So let me explain wrestling now, but please keep in mind that I'm no expert, so I will just explain what I confidently understand.
There are three styles of wrestling but two different disciplines; the styles are women's freestyle, Greco-roman, and freestyle wrestling. The different disciplines are the freestyle and Greco-roman, women only compete in freestyle. The difference between the two disciplines is: Greco-Roman wrestling the athletes can only attack from the hips up, they are not able to attack the legs to flip and gain points. Freestyle wrestlers are able to use the legs in addition to the upper body to flip and gain points. There are additional differences but I'm not sure what they are.
Similar to other combat sports, such as judo, the athletes compete in weight groups. The smallest or lightest group to start the Olympics competitions off was 55kg (for those similar to myself who are bad with the metric system that is about 121lbs) Yesterday two weight classes competed, 55kg and 75kg. In order for the athletes to compete they had to weigh in to determine if they matched the weight class they registered to compete at.
As a sport equipment team member we had to prepare the scales for the man who would calibrate them for each weight group. We also stood outside the weigh-in areas with stress balls with the number the athletes had in the draw on them and gave them to them after their weigh in. Just as a souvenir and a reminder as to what order they wrestle in.
Weigh-in always happens the day before they are scheduled to compete, and it seems to be a slightly stressful time for the athletes. They typically let themselves be a little heavier than they want so they wrestle and practice against heavier counterparts, then when competitions come around they do as much as they can to drop weight and get in the category they register in. Once, in Colorado, i saw wrestlers in the saunas on bikes in hoodies and sweatpants, at least for an hour. As far as I can tell, if the athlete doesn't fit in their weight group, or "make weight" they are done. Kicked out I suppose you could say. Here they have 30 minutes from the time weigh-in starts to the time they can't weigh in. We had one wrestler take the whole 30 minutes and we could tell that he was trying to get down to weight. He made it. No one has gotten kicked out yet.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Please Mind the Gap
Saturday was my first shift for the Olympic wrestling competition! The actual shift wasn't too exciting. But I'll start with the morning, as I had venue training first.
I arrived at the venue much earlier than I had planned. It's been advertised everywhere in London that the tube will be busy from 7am to 9am. I left about 7:45 expecting to be late, I had to be at the eXcel arena at 8:30 and the trip planner said it would take an hour. I arrived at the venue at 8:10. Much faster than I thought it would be. As soon as I stepped off the train I heard someone say my name and sure enough another volunteer that I had met in December at the test event was stepping off the train with me. It was very nice to have someone else to do everything for the first time together.
During training I found the rest of my assigned group, who except for two, I had met in December. It was so nice to be back together and it seemed like the test even had just been last week. My team leader was just as funny and energetic as he had been and everyone gets along great. The actual training itself was repetitive, essentially all the same information we received at the test event we got again, but not everyone volunteering currently was at the test event, so I suppose they appreciated it.
After lunch our actual shift started, and almost everyone in my group had to work immediately. We started putting up the flags for the dressing room assignments so that athletes and coaches knew what room they should be in. We organized our storage room, and threw away some things that the judo volunteers had left, and then we had some downtime.
Most of what my team does happens out where the competition takes place, the field of play, but there was a turnover of the field of play from judo to wrestling which needed to be done in 24 hours. To be honest the turnover itself went smoothly, but it took longer than expected I think. We were to be done with our shift at 6pm but we were unable to get equipment out to the field of play until the mats, arena, and technical/electronic things had been set up. Although things ended up getting done, nobody likes delay, and of course no one would admit that things were behind.
While waiting for the competition area to be finished weigh-in's for the following day's competition took place, which fortunately my group is involved with. We had to get the scales into the weigh in rooms, there are three, and organize some stress balls with the number 1-22 on them for the players to have when they did the draw. For people who aren't familiar with wrestling I will explain weigh-in's and the disciplines of wrestling in a following post. I ended up leaving the arena at about 9:30. Some of the other competitions at the arena were finishing at that time so the train back to the flat was busy but of course emptied along the way.
I arrived at the venue much earlier than I had planned. It's been advertised everywhere in London that the tube will be busy from 7am to 9am. I left about 7:45 expecting to be late, I had to be at the eXcel arena at 8:30 and the trip planner said it would take an hour. I arrived at the venue at 8:10. Much faster than I thought it would be. As soon as I stepped off the train I heard someone say my name and sure enough another volunteer that I had met in December at the test event was stepping off the train with me. It was very nice to have someone else to do everything for the first time together.
