Marcus Hayes: Vancouver tries to stay positive

WHISTLER, British Columbia - Canadians tend to put a brave face on most things.

A hearty group, welcoming of internationals, culturally diverse, respectful of their past, they like to look forward in anticipation. Endless winters and arrogant neighbors elicit that sort of spirit.

As such, dreary weather, disjointed protests and anticlimactic performances across the board, as well as the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, clearly dampened enthusiasm for these Winter Games.

That enthusiasm is back.

Olympic and city officials continued to contemplate further commemoration of Kumaritashvili's death, which occurred Friday in a training run. A moment of silence after flags were lowered to half-mast during Opening Ceremonies Friday night, as well as black tape worn by several lugers on the left side of their helmets, might not be the only gestures.

Of course, announcing another remembrance could serve to irritate a wound to the Olympic community that has only just begun healing.

Things might be better if the Winter Olympics were allowed to be Olympic.

For one thing, there has yet to be any alpine ski competition.

The anticipated first official training run yesterday of undecorated, ultrahyped Lindsey Vonn and her entourage, also known as the rest of the ladies' alpine skiing field, was again postponed. Vonn, a medal contender in all five alpine disciplines, yesterday tested her badly bruised right shin at another slalom site, according to the Associated Press, with encouraging results. She injured her shin on a training run in Austria on Feb. 2.

On the official course, morning rains soaked the foggy slopes in advance of anticipated blinding snows - the meteorological theme since athletes began arriving Tuesday.

The weather, typical for this site, already had wiped out the women's super combined, which was originally scheduled for yesterday. However, since competitors must start at least one training run before competing, and since none has been run, the competition itself has been moved to Thursday.

Vonn, et al., could practice on the official hill today and tomorrow. The next scheduled women's event is the downhill Wednesday.

Today's practice would have to occur around the men's downhill, which was postponed from Saturday until today. Which gave American disappointment Bode Miller relevance for 2 more days.

Asked if the weather or the death or the protests were making this Games a bust, IOC spokesman Mark Davis said, "Not at all."

Of course not.