There is a red shuttle bus in the athlete's village in Whistler. In the last few days, its driver says people have begun acting "strange." Not strange as in odd. Strange as in hammered.
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Driving the red drunk tank around Whistler
- February 25, 2010 3:27 PM |
- By Joe O'Connor
Story provided by
WHISTLER, B.C. -- There is a red shuttle bus in the athlete's village in Whistler, and the bus goes round and round.
Picking up visitors, guests and athletes at one security entrance and dropping them off at another. The bus driver, a local woman of Dutch descent, has been working the same loop for several weeks. In the last few days, she says, people have begun acting "strange," and especially strange late at night. Not strange as in odd. Strange as in hammered.
"It's been like driving the drunk tank," the driver says, with a laugh.
Athletes train a lifetime to get to the Olympics. They eat properly, workout like fiends and lead a monkish existence while many other people their age, or close to it, are out doing keg stands at frat parties. Naturally, once their event is over, it is time for the Olympians to rock out.
"They are so disciplined," the driver says. "They are just blowing off steam. They deserve it."
One of the more curious things the driver has seen in recent days was a gaggle of well-toasted New Zealanders hopping around her bus, making like a bunch of kangaroos.
"They were making fun of Australians," she says. "They were having a good time."
About the Author
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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