Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Day 36 & 37, Toronto

The start of day 36, back in Toronto, wow! Haley and myself were releasing another eager group of torchbearers onto the city streets. Today's first meeting point for us was at Variety Village in Scarborough.

Another relay first, our meeting point was in the gym, at least we had tons of room for the torchbearers.

cruising down the streets of Scarborough (population 626,000)

we ended up back at variety village for a 5 minute community celebration. The community torchbearer was a young man who ran in honour of his sister, a Parapan athlete, who recently passed away.

Our second group of the day is ready, you can't see or possibly know, but we are outside of the Don Montgomery Community Centre on Eglinton Ave. in Scarborough.

Torchbearer #107 has the sign support as the convoy approaches (in the mirror) him.

Another sponsor stop, this time at a No Frills supermarket. (which is under the umbrella of one of our major sponsors, Loblaw's)

Wow, the big city is hard to get used to.
Day 37, SH Armstrong Community Centre in Toronto. Now that we are back in Hogtown, our police security presence is magnified. These police motorcycles will be blocking all the sides streets as the main convoy makes it's way down the designated route.  

I had a job change today. I, for the fourth time on the relay, was the driver on the media motorhome.

Our start of day celebration featured one of our more recognized torchbearers, Patrick Chan, a three time world figure-skating champion, and 2014 Olympic silver medalist.
Standing down as we get ready for our next torchbearer segment....


 which ran into a community celebration at the East York Community Centre
 
(now, I am driving in "torchbearer mode", so the fact that I even got a pic is amazing enough)
This segment was cruising Gerrard Street East in East Chinatown


Our lunch celebration was at the Ontario Science Centre

and a celebration it was



while the celebration is on, this cauldron holds the flame.
Omg, these kids were so amazing. They played the steel drums and they wowed all of us.
Honestly, some of my co-workers put me up to this!











Another relay first, water-skier Whiney McClintock, a 5 time world champion, carried the torch while water-skiing.
While mom and the brood watched on.
speaking of which, here is a shot of Marilyn, (the mother hen) and her chicks, having a time out.
(Marilyn being the lead on the bike escorts that hang with the torch bearers, the "chicks" are from left to right, Hannah, a Canadian Press photographer, Marilyn, Deanna, the torch bearer escort, Lindsay, media, and the media motorhome MC, (full sound system for the torchbearers and public), Tabitha, bike escort who greets the torchbearers and turns their torches on, and Jessica, the media liason.
Our end of day celebration was on the grounds of Humber College

The camera on the dash that I watch the torchbearers all day, to judge my speed .

and the map book program, that is specialized for the relay.

The big orange creamsicle is parked for another night, tomorrow, back to the shuttle life.




















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