Pan-Amazing – another YOLO post
You know, yes, Mono is a long drive from Ottawa. And, yes, that drive is made particularly harrowing because you have to either face Toronto traffic (!!!) or make a very long, slow detour around Toronto – essentially long, slow driving no matter how you look at it. And, yes, when booking tickets in March for an event in July, it could be pouring rain on that distant summer day. Easily. Or it could be thirty degrees with a heat advisory (BINGO! it was …)
But YOLO. I can’t imagine the Pan Am Games will ever be in Toronto again in my lifetime, so I bought tickets and we went. There was lots and lots of evidence of Panamania all around the GTA. Direction signs carrying the three-letter venue codes everywhere, and the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes marked out on the 401. Here was the sign we saw as we approached our venue:
I was so glad I bought our tickets early!
There was a buzz – a sense of excitement as we entered the venue. A nice lady’s voice reminding us to mind our crossing guards, and only cross the course at designated crossing points, when allowed (or risk being run over by a thundering, galloping horse). We had to make sure any water bottles we brought in were empty, so the nice lady also reminded us to fill up at the water filling stations and “stay hydrated!” It was frigging hot, so I visited the water filling stations many, many times … And then there were the flags:
A great reminder of what we were there to see!
And the competitors! We were so, so close. You could feel the horses’ breathing in your chest, and the vibrations of their hoofbeats through the soles of your feet. When you cheered you were looking right at the riders’ faces. It was hot, and the horses were slick with sweat – it was a very immediate experience. Here are some of the hundreds of shots we took:
This is jump one – the Toronto Arch – with the view onwards along the course.
This was the first horse / rider that thundered past us. This was when I knew it was going to be a great day … talk about firsthand experience of world class riding!
Next we headed to the second of two water areas – each had three jumping efforts – the kids thought these were pretty cool.
This was at the first of the two water zones.
The jumps were fun and beautiful, with local themes. This one was the “Fort York Cannons.” It was fun to hear the announcer reading out the names of the jumps as the horses cleared them (Blue Jay Corners, Turkey Feeder, Owl Hole, etc.).
An amazing shot of one of the Canadians clearing the Golden Horseshoe (second-last jump on course). You could tell when a Canadian was on course – and follow her jump-by-jump – just by the cheering that broke out all over the site in a kind of wave following her along.
I’m showing you this jump for a reason … remember it.
When the final rider had gone, the volunteers let down the ropes and we were able to walk in among the jumps, take pictures, etc.
This is me, leaning on that same jump you saw the grey clearing above.
And the entire family, seeing just how high and solid those logs are. There was a lot of “We’ll take your picture, if you’ll take ours” going on. That’s how we got a picture of all four of us.
So, that was it. Pan Am Games Toronto 2015 done for us. I’m super-glad I went. Are you going to the Pan Am Games this summer? Are you doing something else that fits into the YOLO spirit?