During training I found the rest of my assigned group, who except for two, I had met in December. It was so nice to be back together and it seemed like the test even had just been last week. My team leader was just as funny and energetic as he had been and everyone gets along great. The actual training itself was repetitive, essentially all the same information we received at the test event we got again, but not everyone volunteering currently was at the test event, so I suppose they appreciated it.
After lunch our actual shift started, and almost everyone in my group had to work immediately. We started putting up the flags for the dressing room assignments so that athletes and coaches knew what room they should be in. We organized our storage room, and threw away some things that the judo volunteers had left, and then we had some downtime.
Most of what my team does happens out where the competition takes place, the field of play, but there was a turnover of the field of play from judo to wrestling which needed to be done in 24 hours. To be honest the turnover itself went smoothly, but it took longer than expected I think. We were to be done with our shift at 6pm but we were unable to get equipment out to the field of play until the mats, arena, and technical/electronic things had been set up. Although things ended up getting done, nobody likes delay, and of course no one would admit that things were behind.
While waiting for the competition area to be finished weigh-in's for the following day's competition took place, which fortunately my group is involved with. We had to get the scales into the weigh in rooms, there are three, and organize some stress balls with the number 1-22 on them for the players to have when they did the draw. For people who aren't familiar with wrestling I will explain weigh-in's and the disciplines of wrestling in a following post. I ended up leaving the arena at about 9:30. Some of the other competitions at the arena were finishing at that time so the train back to the flat was busy but of course emptied along the way.
Friday, August 3, 2012
There's a palace here?? Who knew?
Today I decided to go and watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. There is a website you can go to and find out the days and times the changes will take place. The guard changes every day but with the Olympics taking place here their schedule has changed just a little. The change takes place at 11:30 officially but before they actually change the guard the guard "band" walks around the fountain and road in front of the palace with the current guard walking being them, and then the new guards will take a turn, following the band, of course. So the entire process is close to a full hour long.
The band is very entertaining. Today I heard renditions of the Indiana Jones theme song, Star Wars theme song, a Lady Gaga song (which I couldn't identify) as well as the national anthem. They were all executed wonderfully, which is what you would expect from members of the Queen's guard I suppose.
I arrived early, or what I considered to be early, at 11am, only to find the entire court and surrounding areas of the palace completely crowded. This event is not just commonly attended by tourists but the residents here are high in attendance as well. I did not get anywhere near the palace for quite a while. My standing place was along the road and I did seem some of the guards and the band pass by from my position, but not very clearly unfortunately. But I was able to hear the band very well which was nice. When I got up to the gates I was near the front as the area had emptied out about half of its spectators. While standing at the front close to the gates; the flag bearers, and I think section leaders, marched right up to the gateand stood there smiling. Just so people could take pictures of them. They had their bright red coats on, sabers at their side, and huge black hat things that came just below their eyebrows making me wonder how well they could actually see. When they got near us and stopped everyone around was pretty quiet, possibly wondering why they had come so close to the gates, as none of the other guards had. After about half a minute of silence one of the guards smiled and said, "Good morning", everyone started giggling and snapping pictures, the guards counter part took his turn and said, "Lovely day", of course that brought more laughter and after about two minutes the gentlemen turned and walked away. Even though I wasn't able to see the actual "changing of the guard" that exchange was well worth the trip to the palace.
Once I had stopped taking pictures and being a tourist, I started my walk back to the flat. This had been determined last night after looking at a map and seeing that Buckingham Palace was only about three miles away. This morning I rode the tube to Buckingham but walked back so I could walk through Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and past Kensington Palace. Although it was not far, I like walking so three miles didn't seem too bad, my initial route had to be changed. I kept coming upon signs that stated "ticket holders only" so I had to go around, or down a different street. But I did get to walk through Hyde Park, and past an Olympic venue, I think it was for triathlon. I took a few pictures but whatever was competing there had either finished or hadn't started. I also walked through Kensington Park and was very excited to see Kensington Palace as well, when i came up to where it is located a sign said "Kensington Palace is being transformed" not quite sure what that means but whatever it is, I could not see the palace. So I walked the rest of the way, which was maybe half a mile, back to the apartment.
London is so compacted that what seems like a far way away is actually very close. You just pass by lots of buildings to get to where you need to be. Kensington Palace and Gardens is probably a ten minute walk away from where I am staying and all this time I thought it wasn't in walking distance.
So I got some pictures and will put a few up with this post, I walked around London and discovered there are very nice parks walking distance from where I am staying.
Tomorrow, venue training and shift one.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Olympic Excitment?
I was asked recently, by one of my readers about the weather, the people, and if there is any excitement from them. Also if I had heard any conversations or talked to anyone here in London about the Olympic Games.
