Local families taking advantage of Olympic opportunities

Like so many from this area, Francis and Ann Marie del Rosario knew they had to go.

When it was announced six-and-a-half years ago that Vancouver and Whistler would host the 2010 Olympics, the Everett couple knew then and there that, come 2010, they’d have to make the trip north to see the closest thing to a hometown Olympics the Puget Sound region may ever see.

The del Rosarios are hardly alone. Dozens of readers have contacted The Herald in recent weeks to share their travel plans. Frequently, the term “bucket list” came up as families, teenagers, retired people and volunteers explained why they are burning their saved up vacation, or just their savings, to be a part of the Winter Olympics, which kick off Friday with the opening ceremonies.

Snohomish County may not have any athletes participating in the 2010 games, but the region will still be well represented, from retired volunteers to girl scout troops to Lynnwood’s “Mr. Mohawk” Phil Andruss. Of the many of you heading north in the coming weeks, few have a better story than the del Rosario family of Everett. Francis and Ann Marie, college sweethearts who met at Gonzaga in the 1990s, are attempting a brave journey to Vancouver, taking with them their five children ages two months through nine years.

And for Francis, this will be his first trip to Canada as an American citizen. Francis grew up in Burnaby, B.C., a Vancouver suburb, living there until he was 19. Even though he has lived in this country for his entire adult life, Francis didn’t become a U.S. citizen until last month.

“I’m going back as an American for the first time,” he said. “Now I really am going back as a true tourist. I now consider Everett my hometown since that’s where I was living when I became a U.S. citizen.”

The real question, then — well besides the question of how many diapers the family must bring — is this: what happens if the U.S. and Canada are in a showdown for a medal?

“I’ll be chanting USA with everyone else,” he said. “This is my country. This is my adopted country.”

Even if it’s hockey?

“If it’s the gold medal hockey game?” Francis said, sounding torn. “I’ll be dying, but I’ll be cheering for the Americans … This will be the first year that I will seriously cheer for the American team.”

It’s clear talking to Francis that his American citizenship means a lot more than just a piece of paper or a team to cheer on in a hockey game. Talking about politics or American ideals of liberty and free speech, his eyes light up and there is genuine wonder in his voice.

“I’ve always been attracted by the American ideals of liberty,” he said. “It’s a country that fought for everything, to exist. And that’s what made me fall in love with the country.”

Like a lot of people making the relatively short trip to Vancouver, the del Rosarios are going there without a lot of set plans. They have train tickets and a friend’s house at which to crash, but that’s about it. If they can score affordable tickets to an event while they’re there, great, but if not, they’ll be happy just to take in the Olympic scene.

“The train ride alone will thrill the kids,” said Ann Marie. “We’re setting our expectations pretty low … We’ll just see how it goes. We’re going to get there, get settled, and see what happens. But if we can find cheap tickets, that would be great.”

Traveling with five kids will no doubt be a challenge, but Ann Marie and Francis are at least used to juggling their kids. Both are former teachers and they home school the children. As Francis, who works at Microsoft, puts it, he’s the principal and Ann Marie is the teacher.

It’s fascinating to watch how seamlessly the two pass the kids back and forth while carrying on conversations or fixing lunch, and even the older brothers, Gabe, 9, and Brandon, 7, take turns holding baby sis Gianna when mom or dad needs a break. Grace, 5, is the charmer, but she also worries her parents thanks to a tendency to wander off — not exactly a desirable attribute in a crowded city. Dominic, age 2 and based on the looks of the front door, an aspiring artist, will undoubtedly be a handful, his parents acknowledge.

But whatever challenges arise, it will be worth it for the chance to experience an Olympic games just a short train ride away.

“This will be an adventure,” Francis said. “It will be another fun adventure to take the kids on.”

Another local who must be feeling up for an adventure is Carol Robinson, the leader of Snohomish’s Girl Scout Troop 392. Robinson will lead her entire troop up for a weekend, staying in Richmond, B.C. Like the del Rosarios, Troop 392 is going up more for the experience than to watch actual events.

While many people are just going up as fans, several others from the area are heading up as volunteers or temporary workers.

Karen Thompson, a substitute school bus driver for the Snohomish School District, is already in Squamish, B.C. preparing for her job driving athletes to the sliding center on Blackcomb Mountain.

“Most of us that are up here, it’s not the pay, we probably would have done it for free,” she said in a phone interview from her lodging on a cruise ship. “It’s on a lot of people’s bucket list. It’s not something you get a chance to do very often.”

Beau Beckner, who works for the county, stockpiled vacation for several years in order to get the month of February off. He is in Whistler, where he will serve as a volunteer at the media center.

The Everett Salvation Army is sending, as they refer to him, 74-year-young staff member Clair Little, to serve as a volunteer.

Plenty more from the area are heading up as fans. Some are taking the train up for a day trip, others, like Everett’s Kirk Smith, are in it for the long haul. Smith, who is retired and owns a condominium in Whistler, will be there for the entire Olympics, hitting the slopes and taking in a number of events. Smith said he didn’t even consider renting out his place for a big payday, which many property owners are doing this month.

“I looked at it as, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to be up there, have some family and friends up. We’ll have people coming up for two, three days at a time. It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”

Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com.