2010 Winter Olympics
by Beverly
(Bellingham, WA USA)
Snowboarding
Extreme athlete's are tenaciouly training from all over the world from 80 countries, training for the 2010 Winter Olympics that will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the beautiful Whistler Blackcomb. Thousands will be participating and an estimated 75 million visitors will be flocking to Vancouver in just a little over 700 days!
According to the official website of the 2010 Olympics, there are an estimated 30,000 hotel rooms that will be available for booking. With their 75 million visitor estimation, I believe that Bellingham, WA can open her doors to a great opportunity to house and hostess some of these world-wide visitors!
Bellingham, WA is just a hop-skip-and jump away from Whistler, B.C., approximately 130 miles north.
There will be no avoiding traffic that will come thru Bellingham due to the 2010 Olympics.
Also, according to the offical 2010 Olympic website, they are in need of 25,000 volunteers to help with pre-games and during the actual games. (More than likely post-games as well, for the Olympic games that run for 17 days and the paralympic games that follow in March that run for 10 days.) They are accepting applications if anyone is interested in volunteering their time for such a great time as this! You can apply on their website.
The Olympic events start Febuary 12th and run to the 28th of 2010. Tickets will go on sale this October.
The Paralympic events start March 12the and run thru the 21st, 2010. Those tickets are expected to go on sale in 2009.
Events included in the 2010 Olympics will be:
Alpine Skiing is down-hill skiing that challenges skiers to control direction and speed on their long skis.
Bobsleighing is where riders sit in bobsleds and speed down narrow tracks with twists and turns.
Curling is played on ice with granite stones. The object of the game is to place more rocks near the center of a target painted on the ice than the opposing team.
Freestyle Skiing is just that, ski normally or backwards.
Luge Racing is done on a one or two person sled steering with the feet and shoulders.
Short Track Speed Skating takes places on an oval ice track.
Ski Jumping is where the competitors do down an inrun with a take-off ramp and jump as far as they possibly can.
Speed Skating is the sport where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance on ice.
Biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
Cross-Country Skiing is skiing across snowfields and includes some jumping.
Figure Skating is popular sport that involves skating single or in pairs performing spins and jumps along with footwork and other choreography on ice.
Ice Hockey is a fast-paced and very physical sport on ice.
Nordic Combined is a combination of cross-country skiing and ski jumping.
Skeleton is the sport where competitors focus to drive a one-person sled in a prone position down an ice track in the fastest time. No brakes!
Snowboarding (inspired by surfing and skateboarding, "Snurfer") most popular winter sport developed in the United States and became an Olympic sport in 1998. Skiing on a single board with both feet on the board.
Sounds like a line up of sports for the 2010 event!
My hope is that people around the world who are planning to attend the events would consider visiting Bellingham, WA while you are near and perhaps consider staying here while attending the 2010 Olympic games.
This website will give you the in's and out's of Bellingham, WA. And you can contact us on this site with any questions or concerns you may have and we will get back with you.