First of all, the weather. It hasn't been too bad here yet.mit rained a bit on Sunday but raining here is different than raining in the Midwest. I was caught in a downpour while walking and a few hours later it rained again. This happened while I was out in the Westminster area and fortunately had just received my umbrella with my uniform. I do not like using umbrellas at all, I'm not sure why, but I held out as long as I could but finally it was just raining too hard and I had to bring it out. Yesterday was cooler with no rain, but today it's going to rain. It's been misting all morning and there is an 80% chance.
On to the people. There is a general excitement here in London for the Olympic Games, I'm sure there was much more excitement on Friday night when the opening ceremonies took place. There is probably also more excitement nearer to the venues and read that competition is taking place. I am not staying extremely far from competitions, but far enough where it would be possible to go the whole Olympics without knowing they are here in London. There are signs at pubs saying "Watch Olympics here" but aside from that and souvenirs there is no indication that the Olympics are taking place. I haven't had conversations with anyone about the Olympics since my first day.
When I fist arrived and was speaking with the customs officer at the airport he was telling me about the opening ceremonies. He had enjoyed them very much and thought that England put on a good show. He told me I would probably enjoy it but that it was "very British". He seemed quite excited that his country was hosting these Olympics. I did talk to a security guard at the Westminster abbey gift shop. He told me to have fun and enjoy my time here, but he just wanted to know why I was here, I had been walking around with my hosts and he wanted to know if we had come to London together. He was more interested in the why and how of my visit than anything else.
When I went out this morning I expected there to be a little more excitement about the games, especially considering the men's gymnastics team had just won England their first medal in the sport in 100 years, but nothing. Life just goes on.
I haven't made any plans for tomorrow as far as sightseeing, I should make some I think. but on Thursday I will be going to the Olympics village and hopefully there will be more excitement in that area of the city.
First of all, the weather. It hasn't been too bad here yet.mit rained a bit on Sunday but raining here is different than raining in the Midwest. I was caught in a downpour while walking and a few hours later it rained again. This happened while I was out in the Westminster area and fortunately had just received my umbrella with my uniform. I do not like using umbrellas at all, I'm not sure why, but I held out as long as I could but finally it was just raining too hard and I had to bring it out. Yesterday was cooler with no rain, but today it's going to rain. It's been misting all morning and there is an 80% chance.
On to the people. There is a general excitement here in London for the Olympic Games, I'm sure there was much more excitement on Friday night when the opening ceremonies took place. There is probably also more excitement nearer to the venues and read that competition is taking place. I am not staying extremely far from competitions, but far enough where it would be possible to go the whole Olympics without knowing they are here in London. There are signs at pubs saying "Watch Olympics here" but aside from that and souvenirs there is no indication that the Olympics are taking place. I haven't had conversations with anyone about the Olympics since my first day.
When I fist arrived and was speaking with the customs officer at the airport he was telling me about the opening ceremonies. He had enjoyed them very much and thought that England put on a good show. He told me I would probably enjoy it but that it was "very British". He seemed quite excited that his country was hosting these Olympics. I did talk to a security guard at the Westminster abbey gift shop. He told me to have fun and enjoy my time here, but he just wanted to know why I was here, I had been walking around with my hosts and he wanted to know if we had come to London together. He was more interested in the why and how of my visit than anything else.
When I went out this morning I expected there to be a little more excitement about the games, especially considering the men's gymnastics team had just won England their first medal in the sport in 100 years, but nothing. Life just goes on.
I haven't made any plans for tomorrow as far as sightseeing, I should make some I think. but on Thursday I will be going to the Olympics village and hopefully there will be more excitement in that area of the city.
Monday, July 30, 2012
First Olympic Volunteer Experience
On Sunday I woke up pretty late, due to staying up very late and the time difference. Once I had "breakfast" I took the tube with Cassie and her family as I started my journey to the Uniform and Accreditation Center to pick up my ID and uniform.
The tube ride was uneventful and not too long. Once I got off at Canning Town I had to walk a little ways to wear the pick up center was. I did not realize that the DLR (docklands light rail), another train, stopped right in front of where I needed to be. So of course, on my walk, I got lost.
It really was a simple walk and I knew I walked right past the street I had to turn on. I looked down the unidentified road and thought "wow that road looks shady"' there was no one walking down the street, which in London is rare; and I walked past it. I was by myself and slightly scared of walking down that road myself. But finally I had no choice because the place I needed to be was down there. I pulled out my ipad every now and the to look at the map and would get nervous about the area and put it away quickly. So I finally got there and got my ID, and uniform. My ID picture looks pretty much like a mug shot, very similar to the athlete photos that have been popping up.
