This summer I'm one of 70,000 Games Makers volunteering my time to put on 'the greatest show on earth!' This blog documents my once-in-a-lifetime experience at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Finally Saturday 18 February 2012 arrived - the day of my Games Maker Orientation Training. It was going to be a long day involving a very early start, travel by planes, trains and automobiles and ridiculously tight schedules but I was determined to make the most of my experiences.
Having read other Games Maker blogs in advance I knew that it was going to be a massively exciting day and one when I'd finally realise what it meant to be a cog in the London 2012 Games Maker wheel. It would later dawn on me what a big deal the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are for the United Kingdom and the huge responsibility that I'll shoulder together with the other 69,999 Games Makers to help put on the greatest show on earth, in the greatest city on earth. But first I had to get there.
My alarm went off at 4.30am and by 5am I was out the door and in the car and on my way to the airport. A quick coffee - with an extra shot of Espresso - in the departure lounge and I was buzzing and ready to board my 7.20am Aer Lingus flight to Heathrow.
My chariot awaits
Mmmm brunch!
The flight was on time and after a little bit of holding in the air above Epping Forest (pretty normal for Heathrow) we descended over the Olympic Park en route to the River Thames before banking right above the North Greenwich Arena and ExCeL to follow the route of the river all the way into Heathrow. We touched down just after 8.25am, sliding gracefully past Twickenham on our final approach.
From the Arrivals area in Heathrow I was quickly onto the tube and then a quick bus ride from Hounslow East to Richmond to meet my wonderful friends, the Clevelys (who have kindly agreed to put me up for the duration of my Games Maker stint in London). A delicious brunch of scrambled eggs, toasted muffin, mushroom, sausages and beans all washed down with several steaming mugs of tea was just the ticket and in hindsight just what I needed to get me through a hectic Games Maker Orientation Training session later on in the day.
Twickenham
Goin' Underground
After saying goodbye and dishing out the hugs and kisses to my lovely friends and wonderful hosts it was time to get excited about the day ahead. Following a brisk walk in the sunshine to the train station at Richmond I hopped on the overground train and was on my way to Wembley Arena ready for the doors to open at 1.30pm with my Orientation Training session commencing at 3pm.
I came across this today during my lunch break and thought it was interesting and worth sharing on the blog. For one thing it gives a real sense of perspective and scale of the undertaking for delivering the Olympic and Paralympic Games for London 2012.
The Games in numbers
A worldwide audience of around 5 billion
Over 10 million tickets
Around 14,700 athletes from almost 200 countries
A total of 805 events
46 world championships
30 days of competition
1 million hours of training
A workforce of 200,000
10,000 temporary toilets
200,000 temporary seats
More than 1 million visitors to the Olympic Stadium
This Saturday I'm taking the first step in my Olympic odyssey as I travel from Northern Ireland to Wembley Arena in London for my Games Maker Orientation training. There'll be close to 3,000 like-minded Games Makers receiving their training alongside me and my excitement levels are already through the roof with the prospect of meeting new people and making new friends. This is going to be fantastic experience.
Orientation is the first stage in becoming a fully fledged London 2012 Games Maker. The blurb on the training, from what I've been sent so far from the London 2012 organisers, is to
"Provide an introduction to the heritage and importance of the Games as well as an insight into what working at London 2012 will be like, including the sports, venues and the roles. Games Makers will leave the session prepared for the next steps on the journey to Games time. The sessions include welcome talks from hosts, presentations and mocked up scenarios which will introduce all Games time workers to the realities of putting on an event the size of the Olympic and Paralympic Games."
It sounds very exciting and I can't wait! I wonder if Eddie Izzard will be back for my training session? It'd be great to meet him.
Anyway watch this space for all my London 2012 Games Maker updates, thoughts and musings in the run up to the 'greatest show on earth!'
