So I think that it is about time for my next Olympics related update. My last blog was all about the more glamorous side of volunteering; meeting the athletes, embracing some of the coaches, watching the tournaments and, being in general awe of the Olympic Games. However this time I have noticed something different, maybe this has something to do with the fact that we are now into the second week of the games and the nation are accepting the world event as a part of our daily routine. Some of the sparkle, smiles and pizazz from last week has been diluted. The bone that I am trying to pick is about the London underground system. In my last entry I remember being surprised by the way that the everyday Londoner portrayed himself differently. I saw him as friendlier, approachable and forthcoming. He was someone who looked up opposed to straight ahead with an icy stare. Eye contact was not an awkward misdemeanor. I now hold a contrasting view. I ventured out around London, this being the first time not sporting my Gamesmaker uniform. I was pushed, squashed and not spoken to. Neither did I have half as much of the attention that I had been used to receiving last week. People would look at my uniform, smile at my presence, start conversation, and generally offer me a half an inch more space in an underground carriage than I was experiencing on my journey in disguise. I had become more background than foreground. I had a taste of commonality and it was bitter. I wanted to be a Gamesmaker again. I made my journey back to base camp and slumped on the sofa. London had reverted back to its giving with one hand, taking with the other persona. Had I been cocooned in an Olympics-loving bubble which had now been severely deflated? I cross - examined my journey and reflected. Yes, I was squashed at times but it was rush hour. Yes, I was not approached with enthusiastic conversation about the Olympics but that was because I was part of the London's general traffic. Yes, people didn't smile at me BUT I smiled any way during intermittent awkward eye contact, and that is what matters. I still love that London are hosting the Olympics and I still believe that London is changed by hosting the games. Yes, I smiled and although receiving a lesser ratio to the times that I smiled to the times I received a smile, I believe London is proud to be the hosting nation. It is simply expressed in a 'London' way: reserved, conservatively proud and borderline friendly.
Back of house
Enough on that, now onto what makes volunteering for the Olympics hot and, what makes it not. Thursday afternoon, first shift back from my day off yesterday. During our twenty minute group brief I got chatting away to fellow volunteers and we exchanged what we had got up to on our day off yesterday and how much our feet had been aching. Conversation started with a volunteer that was slightly taller than myself, a black rimmed glasses wearer who had a 'I work in IT' look about him. It materialised that he didn't in fact work in IT but was a Project Manager in Surrey. Nonetheless his day off topped mine. I relayed how I rested my entire body as I spent my day off sprawled across the sofa watching the Olympics on TV which was broken by venturing out during rush hour to make my way across London to spend time with my cousin brother. On his day off he travelled to his girlfriend's parents' house and asked her Dad for her hand in marriage. Hugh Grant eat your heart out! After I stopped melting over how cute it all was, reason caught me and I quickly asked if it had gone well. He replied with a huge grin and offered more detail on the background of their relationship. They met at University, lived together in their final year and in total had been living together for four and a half years. I asked if he had thought about how he might propose to her and he said if the weather stays nice, during a picnic. Nawww, what a brilliant way to start the shift. We were split up into groups and deployed to our various roles. I was in back of house. It sounds exciting but I soon realised that it was not! Below you can see what I was doing.
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| This was the view I was looking at from my sitting position |
I swapped between sitting on the chair, and casually pacing the floor. During both methods of existing I was left alone with my thoughts. It was a lonesome experience. My role was to check security passes as my post was an access point. After about half an hour of no one walking past, trickles of boxing athletes from various countries and their coaches began to walk past me. I engaged in a short wander and came across the boxing warm up area. I sneakily took a picture and accidentally backed into a Turkish boxer on my way back to post, oops.
Athlete traffic was slow and far between and considering I did not know any of these boxers I was looking forward to being relieved. I was then posted on manning the entrance to the Olympic Family Lounge. This was fun as it was a fairly busy entrance point and I did get to meet some more boxing athletes and IOC members. All of whom were extremely friendly! However, some of the media did try and sneak past me. I did at one point have to get a bit of a jog and shout on to drag them back. Without an accredited pass it is a no go - there was no getting past me! After my dinner break I managed to watch some of the boxing too - I love being in the Olympics bubble!
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| Boxing warm-up area |
On my next shift I was placed in the seating bowl. It was my role to guide people to their seats and engage in friendly chat. I was at my most active just before the event began. Pretty much from then on I was watching the table tennis. During my afternoon shift I was enjoying the women's table tennis and during the evening I was watching some of the men's. Team GB were playing during both sessions so that was extra exciting. Especially because the crowd get completely behind the British competitors. It really is an incredible atmosphere to soak up, and I did let out a few cheers myself when a particularly nifty shot was played!
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| Some of my Olympic volunteering pizazz - watching Team GB |
If I was to choose what I had enjoyed watching the most out of what I have been lucky enough to have seen so far it would have to be the Boxing. This is because the crowd are so enthusiastic in supporting and watching the rounds. Cheering, clapping, and stomping on the floor - its a fantastic environment! My second most enjoyable to watch has been the Judo. It is again great to see the crowd get so behind the competitors, however I think that a lot of my fondness of the sport has to do with being in touching distance of the Judo athletes and coaches!
Table tennis is a sport that I have not as yet been able to fully appreciate. It was introduced as an Olympic sport during the Beijing Olympics and so London 2012 has been the second year that it has been included in the games. I think that the sport is awkward to watch. The athletes appear like giants in front of a 'kids' size table and net, holding tiny bats. They have breaks in between each round and wipe the sweat from their faces and arms with unnecessarily large towels. I can't help but think that Table Tennis is the amateur version of 'proper' Tennis where sweating buckets, grunting and skidding across the court is fully understood. I don't know, maybe I need to watch it a little more to give it a fighting chance. For me, it was the atmosphere from the crowd that made my experience. The enthusiastic roars and mexican waves definitely help take away some of the scepticism I felt toward the sport.
From behind the tainted glass
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| My cousin and I waving the flag! |
I think what I liked the most from this day is that I got to see the Olympic face head on as a spectator opposed to from behind the scenes as a volunteer. The many faces that make up London 2012!
Start right, end right
First day back at ExCel after a couple of days off I was bouncing with energy. On the way down to the arena from the staff area I bumped into only David Cameron! He was sitting in our break area having a cup of coffee. I tell you no lie, he looked straight at me and smiled! I was wired for this shift. It was an extremely busy day in the seating bowl for the women's wrestling but I enjoyed meeting lots of wonderful people. At the end of my shift my team leader grabbed me and told me what a brilliant job I had done all day. She said that the arena manager had told her that this was the first day out of 11 that the arena had ran without any hiccups - its a wonderful feeling to be recognised for the effort that you put in. Perfect finish to the day!
Only 2 more shifts left until my Olympics experience is over, I've had a ball!
Keep smiling x
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