Though the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Olympics doesn’t take place until Feb. 12, Steve Podborski says Games time will begin for Whistler on Friday (Feb. 5) when the torch arrives in town.

The World Cup ski champion and Crazy Canuck this week said the torch festivities will “transform Whistler” from a sense of anticipation to a place where the Games have started. Taking part in the local torch celebration will help make the Games a reality for Whistlerites, Podborski told The Question on Monday (Feb. 1).

“I think it’s going to be exciting for people,” he said.

For Podborski, the arrival of the torch and his participation in the relay kick off what he has said could be the best Olympic experience of his life. And he’s had many Games experiences — racing in the downhill in 1980 and ’84, carrying the torch in ’88, and working as a TV commentator during four Olympics.

It was all a lot of fun, he said.

But this time around, Podborski is serving as one of two assistant chefs de mission for the Canadian Olympic team — a role that will see him working to provide leadership and support to the athletes, representing the team to the media and public, and attending many events on behalf of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Though it will be a busy role, Podborski said going to the Games as assistant chef de mission comes with less pressure and worries than going as an athlete. He said he’s “most excited” about the Canadian team’s chances.

“I’ll look forward to our team doing very, very well,” he said.

While Podborski’s not competing in 2010, he’ll actually be clicking into his skis on Friday to deliver the torch to Skiers Plaza for Whistler’s torch celebrations.

Originally, he was slated to drive the flame by snowmobile a ways up Whistler Mountain and hand it off to Julia Murray for the skiing leg to Whistler Village. But plans changed this week when Murray, a Canadian ski cross racer, tore ligaments in her knee during training. Though Murray still hopes to compete at the 2010 Games, she and Podborski have changed spots in Friday’s torch relay.

After skiing to the base of Whistler Mountain with the flame, Podborski will hand it off to young athlete and Whistler Secondary School student Tyler Allison who was chosen to light the celebration cauldron in Skiers Plaza. The community celebration in the plaza starts at 5:45 p.m. and the torch is slated to arrive at 7 p.m.

Drawing from his memories of carrying the torch for the Calgary Winter Olympics in 1988, Podborski said it’s an “amazing” experience.

“You feel connected to the people around you,” he said. “There’s just a lot of joy and enjoyment.”

It was during Podborski’s first Olympic experience in 1980 that he became the first North American man to win an Olympic medal in downhill skiing. He won bronze in Lake Placid, N.Y. He also collected eight World Cup victories during his time on the national team from 1974 to ’84.

Podborski was also involved in Vancouver’s bid for the 2010 Games, serving as executive director of international relations. He said he remembers when the domestic phase of the bid began 12 years ago.

“My first thought was, ‘How old will I be in 2010?’” he said with a laugh.

With just days to go until competition begins, Podborski said there’s an overarching sense that the organizing team has done a great job. The 2010 Games have become the “gold standard” for Olympic planning, with Vancouver coming a “lot closer” to budget than 99 per cent of other host cities, he said.

Podborski said his key piece of advice for Canadian athletes as the days to the Opening Ceremony tick away is to “be prepared for just about anything.” Preparation is crucial and it’s important to visualize everything. The record book doesn’t take into account that you were woken up by partiers and didn’t get enough sleep — it just shows that you lost, he said.

“You can’t let goofy stuff like that throw you off,” Podborski said.

And what about a piece of advice for Whistlerites?

“Get a lot of sleep before we open up the Games,” he said. “…And the skiing’s going to be awesome.”