"B.C MMA Fan" At The Olympics, With Pictures!

As I sit here typing on Monday, March 1st, having just returned home late last night from the centre of the post-Olympic party in Vancouver, there are successive waves of powerful emotions still washing over me.

Yes, some of it is probably a mixture of exhaustion and malnourishment, and, yes, I am fully aware that an MMA blog is not the place you would expect to find a candid discussion of one's "feelings." I also recognize that, to some, the Olympics themselves are an overblown track-meet-- a dog-and-pony show with little bearing on their day-to-day lives. That said, to be on the corner of Robson and Richards receiving heartfelt embraces from total strangers, and enough high-fives to turn both palms maple-leaf red, was a rare and joyful experience that I believe any even remotely patriotic Canadian would have cherished. To put it succinctly, I felt unadulterated Love in the air. It was True, Patriot Love and I hope that, as a nation, we never forget what it meant for us to finally let it all out.

Surely, we all have our stories to share from this past weekend. These pictures may help to tell mine. As a nation, we rallied in every way possible both yesterday and over the last several days. With the whole world watching, Canadians proved ourselves to be resilient, confident, and , most of all, great.

Pic #1: Not the gold Medal game, I wish, but Czech vs. Latvia was a great time, nonetheless. (Feb. 20th)

Pic #2: In the daytime the line up to glimpse the torch up-close was atrocious. On this night, however, it became the site of an impromptu gymnastics display. Impressive, no? (Feb. 22nd)

Pic #3: Speaking of line-ups, here's the line to get into the Quebec House pavilion just outside GM Place, where I was lucky enough to watch the men's hockey gold medal game. What a treat that was. (Feb. 28th)



Pics #4-5: Inside Quebec House the atmosphere was running at a fever pitch throughout the game. The fact that French-speaking waiters were trolling the crowd constantly looking for anyone without a $10 beer in their hand certainly didn't hurt matters either. The broadcast was in French, but it didn't matter much because I couldn't have heard a word of it, anyway. Good on you, Sidney, you locked up your spot as an all-time great at just twenty-two years old. (Feb. 28th)

Pic #6: The scene during the medal ceremony outside Molson House, the hottest ticket in Vancouver yesterday outside of GM Place. You can bet we all pitched in when the Canadian National Anthem was played. (Feb. 28th)

Pic #7: That's me in the middle and, that absolute mob scene stretching away into the background, is downtown Vancouver painted red like never before and in more ways than one. (Feb. 28th)


Don't think B.C. MMA Fan has forgotten its primary mission, though. We'll be back to providing the absolute best MMA coverage in the province starting tomorrow morning, if not sooner.

And don't you dare think we've forgotten the biggest MMA event to hit B.C. so far in 2010, Armageddon fighting Championships II, is coming right up. The show is set for this Saturday night at Bear Mountain Arena just outside of Victoria and it should be a very memorable night. Maybe not as memorable as February 28th, 2010, but still...