After getting everything I needed I met Cassie, her dad, and her sister again at Westminster. We just walked around and took photos of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Big Ben and other sites in the area. During our time out it rained quite a bit somit was good i had picked up my uniform as i got an umbrealla with it. When I left them, because my bags were getting heavy from carrying everything I got when picking up my uniform, I got some groceries and went back to the flat to skype my family.
Overall it was a good day despite fearing for my life when walking to pick up my uniform.
The tube ride was uneventful and not too long. Once I got off at Canning Town I had to walk a little ways to wear the pick up center was. I did not realize that the DLR (docklands light rail), another train, stopped right in front of where I needed to be. So of course, on my walk, I got lost.
It really was a simple walk and I knew I walked right past the street I had to turn on. I looked down the unidentified road and thought "wow that road looks shady"' there was no one walking down the street, which in London is rare; and I walked past it. I was by myself and slightly scared of walking down that road myself. But finally I had no choice because the place I needed to be was down there. I pulled out my ipad every now and the to look at the map and would get nervous about the area and put it away quickly. So I finally got there and got my ID, and uniform. My ID picture looks pretty much like a mug shot, very similar to the athlete photos that have been popping up.
After getting everything I needed I met Cassie, her dad, and her sister again at Westminster. We just walked around and took photos of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Big Ben and other sites in the area. During our time out it rained quite a bit somit was good i had picked up my uniform as i got an umbrealla with it. When I left them, because my bags were getting heavy from carrying everything I got when picking up my uniform, I got some groceries and went back to the flat to skype my family.
Overall it was a good day despite fearing for my life when walking to pick up my uniform.
First Impressions
Well now that I've adjusted to being in London for two whole nights I can go back over my weekend and say that I love it here! I like the city of London, the people, the transportation. There are so many great things about this city and being here during the Olympics just adds to it.
Now that I have declared my love for London I can recount my weekend.
Saturday, after arriving at my hosts house and meeting her and her family, I quickly "freshened up" (in actuality I just brushed my teeth), and went off with my host, Cassie, (and her dad and sister) to Portobello Market. It's basically a 2-3 mile long farmers market. They had a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable vendors, antiques, teas, lots of hats, it went on and on. It was enjoyable, very busy, but I was so tired I probably looked like a zombie. I bought some white cherries, 1 lb. for 1pound 50. It gets confusing when trying to tell someone how much things cost; "1 pound for a pound".
After the market we dropped things off at the "flat" and went back out to buy me a cell phone and to dinner. For dinner we went to a pub. The front of the building is an actual pub, the back is a Thai restaurant, which in my opinion is an odd combination, but the food was great! We finished about 4 or 5 and Cassie wanted to continue walking around and do more things with her family. I decided it would be best for me to go back and take a nap at the apartment, considering I almost put my face in my food at dinner. It was quite a struggle not to fall asleep.
Back at Cassie's I took a nap for about an hour. I didn't want sleep too long because I still had to sleep through the night. When I woke up I watched Michael Phelps compete and wrote the previous blog about my traveling experience :D. so if you didn't read it you should. When Cassie returned we watched the rest of the swim heats and the opening ceremonies, as they had also missed them due to other commitments.
Now that I have declared my love for London I can recount my weekend.
Saturday, after arriving at my hosts house and meeting her and her family, I quickly "freshened up" (in actuality I just brushed my teeth), and went off with my host, Cassie, (and her dad and sister) to Portobello Market. It's basically a 2-3 mile long farmers market. They had a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable vendors, antiques, teas, lots of hats, it went on and on. It was enjoyable, very busy, but I was so tired I probably looked like a zombie. I bought some white cherries, 1 lb. for 1pound 50. It gets confusing when trying to tell someone how much things cost; "1 pound for a pound".
After the market we dropped things off at the "flat" and went back out to buy me a cell phone and to dinner. For dinner we went to a pub. The front of the building is an actual pub, the back is a Thai restaurant, which in my opinion is an odd combination, but the food was great! We finished about 4 or 5 and Cassie wanted to continue walking around and do more things with her family. I decided it would be best for me to go back and take a nap at the apartment, considering I almost put my face in my food at dinner. It was quite a struggle not to fall asleep.
Back at Cassie's I took a nap for about an hour. I didn't want sleep too long because I still had to sleep through the night. When I woke up I watched Michael Phelps compete and wrote the previous blog about my traveling experience :D. so if you didn't read it you should. When Cassie returned we watched the rest of the swim heats and the opening ceremonies, as they had also missed them due to other commitments.
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