PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

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La
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Thu Jul 09, 2015 1:31 pm

turd ferguson wrote:
La wrote:
turd ferguson wrote:
Jwolf wrote:
turd ferguson wrote:
La wrote:
jonovision_man wrote:
La wrote:Did you know that you can watch triathlon, road cycling, and the marathons free of charge if you are anywhere along Lake Shore west of Ontario Place or in/around High Park? You only need tickets for the grandstand at the start/finish area (and to watch the swimming).


Good info, thanks! Makes sense.

There are two big hills that they will climb on the bike (road cycling, not triathlon): Centre Road in High Park, and Ellis Ave/Olympus Ave on the west side of High Park. I don't know the area very well, but I'm told Olympus is quite the steep climb. In fact, they aren't using it for ParaPanAm cycling because the turns are too tight for some of the bikes (e.g., tandems). If you want to see them get some speed going, Parkside Drive from Bloor to Lake Shore will be the place to watch.

Men do 10 laps of 18K, and the women do 6 laps. Both are the afternoon/evening of Saturday, July 25. Race starts at 3:30PM (not sure which race goes first).


Tandem bikes is in the PanAm games? I have got to see this.


It's for one of the para-events. They use tandems for blind cyclists with a sighted guide/co-cyclist who rides in the front.

http://www.toronto2015.org/parapan/cycling-road


I'm not going to lie, I'm a little disappointed.

Why does this disappoint you?

Those tandems will be FLYING on the descents. They could get up to 80-90kph.


Because I would have also liked to see tandem bikes in the primary games.

What next... recumbents? :roll:
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby turd ferguson » Thu Jul 09, 2015 1:37 pm

La wrote:
turd ferguson wrote:
La wrote:
turd ferguson wrote:
Jwolf wrote:
turd ferguson wrote:
La wrote:
jonovision_man wrote:
La wrote:Did you know that you can watch triathlon, road cycling, and the marathons free of charge if you are anywhere along Lake Shore west of Ontario Place or in/around High Park? You only need tickets for the grandstand at the start/finish area (and to watch the swimming).


Good info, thanks! Makes sense.

There are two big hills that they will climb on the bike (road cycling, not triathlon): Centre Road in High Park, and Ellis Ave/Olympus Ave on the west side of High Park. I don't know the area very well, but I'm told Olympus is quite the steep climb. In fact, they aren't using it for ParaPanAm cycling because the turns are too tight for some of the bikes (e.g., tandems). If you want to see them get some speed going, Parkside Drive from Bloor to Lake Shore will be the place to watch.

Men do 10 laps of 18K, and the women do 6 laps. Both are the afternoon/evening of Saturday, July 25. Race starts at 3:30PM (not sure which race goes first).


Tandem bikes is in the PanAm games? I have got to see this.


It's for one of the para-events. They use tandems for blind cyclists with a sighted guide/co-cyclist who rides in the front.

http://www.toronto2015.org/parapan/cycling-road


I'm not going to lie, I'm a little disappointed.

Why does this disappoint you?

Those tandems will be FLYING on the descents. They could get up to 80-90kph.


Because I would have also liked to see tandem bikes in the primary games.

What next... recumbents? :roll:


That would be awesome. They could earn bonus points for smugness and for effectively flapping their big orange flags.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby turd ferguson » Thu Jul 09, 2015 1:39 pm

Seriously - wouldn't you pay good money to see Armstrong and Contador race a tandem bike.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Thu Jul 09, 2015 1:45 pm

turd ferguson wrote:Seriously - wouldn't you pay good money to see Armstrong and Contador race a tandem bike.

:lol:

Though, to be frank, the ParaCyclists who will be racing in August are just as fit/competitive as any other PanAm/Olympic cyclists! It will still be a cool thing to watch.

The section I'll be marshalling is on a relatively flat/straight stretch of road, so it will be cool. If I end up closer to the hill by the Legion, I could see them getting up to some pretty fast speeds.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby purdy65 » Thu Jul 09, 2015 2:44 pm

My sister and I are going to see the dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies tonight. Word has it that Cirque de Soleil will put on a good show. Well they usually do!

Oh, and I'll be going to watch the men's and women's marathon (along the route!)
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby trixiee » Thu Jul 09, 2015 6:39 pm

I'm sad to be leaving the GTA on the eve of opening ceremonies! I should've planned better!
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:49 am

purdy65 wrote:My sister and I are going to see the dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies tonight. Word has it that Cirque de Soleil will put on a good show. Well they usually do!

