Within the last few
weeks, Great Britain
has suddenly gone sporting mad. People are joining sports clubs, taking up
cycling / running / rowing, and having animated conversations about the canoe
slalom (who knew the sport even existed before now!?). The news has been
dominated by the latest sporting successes, and almost every television
channel was beaming events into living rooms across the country for two solid
weeks. London 2012 has not been limited to the city alone: the hype was, and
still is, right on your doorstep, wherever you live.
I must confess I am
not a sporty person. I never participated in sports clubs at secondary school
and was only ever useful in rounders or as goal keeper in netball thanks to my
early growth spurt. Even now I struggle to find the enthusiasm to go for a run.
However, I found myself getting excited about sport once the Olympics were on.
I’ve never really been interested in Wimbledon
(shock horror!), and the only televised sporting event I watch annually is the
Tour De France. This summer, however, I happily sat on the sofa for hours at a
time to watch swimming, gymnastics, athletics and even rowing. My Twitter feed
has been full of sporting commentary, and even my Facebook newsfeed was updated
every few minutes with statuses urging Murray
to ‘keep going!’ and praising Jessica Ennis on her talent and impressive muscle
tone. I even went to watch the Olympic Flame pass through a local village in a
bid to witness a momentous occasion and to be a small part of the games. I
don’t expect this enthusiasm to change for the Paralympics, either.
My Mum and I, waiting
to see the Olympic Torch pass through a local village in Kent
Robin’s post gives us
a great idea of what his Olympic summer has been like, and I look forward to
reading his next instalment. My Olympic experience was not quite as full on as
his. However, it demonstrates the different levels of participation that the
public experienced – and proves that you can still take in the excitement no
matter how involved you are! Not having been able to get tickets to any
sporting events during the Olympics or
the Paralympics, I did have the opportunity to spend a day in the Olympic Park,
soaking up the atmosphere and seeing for myself London’s achievements in
hosting the two biggest sports events in the world. I don’t live too far away
from London ,
with a train journey only taking around 40 minutes, and in no time at all my
family and I found ourselves walking from West Ham tube station towards Olympic
Park.
Our first glimpse of
Olympic Park!
When the Olympic logo
was first introduced to the nation, I distinctly remember everyone being
revolted at how disappointing it was, myself included. Nevertheless, walking
towards the park, surrounded by enthusiastic volunteers with megaphones,
brightly coloured banners and strategically sprouting wildflowers, the logo
looked better than I remembered. It fitted in with the clean lines of the
general Olympic design, and I remember thinking the same when I watched events
on the television, especially in the Aquatics centre. The presentation of the
Olympic surroundings and logos looked clean, modern and exciting, whilst
conveying the importance of youth that is focused on so much this year. The bright
colours maintained positivity even when we experienced the torrential rain that
comes with the British summer. Overall, it was not as gaudy and tacky as I had
once dreaded.
Myself, Dad, Mum and sister Katie, all excited to be at the Olympic Park
The park itself was no
disappointment, as Robin has already pointed out. Entry was swift, despite
being at midday and all the volunteers and security workers that I met were
friendly and polite, making jokes and providing plenty of information. The
stadium looked positively beautiful, standing statuesque and surrounded by wild
flowers and green grass. It was not overbearing though, allowing the other
venues to share the limelight. I was not so sure about the Orbit tower, but its
height was still impressive, and the velodrome was magnificent. I really hope
that many of the venues are used to provide the public with a chance to play
more sport, get fit, and get inspired. There
were so many food options to choose from, and we indulged in an ice-cream before
watching the gymnastics on the big screen, which was a great touch. And, if we
found ourselves feeling a little tired, we were able to indulge in a little
people watching. Some of the costumes we saw were impressive and entertaining –
never before have I seen so many patriotic onesies in one place!
Me in front of the
Olympic stadium – I thought the colours of the flowers and the stadium made a
beautiful image!
My day at the Olympic
Park only served to continue my enthusiasm for the Olympics and Paralympics.
Indeed, the opening ceremony was not the embarrassing affair that I had anticipated.
Visions of Boris Johnson dancing badly on a London bus to the sound of Jedward
had haunted me for the last seven years since our position as host nation had
been announced. But with Bond, Bean, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the University
of Southampton’s very own Sir Tim Berners-Lee, my faith in the nation had been
restored, thanks to Danny Boyle. I sat, transfixed to the screen for the full
four hours. The closing ceremony too was
fun and lively, and though I wasn’t a huge fan of all the music on offer (tributes to John Lennon and Freddie Mercury
were two of the highlights for me personally) I still think it was a good show
with a little something for everybody.
With our outstanding
medal count and the fantastic performances of all our athletes, London 2012 has
been a testament to what this country can do. I for one look forward to
watching the Paralympics, which I think will prove to be just as exciting and
inspiring, if not more so. This year has been one with many notable problems,
but we cannot deny that we have also had our triumphs – 2012 has certainly been
a golden year!
One of my favourite
scenes at the Park
Joanne
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