And Finally....The Afterparty

Today for the first and only time we were both in the Olympic Village at the same time! The "Village People" had their party and the sun shone on all of us. After a long queue to get in - showing our accreditation for the very last time - we were entertained by a lively group of singers encouraging us all to join in with uplifting songs such as YMCA, not that much encouragement was needed! The thank you speeches were short and said from the heart from the CEO of LOCOG, the Village Manager and the Workforce Team Manager. We were once again made to feel proud of our small individual contributions to a great team achievement. They have estimated from our phone pedometeres that we have on average walked 15 miles each day!

Singing along to YMCA

 

The NOC/NPC Village People

Lunch was held in the Athletes Dining Room, one of the few locations we were not allowed to enter during the games (although Rob managed it once!) and for the first time alcohol was available. The icing on the cake was the raffle ticket which won Nicola the one thing she (and most Gamesmakers) had wanted all along - An Olympic Quilt. Traditionally, athletes are allowed to take their quilts home, but many give them to the volunteers as gifts. But we were all informed, almost constantly, this was not permitted, so they became the most prized memorabilia of the Games.

Gamesmakers together in the Village 

                                                            The Prized Olympic Quilt

As this is the last entry to the Blog, can we thank those who have followed us all the way from the middle of July, along with those who have dipped in and out of our increbible "Once in a Lifetime" journey. There have been over 1600 viewers to the blog, over 30 each day from all around the world. We hope you have enjoyed seeing a very different and personal view of the Greatest Games ever. Right now we can't wait to enrol to do it all again in Rio in four years time!!

Our Greatest Team Parade

 

On Monday 10th, the British Olympic and Paralympic Teams paraded through London on 21 floats accompanied by two bands. The Parade started at the Mansion House in the City of London and finished in the Mall outside Buckingham Palace with a few speeches with many thousands of people lining the route. Nicola was lucky enough to get a ticket in the Games Maker ballot along with other volunteers from the London Ambassadors and performers from the ceremonies.  She had a prime spot standing with some Games Makers colleagues in the Mall by Admiralty Arch.  Rob then joined her after his Paralympic duties finished to watch the big screens in Trafalgar Square where there was definitely a carnival atmosphere with so many Games Makers celebrating the success of the Games.  Boris Johnson, Mayor of London got the biggest cheer for his rousing speech and all in all it was a fabulous way to end our Olympic Experience which started over 7 weeks ago!

The last day and a Medal in The Mall

I beat Nicola to The Mall.....Yesterday our final medal chance came in the T 12 Marathon. Elkin Moreno, our partially sighted athlete and his guide German Jaramillo came home with the silver in a time 5 minutes inside his personal best. It was an amazing experience to be able to access the controlled race area in The Mall with the small support team and to wait with them for the medal ceremony. Then to our surprise and delight we were allowed onto the special viewing platform opposite the flagpoles and only yards from the ceremony. Then we began the race through the London traffic, first to Consulate for the press conference and the call from the President and then back to the Village with a silver medal in my rear view mirror and Elkin and Juan giving live interviews to Colombian radio stations from the car.

The Medal Winning Team: Athelete, Coach and Guide after the race

Elkin doing a TV Interview outside the Consulate 

We said goodbye to the athletes as we led them to the Olympic Park for the closing ceremony. The Village will no doubt feel empty today as we go about our wrap up duties as many athletes left during the night straight from the many parties that followed the closing ceremony.

                                          The Colombians ready for the closing ceremony

The Cycling Continues

The last few days have seen further trips to Brands Hatch in support of the Road Cycling Team. No medals for the team but some great performances up at the front end for all the races, including a nail biting finish to the C1-3 Road Race. I was privileged to see Sarah Storey storm to victory on Thursday afternoon and have a great view of the medal ceremony from the pits. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised that I ended up getting an article about Nicola and I in the daily Gamesmaker newsletter.









Sarah Storey way out in front

 

 

Medal Ceremony for Sarah Storey







                                                        
                                                     

In the Colombian Pit Garage ahead of the race

Up the hill and round the bend

 

From today preparations begin for supporting the closing ceremony on Sunday and the athlete’s departure on Monday. Look out for the pictures from the Athlete’s Parade on Monday through London, deservedly, Nicola will be one of the Gamesmakers in The Mall.  

The First Colombian Medal!

Last night in the Aquatic Centre, Moises Fuentes Garcia brought home the first team medal, a Silver in the 100m Breaststroke SB4. After waiting out the other medal chances in the Athletics Stadium, a convoy of cars set off at 10.00pm for the Colombian Consulate and a press conference to meet the early evening news bulletins in Colombia.

Moises: Silver Medal Winner in the Village

 
 

  Whilst being interviewed on television a call came through to the Ambassador from the President of Colombia and we were privileged to hear him congratulate Moises on his success. A late night for everyone, but something special to be so close.

