moment when Sidney Crosby scored, sending my dad five feet in the air with excitement.

Everyone wore red, white and black, everyone was excited to see things unfold, and I remember meeting a few of the athletes here and there.

-Carson Bradley is now on the road to hopefully being an Olympian himself one day as one of Canada's top young runners.


Doug and Diane Clement

Doug and Diane Clement have been around the Olympics all their lives, both having competed at the 1956 Summer Games.

So what stands out most about the 2010 Games? "The community spirit was overwhelming, with so much excitement."

They were able to see many events live, notably cross county skiing--particularly the para events, which they felt were spectacular. Plus ,the speed skating events at the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Their biggest takeaway? "The legacy of the subway and the Oval."

-Much admired around the world, Diane and Doug Clement started the Richmond Kajaks Track and Field Club in 1961.


Janice Froese

I have tons of good memories. The biggest honour for me was being part of the mayor’s torch relay task force and being on the inside, helping to select torch bearers, and keeping some pretty big secrets. The other highlight was being part of the organization for the celebration of the torch relay through Steveston. I’ll never forget the emotions and pride I felt (and still feel).

I also got to watch some of the speed skating at the oval.

 -Janice Froese is the business development manager at the Richmond Curling Club

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