Early Game Plan
The proactive Seattleite’s guide to enjoying a super-sliding, high-flying, great-dining time at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
By Kathryn Robinson and James Ross Gardner
Richmond Oval
Running in Circles
This venue, still under construction, is in the suburb of Richmond, 10 miles south of downtown, which may slow ticket sales. Good for you, since we can think of few sports more exhilarating than speed skating. In the traditional race, two skaters, one on the inside lane, the other on the outside, slice around an oval track, exchanging lanes every lap to even out the distance skated. It’s exciting to watch the skaters zoom around the 437-yard oval, but the real thrills are usually when they swap lanes, coming dangerously close to a collision. We’re also excited about team pursuit, a sort of roller derby on ice—sans punching and hair pulling—which debuted in Torino in 2006. Two teams of three scissor around the oval as teammates trade lead positions, with the skaters in back benefiting from the air current created by the frontrunner. First team to have all three members across the finish line wins.
Where you’ll eat
There may be a period of about five minutes where you will regret that your speed skating tickets fling you all the way out to Richmond. That’s how long it’ll take you to consult your guidebooks and discover that Richmond’s Chinese food is among the finest in the world. And serving some of the best is Sun Sui Wah (4940 No. 3 Rd, Ste 102, Richmond, 604-273-8208; www.sunsuiwah.com), the sprawling, fluorescent-lit home to some of the region’s best dim sum. Standouts to check on the card are the shrimp and garlic spring rolls, whose fragile pastry shatters on contact, and chicken feet steamed in a pungent black bean sauce. The place is enormous; prepare to wait anyway.
Published: September 2008
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