Toronto Olympic Parade

My day volunteering at the Toronto Olympic Parade started at a breakfast and briefing (you can read that post here). I was assigned the swim team for the Olympic parade.

Afterwards, we walked to our float where we had half an hour waiting for the parade to start, which meant posing and taking photos. With everyone's cameras out (and the athletes out in the public), I felt okay taking photos (unlike at the breakfasts which to me were private moments).

One of the best moments from the Olympic trials was the moment when Heather MacLean qualified after her sister Brittany had already qualified for London 2012.  The joy and tears that flowed were felt throughout the country. I was thrilled to get a photo of the two of them together.

Richard Weinberger (bronze in 10k swim) was a highlight during the parade ensuring he (and his bronze medal) were in every photo that fans were taking of the float. He also took every opportunity to encourage the fans to go out and "swim". He took a moment to pose before the parade.

Taking a walk along the other floats, I spotted one of my favourite Olympians Jean-Luc Brassard (1994 gold medal - moguls) who was gracious and posed for a photo.

The women's soccer team (with their bronze medals) posed with a young fan.

Five minutes before the parade, the Olympians are onboard and ready to go.

The crowd was overwhelming, it gave me goosebumps.  There were so many people cheering with flags and wearing red and white.  There were countless signs.  I especially loved that the swimmers called Richard from the other side of the float to make sure he saw this sign (I was a little late getting my camera out, but the moment was priceless).

The swim team was so much fun. I loved how the men would raise a woman who would swim in the air. 

They also sang a lot of the song Call Me Maybe which would end up on a video (more on that in a later post).  There were also countless times where the crowd came up to the float to high-five the athletes.

There were a few quiet moments when there was time for photo ops.

I thought this was a lovely spot for a photo with city hall in the background so I took a photo of the beach volleyball players who were in the truck behind us.

At one point, I realized I didn't have a photo with me in it, so I asked the other volunteer to take one (without asking the athletes to pose). There is a better one of me, but I love the energy in this one (thanks to Savannah King for making this photo memorable).

As we approach the end of the parade, my sister is in the crowd and took a couple of photos.  I especially love this one that shows pure joy in my face as I try to get back to the float.

One of my favourite Olympians Simon Whitfield was just a couple of trucks behind me.  I had seen him at both breakfasts (and lunch) but had kept my distance. As we approach the bottle neck at the end, I walked back to take a photo...just to prove that I had seen him (and Paula Findlay).

There was a large crowd waiting at Maple Leaf Square where some of the athletes would be interviewed onstage.

With my volunteer duties finished, I managed to catch the end of the parade where Mark Tewksbury and Sylvie Bernier were in a convertible just ahead of the Hall Of Fame float.

One more photo of Jean-Luc Brassard with Rory Bushfield (Sarah Burke's husband).

I stayed in the square to hear some interviews where I saw Adam van Koeverden on stage, another favourite Olympian of mine, and interestingly the first time I had seen him in my two days of volunteering.  When a friend had said to me that I might see him (before I volunteered), I had replied that since I had seen him race last year, and seen him with his 2012 silver medal at a store appearance a few weeks ago, he wasn't top priority. I was hoping to see Olympians I had never seen before. So I found it funny that I didn't end up seeing him up close.

I left with a huge smile on my face not believing that I had spent the last two days volunteering with the Canadian Olympic team.  I'm hoping that it won't be my last.