Where were you when Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal of the 2010 Winter Olympics men's hockey tournament?
This and many other memories are the theme of the Royal Canadian Legion's night of Olympic Games reflection next Thursday (Feb. 24).
"I remember so vividly getting up at 4:30 a.m., riding the bus to Wal Mart and getting on the bus to Whistler," said Nelson Winterburn, event organizer and a Legion member who volunteered for 13 days during the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Winterburn grew up near the base of Grouse Mountain and would spend days hiking up the mountain with his skis on his shoulder to build jumps. For him, volunteering at the Games was the closest he ever got to one of his lifelong passions - professional ski jumping.
"I was part of the distance measuring crew for the ski jumping - I was only about 60 feet from where the guys were landing," he said.
"The excitement in the air was literally tangible."
The Legion's night to reflect will focus on memories such as these and will be an opportunity to show off any Olympics paraphernalia and trade pins.
"People are invited to bring whatever they have," said Winterburn. "We're trying to regenerate that energized ambiance that was so prevalent during the Games."
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with an opportunity for guests to circulate and share Olympic memorabilia before enjoying chicken cordon bleu with seasonal vegetables, salad and dessert.
After the meal, guest speakers David and Rosemary Malaher will give an insightful presentation on the host region of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.
A historian by profession, David Malaher and his wife headed to Russia in October to do some research on the area and decided to take a "day off" and explore Sochi.
Malaher worked as an alpine ski official both at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary and at the 2010 Olympic Games in Whistler.
"I ski and I enjoy ski racing, so it seemed that while I was in the neighbourhood, why not drop into Sochi?" he said.
"I was there because of my history, but took a day off to put on my alpine skiing hat and go and have a look."
Malaher said he was very impressed and taken aback by Sochi and the surrounding area.
"What I found was really quite surprising," he said. "I didn't know they had palm trees in Sochi and then only 50 kilometres out of town, they have mountains that are 14,000 feet!"
The Caucasus Mountains, where the alpine ski events will be hosted, extend from the Caucasian Natural Reserve in the vicinity of Sochi on the north-eastern shore of the Black Sea to Baku on the Caspian Sea.
"I knew the Caucasus Mountains were substantial and difficult to get through," he said, "but what I really didn't appreciate was the beauty of these mountains and the valleys with their untouched forests with nice little villages.
He said the mountains are much taller, narrower and steeper than he anticipated.
He said based on his Olympic experiences, the infrastructure for the Games is coming along nicely.
As someone who's lived in the Sea to Sky Corridor for 41 years, Winterburn said in his mind there's no question - "the Olympics were the greatest event that's ever happened in the corridor.
"We're hoping to have about 60 people come out and reflect on the 2010 Games but still get excited for the 2014 ones in Sochi," said Winterburn.
"The presentation will be good, the food will be good and the Legion does have the cheapest beer in town."
Tickets are $20 and available at the Adventure Centre and the Legion bar.
