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 

WOW What a Closing Ceremony



Olympic Stadium ready for the closing ceremony





Nicola will blog about her day at the Cross Country Mountain Bike Race once she has time, but what a fantastic closing ceremony....For me the music was Muse, The Who and Queen, but Jesse J was fantastic and Spice Girls and Take That fantastic. Not forgetting Elbow as professional as always. But the biggest cheer of the night was rightly for Nicola and the other amazing Gamesmakers. We have so much to live up to as Gamesmakers for the Paralympics!. Pity we could not all be together to share the experience.

The games may have finished for the Athletes but Nicola is back in the Olympic Village tomorrow morning as usual to help the partygoers get to the airport and safely home.  

Bicycles in Dorking

Cycling Statute outside Denbies Winery, Dorking 

As bikes seem to have been such a big part of Nicola's Olympic expeerience I though I would post this picture from the road outside Dorking in Surrey on the course of the Cycle Road Races.

Saturday: To Essex and Back

Nicola spent a lot of the last two days at Hadleigh Farm for both Mountain Bike practice and technical registration and checks. She took the opportunity to stay on in the Olympic Park Saturday afternoon and sit on the grass with the crowds at the big screens.  Pleased to see the Gamesmakers getting such good press and the suggestion they should get the team award at the BBC Sports Personality of the year !!!


Crowds watching the big screens from anywhere they can 

Thursday: On the Final Straight!

Thursday - another day at the Mountain Biking Circuit at Hadleigh Farm which was previously a country park overlooking the Thames Estuary about 10 miles from Southend.  At least I do now know how to get there; ignoring the sat nav as necessary.  Yesterday the weather was wonderful and I also found my way to the track as you can see from the photos.  On the way back we even managed to find a cycle shop where we could buy a new sadle - the previous one having been destroyed in a crash.  The mountain biking is the last event of the Games although we do still have a man in the marathon.  We are now acting as tour guides in the main with one  of my colleagues going to Stonehenge yesterday and another sorting out a trip to the Tate Modern and the British Museum.

The Mountain Bike Circuit

Paolo Montoya on the circuit

Back in the Village, below is a picture of the Team GB quarters.

More Gold and Silver inside this bulding that the Bank of England!!!

Team GB - Hockey in the Riverbank Arena

We watched a tight and controversial final group match between Team GB and Spain with both having potential to qualify for the Semi-Final. After a 1-1 draw Team GB qualified. The rain then poured down as we watched an end to end 5-5 draw between Germany and New Zealand.

Team GB play Spain

Team GB salute the crowd after qualifying for the semi-final

Great atmosphere in the Arena and fantastic support for Team GB with us joining in with the flag waving and chanting. The Olympic Park looked fantastic at night from high up in the stands.

The Spectators at the temporary Riverbank Arena

Today Nicola is enjoying a well deserved day off before the "final sprint" to the Marathon, Mountain Bikes and the Closing ceremony  We watched the Costa Rican athlete in the Taekwondo on the TV. Unfortunatelty he lost, not sure how or why, the sport is still a mystery to us.

Enjoying the Olympic Park

Gus, Rob and Nicola at the Olympic Park

Yesterday (Tuesday) gave us the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere in the Olympic Park as we had tickets for the Men's Hockey. After a day in Essex at the Mountain Bike track Nicola joined Rob, Gus his friend Oki to walk around the park. Some pictures below from the park

The BBC Studios on top of Shipping Containers 

The wetlands above make a green oasis and below the crowds watch on the BIG screens

Just an easy Sunday morning bike ride!

I spent most of yesterday with our mountain biker and his coach (his father!) - looking for mountains! The previous day we went to the official training loop in Essex but I have to agree that the hills were a bit tame. I explained that there are no mountains in southern England that will compare with Costa Rica but we settled on going to Box Hill and enlisted Rob's help to find us a route with some hills.  When we got there Box Hill was covered with cyclists, but unfortunately also some local residents that seem to have lost their Olympic Spirit. So following the bike was pretty much a nightmare. In the end Pablo seemed quite happy with 'La Ruta Olympica' and I spoke to some very friendly cyclists who suggested we try Ranmore Common and I am going to phone a cycle shop there this morning to see if they will be able to act as guides.

Paolo Montoya ready to cycle

Following in the summer rain 

Super Saturday. Team GB - Fantastic

I don't think we can still believe it! Six Team GB golds in one day and three in 45 minutes in the Stadium! We have both followed athletics for a long time and been to many UK track meets, but that was something special. Fortunately Nicola was able to watch the evenings athletics on TV.

Rob spent the day travelling up and back to UDAC (Uniform Distribution and Accreditation Centre) in West Ham very close to the Olympic Park to pick up his accredition badge and uniform for the Parlympics. Some pictures below. Such an efficient operation with Gamesmakers still enthusiastic even though some have been working there as volunteers since April!!!

Watching the rowing whilst waiting for my number for the changing rooms 



The pick up point after the fitting rooms



Check out lines to match any supermarket



Quiet Friday as the Atheltics start

Costa Rica have had no events for 3 days and so things are quite quiet.  Yesterday I drove to Centre Point (end of Oxford Street) with our two athletes to pick up some promotional gear. I am getting much more used to driving in London and I even found somewhere to park and a nice deli for a coffee.  Most of the day has been spent trying to find the tri-athletes bike so that he can practice: so far without success.  We also had our photos taken for a Costa Rican newspaper. Whilst outside the Village with the press,  several police arrived closely followed by Tony Blair and Tessa Jowell who is deputy village mayor.  We walked over to take some photos and he walked over to shake our hands and tell us what a good job we were doing!

Tony Blair and Tessa Jowell MP met a small group of Gamesmakers

Tony Blair Talking to Nicola (Picture from Tony Blair Twitter Feed)

As the Olympic Park fills up as the stadium comes into use, everyone is commenting on how good the transport system has been. The atmosphere is so positive and all the athletes saying how important the Team GB support in all the event stadia has been.

The Orbit and the Olympic Stadium 

Fantastic day of tennis at Wimbledon

Sunshine and showers at the start of the day soon cleared over at Wimbledon. We had fantastic value for money with a great day's tennis on No 1 Court. What a line up: Federer, Azarenka, Sharapova, Petrova and Ferrer!! All the time checking our phones for news of Wiggo and the Rowers. We could just hear the shouts from Centre Court for Andy Murray above the grunts of women players.

David Ferrer

Federer Serving !

Nicola Rob and Wenlock 

Organisation first class a great blend of traditional Wimbledon and London 2012.  Well done Team GB on their first gold medals. Thanks to Gus for giving up his ticket so we could go with Chris and Sarah, as a  mixed doubles foursome.