                                                            TV Interview with Caracol

     Rob Celebrates with Carlos (Colombian Paralympic Association President) and his wife Carolina

Setting up for the Cycle Road Racing

The last few days have been busy as we moved the cycling team from the Velodrome to the Road Racing base at Brands Hatch Formula One circuit in Kent.  Not without incident, we spent a lot of time at Evans Cycles in Canary Wharf securing the purchase of a replacement bike. Not as easy a process as it could have been!

I have been down in the pits with the team cycle car for much of the time and those who have been following from the begining of the Olympics will know what a cycle car look like!

Brands Hatch is a wonderful venue and the infrastructure and support for the Gamesmakers excellent. It is a large site and distance between functional areas a long way.

Cycle Team Pit Area 

Chepe (Cycle Team Manager) and Victor (Team Mechanic) at Canary Wharf

                                 Our Neighbours the Dutch Cycle Team with a lot of bikes

Saturday: "Baloncesto" - Wheelchair Basketball

Friday was much the same as Thursday we were sorting bits and pieces inbetween supporting the teams in the various stadia. I spent some time operating as an interpretter for the Secretary General at some official functions and spent time with Carlos and his wife Carolina talking about Colombia and our anglo-colombian family. Carlos is the president of the Colombian Paralympic Association, he is blind and they are amazing company.

Saturday was my day off this week, but Nicola had managed to get 2 tickets for the Colombia v Team GB basketball match at the North Greenwich Arena ( The O2 once again when the sponsorship restrictions are lifted). We travelled up together and we met with Mike and Randall from the Colombian NPC team and Juan the boss and Carlos. I was able to sit in the technical support area (you may have seen me on Channel 4) for the game and be backstage in the team area ahead of the game. A very different and very close up experience.

Depending on your viewpoint it was a great night for Team GB or a bad night for Colombia.........

Rob, Nicola and Gus with Carlos and Juan Salazar from the Colombian team

                                            Supporters congratulate Team GB on their victoy

                                                           Colombian Team in a time out

Wheelchair basket ball is an amazing gladiator sport and could take off in the UK as both a participation and spectator sport post paralympics.

Thursday 30: The First Day of Competition

After all the preparations at last we have arrived at the first day of competition. Most of the time was spent supporting members of the team and guests move between the venues to watch, along with prepararing the way as the First Lady of Colombia attended both the Velodrome and W/C Basketball.  The pictures below tell the story but the Velodrome was hot and noisy and the Basketball Arena still had too many empty seats.

Colombia and Poland 

Rare assistance to get back up

 

Alvaro in the 1km Time Trial

 

Alvaro and trainer Chepe prepare for the Time Trial 

 



Opening Ceremony

This morning the competition starts, with Judo, W/C Basketball and Cycling. The Colombian team all thought the Opening Ceremony was fantastic and we have the picture of them from this morning's Metro on the wall in the office. They are aware that Channel 4 went to an advert break as they entered the stadium and like all of us they are upset that this happened.

Unfortunately I missed supporting the Athletes procession as planned. I was in Central London assisting the President and Secretary General of the Colombian Paralympic Association to get to the Stadium intime for the Opening Ceremony.

Tuesday 28: Colombian Welcome Ceremony

Today was a special day for the Colombian Paralympians - their Welcome Ceremony. Each country is welcomed by the village mayor, gifts are exchanged and the national anthem played. There is music and dancing and the Colombians joined in unprompted! For the team it was even more special because the wife of the Colombian President -the First Lady attended with the Ambassador. Later in the day the team attended a reception at the Colombian Consulate. Apart from assisting at the Welcome Ceremony, my day included going with the tennis coach to buy replacement racquets and picking up the Opening Ceremony tickets in Central London for the dignitaries. All in a Gamesmaker's day!

The First Lady and Ambassador with the team at the Welcome Ceremony

Juan Salazar presents the gift to the mayor

The team under the "Agitos" in the village park

Monday 27: Rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony

Mike making sure we are in the right place for the athletes parade  

 After my first day off on Sunday, I was back in the action yesterday. A lot going on in the office and to arrange for the teams as competition days get closer. Some of the technical briefings started yesterday and I am working with the cycle team (track and road races) as their support liaison. Like Nicola before me, last night I had the experience of the opening ceremony rehearsal as an "athlete". A chance for the games makers to swop stories and chat in a relaxed way whilst we waited our moment in the stadium and on the big screens. Got to carry the flag which was something special.

Rob carries the flag into the stadium 

Promoting Colombian Paralympians

Below are links to seven short clips made by leading Colombian film directors to promote the seven sports in which  Colombian Paralympians are competing at London 2012.

