On Frozen Blog

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1. OrderedChaos wrote:

   Figured I’d post the rest of the article here, just in case the Caps’ site’s URLs change/disappear some day!
   I Wanna Be Sedated
   The fan feel at the games was very soccer-like: fans waving large flags; impromptu crowd chants not prompted by the PA system; and team scarves galore. Even The Wave is alive and well in Russia. The Czech and Slovakian fans each had Barra Brava-esque sections, constantly chanting, tooting horns and banging bass drums. Their enthusiasm was undimmed throughout the match, and their energy and enlivened the arena atmosphere… though I honestly could have done without the grating honks of their kazoos.
   Most distinctly non-American (again soccer-like) was the derisive whistling fans direct toward referees for bad calls, or toward opposing-team players for‚Ķ well, for being on the wrong team. Many teams’ fans used this heckling tactic, but unsurprisingly the Russian fans’ whistles were the loudest, at times almost deafening.
   As for sponsors, their ads covered every available surfact. Skoda is omnipresent; the Czech automobile company is a major sponsor, and Skoda tchotchkies abound ‚Äì little Skoda Fabia die-cast models, paper jerseys, and flags for each team with the nation’s flag on one side and the Skoda logo on the other. New orange Skoda Fabia automobiles were displayed on a platform just behind the glass at two corners of each rink, occupying prime real estate that in U.S. arenas would certainly be used for expensive seats instead.
   English Beat
   English is the common-ground language at the arenas and among those working the games. Obviously Russian is the primary language, but English is a close second. When you see Russian and Swedish reporters speaking, for instance, it’s almost invariably in English. Even the game notes and official stats are in English and Russia no matter who’s playing.
   Most of the arena staff did not speak English beyond a few simple words‚Äìthe same 10-ish word vocabulary I’ve developed in Russian (please, thank you, excuse me, etc.). But they were clearly better able to communicate in English than in, say, German. And a few staffers were nearly fluent in English, able to step in when the parties’ vocabulary overlap was not enough.
   Moscow itself, beyond the confines of the arenas, is much more difficult to handle without basic Russian. But in the arenas, with enough patience – and persistence – the Russian arenas for this event were fairly welcoming to us English-speaking travelers.
   Now if only the music selections were as accommodating…

   3 August, 2009 at 10:56 pm | Permalink

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