Britain wins a medal!

As I sit down to write this I start to appreciate just how much can happen in a day here.  From the moment my alarm goes off to get up until the moment I am back in my hotel room I seem to be caught up in a chain of exciting activities.

Team Slovenia ice practice

I had a rest day today with no refereeing duties and no standby duties.  As the nervous energy and anxiety to get on the ice and get my first game done is really starting to build up I decided to head to the gym again for another morning work-out.  One of the linesmen from the USA came with me because she also had a day off from games and wanted to stretch her legs a bit after her game yesterday.

When we arrived at the gym we noticed that the men’s team Slovenia were on the practice rink.  The men’s tournament is due to start on Wednesday and so most of the men’s teams have now arrived and are beginning their practice schedule.  A few of the teams are missing their NHL players who are due to fly in tomorrow or Tuesday but clearly the teams are already getting ice time ahead of their first games.

Me and Lish with Team Slovenia

When we finished in the gym and went down to our locker room we noticed that team Slovenia were in the room next to us having just got off the ice.  We chatted to a few of the guys, gave them some pin badges and had our photographs taken with them.  They were clearly looking forward to their games and they also seemed impressed to meet a British referee!

Male officials arrived

One of the great things about being at an Olympics is the opportunity to be part of the biggest elite hockey tournament in the world.  At an Olympics we are treated to not only the best quality women’s hockey in the world but also the best quality men’s hockey too. 

In addition to the games we get to watch, we also get to be part of a bigger team of referees.  A few of the male officials arrived today and already we are starting to form a strong team.  It is really nice to be part of a bigger team of officials and to meet our counterparts who have been officiating together over the last few years for the men’s world championships.  We otherwise wouldn’t meet each other and so the Olympic experience as a referee is really enhanced by meeting the male referees and hearing their referee stories.

As we have been here now for a few days we very much enjoyed being the experts and showing the men where everything is, how to get access to the rinks and the set-up across the Olympic park.  For today we know more than they do which made us feel very much in charge as they followed us around.  However by tomorrow I am sure they will have familiarised themselves with their surroundings and be as expert as we are!  I expect we will be following them around soon!

Russia’s first game

Team Russia women played their first game today in-front of their home crowd.  The arena was full of passionate Russians all hoping to see their team beat Germany in their opening game. 

Passionate Russian fans

It is difficult to describe the atmosphere in the arena because it is like nothing else I have seen or experienced.  The attendance was roughly 5,000 people and so not the largest crowd I have seen at a hockey game.  In Vancouver the crowds were up to 19,000 and as Canada is the home of hockey the noise and atmosphere there was incredible.  However the Russians have taken this to a new level for me.  With just 5,000 people in a smaller arena the passion they have for the game of hockey, the desire they have for their team to win and the continuous chanting was so strong that it was difficult to hear myself think.  The crowd were cheering like crazy people not only when there was a scoring opportunity or a good save but every-time the Russian team had possession of the puck.  I thought to myself this is just the start of the game and surely they won’t keep this up ... however for the whole game the crowd were going wild every-time the Russian team had possession of the puck.  So much so that at times the players and the fans didn’t hear the whistle being blown.  Now I understand the importance of our special whistles that automatically stop the clock because if the players cannot hear it then it would be likely the time keeper wouldn’t be able to hear it either.

Celebrating their first goal

The crowd were chanting ‘Shaybu, shaybu, shaybu’.  For Russians this is apparently a universal way of supporting hockey teams at international championships and means ‘go, keep going, go’.

It didn’t look like the game was going to go their way when Germany took the lead in the first period and for the majority of the game the score was 1-0 to Germany.  Then in the 3^rd period the Russians found their scoring legs and came back to win the game 4-1.  With every goal the crowd went crazy and it felt like I was consumed by Russian pride as all those around us jumped to their feet and waved flags furiously.

It was great to see the passion and perhaps the belief the Russians have in their team and I really hope to get a chance to experience that atmosphere on the ice.

Britain’s first medal

In-between watching the games at the arena today I was sitting in our hotel eating lunch with a few of the girls watching the Olympic coverage on TV out of the corner of my eye.  I took a second glance and turned to one of the girls to say ‘Oh my god ... I think GB has just won our first medal’!  I felt incredibly proud and patriotic.  In Vancouver I had watched and heard the rest of the officials talking every-time their country won a medal.  I had to wait a very long time to be able to talk about a GB medal but was overjoyed when Amy Williams won her gold medal for Skeleton.  She was in-fact the only GB medallist in Vancouver and whilst GB are predicted to win more medals in Sochi I hadn’t realised what that might feel like if we actually did!  I felt very proud to be British!  A few of the girls had teased me earlier in the week by asking ‘oh does Britain send a team to the winter Olympics’.  I had quickly put them in their place by reeling off the names of some of our medal prospects and telling them we had 56 athletes from Britain competing in Sochi.  Now I had even more of a reason to be proud to be British!

Jenny Jones made history today by winning the bronze medal in the newest Olympic sport – snowboard slopestyle.  Britain has not won a medal on snow for 90 years (since the inaugural 1924 games in Chamonix and today we did!

Jenny Jones celebrating her bronze medal

As I was walking through the Olympic park in the evening I was fortunate enough to meet with a group of people wearing Team GB uniforms.  I tend to get quite excited when I identify fellow Brits – you can feel quite alone and distanced from everything back home and to see someone/anyone from your own country is nice.  I went over to give them some pin badges and meet them.  It turned out to be our Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, the Right Honourable Maria Miller along with her special advisor and an Ambassador for the British Embassy in Moscow.  They were on their way to see Jenny in her medal ceremony and so I joined them for the experience.  The medal ceremonies as I described in an earlier blog are open for all to attend in the Olympic park just below the flame.  However with my new found friends I was able to watch the medal ceremony from the front section which is reserved for dignitaries, families and Olympic associations.

Jenny Jones with her bronze medal

It is always emotional watching medal ceremonies and seeing just how much it means to the athletes to win a medal and be named Olympic champion.  However it is incredibly special when you realise you are witnessing history being made.  I will always remember where I was when Britain won our first medal on snow in 90 years.  I was standing 50 metres from our bronze medallist, Jenny Jones, waving a British flag and sharing the moment her Olympic dream came true.

I feel very lucky to be a part of this Olympics and am eager to get on the ice and start my tournament.  I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow with a 7am ice-practice followed by a team meeting.  I may also get the chance to get my first game under my belt.