How did you like it? I thought it was OK. Since we're supposed to #savethesurprise, all I will say is that I liked who the torchbearer was and how he/she came into the stadium, but the lighting of the torch seemed anti-climactic (unless there will be something different tonight). I think the whole thing will look better on TV with close-ups. I felt so far away that I couldn't really see what was going on. The woman who sang the national anthem was great (I didn't recognize her name).
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby purdy65 » Fri Jul 10, 2015 7:35 am

La wrote:
purdy65 wrote:My sister and I are going to see the dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies tonight. Word has it that Cirque de Soleil will put on a good show. Well they usually do!

How did you like it? I thought it was OK. Since we're supposed to #savethesurprise, all I will say is that I liked who the torchbearer was and how he/she came into the stadium, but the lighting of the torch seemed anti-climactic (unless there will be something different tonight). I think the whole thing will look better on TV with close-ups. I felt so far away that I couldn't really see what was going on. The woman who sang the national anthem was great (I didn't recognize her name).


Yes I enjoyed! Except the drudgery of getting inside the place! Sheez! it took forever. Up in the nosebleeds you really had to rely on the video to see some of what was going on on the stages. I was wondering how/if they would practice the parade of nations!.

I think people will enjoy it for the most part.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby jonovision_man » Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:10 am

Triathlon map:
http://images.toronto2015.org/system/as ... on-Map.pdf

Looks like it would be hard to catch for free? Not sure if the area where you'd see the run is closed off. Probably 6 loops on the bike?

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby eme » Sat Jul 11, 2015 7:48 am

CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby scrumhalfgirl » Sat Jul 11, 2015 9:46 am

eme wrote:CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.


I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby jonovision_man » Sat Jul 11, 2015 5:48 pm

scrumhalfgirl wrote:I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.


The 7's competition looks pretty cool - nice short games, lots of scoring.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:14 pm

jonovision_man wrote:Triathlon map:
http://images.toronto2015.org/system/as ... on-Map.pdf

Looks like it would be hard to catch for free? Not sure if the area where you'd see the run is closed off. Probably 6 loops on the bike?

jono

Two spots you can watch: Lake Shore and British Columbia Drive. Bike goes past 6 times in each direction, and is the run turnaround point for 4 laps. You could also try the east end of the Lake Shore (west end of Ontario Place) but I don't know how close you can get.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:16 pm

scrumhalfgirl wrote:
eme wrote:CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.


I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.

I don't think CBC is showing live coverage of very much. They didn't even have real highlights at 7PM, just showed the start and the winner crossing the line.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby deerdree » Sat Jul 11, 2015 6:46 pm

At the women's football game now. I feel a bit bad for the teams since the crowd doesn't seem to have shown up (it's a two-game ticket and canada is playing in the second game). A bit like the opening act. People are starting to trickle in now.

Some logistical issues at the stadium (long lines at concessions and waits once you order, water fountains haven't been turned on), but hopefully they'll sort out the food issues as the games continue. Overall, a neat experience, though. I teared up a bit at the anthems, imagining what it means to the players to be here. I'm sure the vibe at the canada game will be insane.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby Jwolf » Sat Jul 11, 2015 7:34 pm

La wrote:
scrumhalfgirl wrote:
eme wrote:CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.


I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.

I don't think CBC is showing live coverage of very much. They didn't even have real highlights at 7PM, just showed the start and the winner crossing the line.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby eme » Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:37 pm

Jwolf wrote:
La wrote:
scrumhalfgirl wrote:
eme wrote:CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.


I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.

I don't think CBC is showing live coverage of very much. They didn't even have real highlights at 7PM, just showed the start and the winner crossing the line.

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They are streaming 600 hours online... Isn't that just about everything?

Not triathlon. I confirmed with CBC Sports on twitter.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby scrumhalfgirl » Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:35 am

Jwolf wrote:
La wrote:
scrumhalfgirl wrote:
eme wrote:CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.


I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.

I don't think CBC is showing live coverage of very much. They didn't even have real highlights at 7PM, just showed the start and the winner crossing the line.