Swimming: http://youtu.be/r5_fR_PNK_o

Paracycling:  http://youtu.be/kAs9lUDYGb8

Powerlifting:  http://youtu.be/y4M1z6iq_Jg

Athletics:   http://youtu.be/E5-cOGFcU-8

Judo:  http://youtu.be/J_2bWi4cZAs

Tennis: http://youtu.be/bUz-pvsPgwU

Please watch them and send the links for others to share the vision

Four Seasons in One Day

Saturday brought sunshine, showers, thunderstorms, wind and a lot of questions from the Colombian team about the weather in a British summer! I spent most of the morning at the International Paralympic Hotel near St. Pauls with Senora Sonia, Secretary General of the Colombian Paralympic Association making arrangements for the Colombian Honorary Guests for the opening ceremony.
I am working to support Chepe and his Cycling team as they prepare for races in both the Velodrome (Pista) and Brands Hatch (Ruta).

Angela with fellow Gamesmakers Juan and Keith taking coffee outside the Colombian office

                    Inside the team office with Chef de Mission Juan Pablo Salazar on the right

Paralympic Village Life

We now have almost all of our team of 70 installed in the village and all the work to put up the team flags and sort out the rooms is complete. Now we are focusing on delivering support to the Chef de Mission and his team. The 5 of us are sharing out the roles well and now getting into a routine to spread the shifts and the workload. Cycling at Brands Hatch and logistical support to the wheelchair basketball team are where we are interacting most with the athletes and as Nicola knows too well, there is a lot of paperwork to make things happen. Without the proper authorisation - nothing happens as I found out yesterday when I met the lady in charge of Brands Hatch.

The Colombian Wheelchair Basketball Team



Flags identify the Colombian team office and rooms

 

Proud Chepe with the certificate for being the first team to complete registration in the Velodrome 

Day 1 of the Paras is very busy!

After meeting the Colombian Chef de Mission and his team when they arrived yesterday, today was the first full day as a Gamesmaker. A long and exciting day which involved a lot of persuading other people to do things for us ahead of other teams. We were certainly working well together and are fortunate to be working with a well organised Latin team. After checking 70 rooms were ready in every detail and that over 200 door keys worked, we were rewarded with the job of putting up the Colombian flags so that the athletes would feel welcome. Finally we welcomed the first group of athletes and their support teams, followed later by the wheelchair basketball team with the rest of the athletes arriving tomorrow.

 

Rob and Colombian Flag

The Director General and the NPC Assistants

The Basketball team arrives

And now for the Paralympics.....

Saturday 18th and Rob spent a very hot afternoon in his Village Orientation session. In fact the last ever Training Session run by the NOC/NPC team who have been fantastic leaders and trainers over the last few months.

It is amazing how quickly the village is being rebranded and adapted from Olympics to Paralympics. I am sure I will eventually find my way round. Thanks to Dan who worked as an NOC Assistant with the Thai Olympic Team for all the little tips.

Five of the Colombian Assistants were able to meet each other during the day, we are going to make a fantastic team, that's for sure and started off by celebrating in the nearest pub!!!

Tuesday is when it all starts to happen!!!

Introductory Tour of the Paralympic Village

Last Ever Training Session in the Athletes Dining Room which seats 5000

My final thoughts ..........

Unfortunately the fine weather that we had enjoyed for the Olympics deserted us on Monday and we had a very wet visit to Stonehenge.  4 NOC assistants and 10 Costa Ricans drove to Stonehenge via a very dodgy Little Chef at the beginning of the A303.  I had suggested that Leeds Castle may have been easier to get to but since almost every Olympian seems to have visited Stonehenge at some time I can only assume their publicity was better and they were very happy to give us a group discount.  I can now see why they have been trying to build a Visitor Centre since the current facilities are distinctly 'quaint'.  After a wet viewing of 'The Stones' we managed to find a traditional English Pub in Amesbury who were very welcoming and opened the cavery especially for us.


A wet and windy Stonehenge

Outing to Amesbury

Monday: The Day after the Closing Ceremony

So it's all over and the teams are getting ready to depart. The role of the NOC assistant continues until everyone has left.  The athletes would like to have a final trip to Stonehenge and Bath which will be great provided the first day back at work for everyone else does not mean jams on the M25 and everyone is awake when I arrive at 8.30! Apart from driving our final jobs will be checking out the apartments and washing the BMW's to pass over to our Paralympian colleagues.

Athletes Entrance to the Village

Sunday: The Mountain Bike Race

Finally the mountain biking took place yesterday - and it was a great spectacle to watch with 19,000 other people. It was fabulously organised and we got there really early since I wanted to ensure our athlete got there without mishap (rules say never drive an athlete to a competition).  Amongst the medal winners there was a sprint for the line after one and a half hours of cycling. Paulo came in 37th but as he told the press - giving an interview on the way home - he was proud to have represented Costa Rica and it was a great experience to ride with the best people in the world. The crowd was fabulous and cheered everyone home which made his day.

Hadleigh Country Park on race day 

Paolo Montoya before the race

The Costa Rican Cycle Team