Sent from my SM-G850W using Tapatalk

They are streaming 600 hours online... Isn't that just about everything?


looks like they are showing some rugby online today - yay!
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:44 am

eme wrote:
Jwolf wrote:
La wrote:
scrumhalfgirl wrote:
eme wrote:CBC sucks, there isn't even an online option to watch triathlon this morning. They aparently will have highlights on the evening recap.


I was bummed too! And no rugby either - a sport where we have a really good shot at medalling. Would have loved to go down to see it, but wasn't up for the drive with the kids.

I don't think CBC is showing live coverage of very much. They didn't even have real highlights at 7PM, just showed the start and the winner crossing the line.

Sent from my SM-G850W using Tapatalk

They are streaming 600 hours online... Isn't that just about everything?

Not triathlon. I confirmed with CBC Sports on twitter.

Exactly. The least they can do is live stream events that are finals. Although I'm sure some people care about qualification rounds for diving and swimming, if they have to choose between a medal event and a non-medal event to show, you'd think they'd choose the former. I hope they don't screw us out of watching the marathons and the cycling road race.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby jonovision_man » Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:07 am

Maps:

Marathon map (I guess they're doing loops?)
http://images.toronto2015.org/system/as ... on-Map.pdf

Cycling road race (definitely loops - 160+km race)
http://images.toronto2015.org/system/as ... PP-Map.pdf

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:14 am

Yes, the marathon is four laps (they do a 2.2K lap around Ontario Place, then do 4x10K loop to High Park and back). For cycling, then men do 10 laps of a 16K loop and women do 6 laps. Women's race starts at 1PM and men at 3PM.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby La » Tue Jul 14, 2015 7:10 am

Thanks to BJH for the info/nudge, I'm going to see the gold medal women's baseball game on Sunday, July 26. $40, general admission. It's a pretty good deal.I didn't know there was both women's/men's baseball and softball. I thought women played softball and men played baseball in multi-sport games like this, but maybe that's just the Olympics.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby jonovision_man » Tue Jul 14, 2015 2:40 pm

La wrote:Thanks to BJH for the info/nudge, I'm going to see the gold medal women's baseball game on Sunday, July 26. $40, general admission. It's a pretty good deal.I didn't know there was both women's/men's baseball and softball. I thought women played softball and men played baseball in multi-sport games like this, but maybe that's just the Olympics.


My daughter is in fastpitch softball so I get to talk to a lot of the old-timers... they lament the decline of men's fastpitch, it's been almost entirely replaced by baseball for boys leagues. I wanted my son to play softball, but there aren't even any leagues around here anymore. :( Used to be a big deal in Canada.

(The bright side is that all these older guys with massive experience are around to coach the girls' teams, and they're just the most amazing volunteers you'll ever meet, really love the game.)

As for women's baseball - I didn't even know there was such a thing! My son's baseball has the odd girl on some of the teams, but literally league-wide there's maybe 4? No girls' leagues around here either. Not sure if it's bigger in the U.S. or the central/south American countries.

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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby turd ferguson » Tue Jul 14, 2015 2:53 pm

jonovision_man wrote:
La wrote:Thanks to BJH for the info/nudge, I'm going to see the gold medal women's baseball game on Sunday, July 26. $40, general admission. It's a pretty good deal.I didn't know there was both women's/men's baseball and softball. I thought women played softball and men played baseball in multi-sport games like this, but maybe that's just the Olympics.


My daughter is in fastpitch softball so I get to talk to a lot of the old-timers... they lament the decline of men's fastpitch, it's been almost entirely replaced by baseball for boys leagues. I wanted my son to play softball, but there aren't even any leagues around here anymore. :( Used to be a big deal in Canada.

(The bright side is that all these older guys with massive experience are around to coach the girls' teams, and they're just the most amazing volunteers you'll ever meet, really love the game.)

As for women's baseball - I didn't even know there was such a thing! My son's baseball has the odd girl on some of the teams, but literally league-wide there's maybe 4? No girls' leagues around here either. Not sure if it's bigger in the U.S. or the central/south American countries.

jono


My experience is exactly the same. My son had 2 girls on his team, and my daughter was the only girl on her team.

I think soccer has demolished just about everything.
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Re: PanAm Games - Spectators? Volunteers?

Postby jonovision_man » Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:51 pm

Girl's softball is still big around here. Boy's baseball too. Just no boy's softball, and rarely see girls playing baseball.

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