Olympics. Olympics. Recession. Olympics. Olympics. Boris Johnson.
Olympics. Olympics. Olympic-related weather forecast.
Well, you’ll never guess what I’m going to be writing about!
I hope you’ll indulge the theme for a couple of posts from me, as I was
fortunate enough to experience travelling to London in late July to get a taste
of the unique atmosphere. I’ve returned with enough photographs and stories to
fill a few months’ worth of posts, but given the depth of coverage elsewhere,
I’ll try and summarise everything in two!
One of the most incredible experiences of my lifetime!
In truth I hadn’t really thought much about the Olympics until a couple
of years ago, probably due to my overriding passion for football alone!
Although I could sense excitement building as the years ticked closer and
closer to 2012, the reality of the Games’ arrival only really sank in with the opening
of applications to become a ‘Games Maker’, one of the tens of thousands of
volunteers. Seeking to get involved with such a momentous sporting occasion, I
put myself forward, but being in the Lower Sixth Form at the time and only just
qualifying for the minimum age requirement, I didn’t really have too much to
shout about in my application.
Months came and went with no contact and, soon enough, the first round
of the ticket ballot was advertised. Unsure of whether I’d be able to attend or
even afford them, I applied for a select few sports – ones which I knew a small
bit about, like handball and hockey – in the cheapest price categories. As it
turned out I wasn’t the only one to be caught out by nationwide demand, but the
results left me facing the prospect of travelling down just to see one session
of handball (whilst my older brother, at odds of something like 1500/1, got the
cheapest tickets to the Opening Ceremony!) – not exactly what I’d had in mind
(given the North-West to London train fares!).
2012 arrived and, trying desperately to get involved, I considered the
option available of auditioning for the opening and closing ceremonies, but a
hefty rehearsal schedule and travel expenses weren’t feasible if I wanted to
pass my exams – and eat! I was eventually contacted and asked to schedule
online a time for a phone interview for a Games Maker position in ‘security’
(greeted by great derision from the flatmates!). Unfortunately it ended up
taking place over a fairly poor connection, and I misheard the interviewer in a
crucial question, answering with something nonsensical in the context – let’s just
say that when the only updates I received thenceforth were emails saying “We’ll
tell you if and when there’s a role for you”, I wasn’t exactly optimistic! Some
of my friends elsewhere were accepted and had an incredible experience
themselves, meeting Tom Daley and the like in the Olympic Village, but it turned
out being a Games Maker wouldn’t be for me.
Accepting defeat and preparing to sell the ticket I’d been allocated, I
logged back on to the ticketing website. Just before clicking ‘sell’, however,
I put in a few requests for other tickets out of curiosity and a degree of
defiant optimism. Seeing that a few were available which were at a reasonable
price I made the snap decision to buy them and keep my original ticket – I’d
make a short, sharp trip of it, a couple of days soaking up the atmosphere, visiting
a few friends and seeing London. Well, that was the original plan at least. A
couple of months (including a vast amount of spare time spent on the website)
later...
Too much free time and a lot of budgeting during exam period!
Soon after, I was hugely fortunate to be offered a free ticket to the
first dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium, despite
the unsuccessful nature of my application, as a result of my volunteering, and
hence a chance to become one of the first eighty-thousand or so people to see
it. As the saying goes, like London buses, I’d waited for one stroke of fortune
with the ticketing process and two had come along at once!
And so I found myself on the morning of Monday 23 July on a train to
London Euston (by another gargantuan stroke of fortune, in a First Class seat –
it was cheaper than Standard, for some reason!) with a suitcase and a vague
idea of my way round the London Underground. My aunt and uncle had very
generously offered me the use of their conveniently positioned flat in the
centre of London, so after a speedy dropping off of luggage, I met up with my
sister (who had also volunteered, but wasn’t keen on the driving role she had
been offered) and hopped on the Tube to Stratford to get my first taste of the Olympic Park.
Despite having been to packed houses at Wembley, Old Trafford and even
Tokyo before, I was bowled over by the sheer volume of spectators – there were
queues to join the queues!
For all the horror stories I’d heard about security – I wasn’t sure
whether the soldier who warned me at the gate about strip searching was joking
or not! – it was noticeable, but pleasant and efficient.
After queuing for a surprisingly short amount of time, and chatting to the incredibly bubbly Makers around, we were into Olympic Park. Once again, I was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the occasion, as the quite fascinating architecture, matched by the glorious weather and an atmosphere quite unlike any other, formed a quite surreal feeling, a blend of awe and anticipation.
The Orbit Tower – at first glance I thought it was one heck of a Helter
Skelter!
Outside the Aquatics Centre
And outside the absolutely magnificent construction that is the Olympic
Stadium. When the Park reopens next year, make sure to check it out if you
haven’t already!
A brisk walk round half of the park (the other half was closed), many
photos and a couple of water bottle purchases later (you could refill your own,
but the queue for the fountains was four times longer than the sales people!),
it was time for us to take our seats (unfortunately not together) and see the
show. I’d promised myself that once it started, I would do my utmost just to
take it in, but some moments were so incredible I couldn’t resist taking my
camera out… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHVSoMo4uSM
Somehow I ended up 14 rows from the front, in the centre of the stadium.
The heat from the flamethrowers was quite intense!
The “Pandemonium” section of the Ceremony had my heart pounding – never
have I seen anything so epic!
The remainder of the photo credits go to my sister, who was directly
opposite me!
The lights came on, the James Bond theme started, the helicopter
hovered above, and we all expected... but were told Boyle wanted to
#savethesurprise! He certainly did!
It certainly was a struggle not discussing this for a few days, given
how incredible it was!
Such vibrancy and colour, with lots of controlled audience interaction
– a truly awesome technical feat!
Chances are you’ve probably been bowled over by the complete ceremony on television already, so there’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said (Flo’s succinct article put it perfectly), but it was the most incredible spectacle I have ever experienced. Even beforehand, sitting amongst complete strangers, there was a curious atmosphere floating around the Stadium. Judging from my previous experience, usually in London the tendency is to be quite reserved amongst strangers, but here people of all nationalities and backgrounds were chatting merrily and laughing. We were all soon feeding off the pure adrenaline that emanated from Danny Boyle’s outstanding direction, manifested in an unforgettable performance; I’ve never felt such energy and vibrancy hit me before, particularly when drummers suddenly appeared alongside us to signal the transformation of the “Green and Pleasant Land” in a sequence which sent an immediate and infectious chill down many a spine. The lighting, staging and general imagination of the piece was out of this world. The attention to detail was meticulous. The entire duration of events was inspirational, moving, funny, touching, and British. It was perfect.
What we saw not only amazed, but also unified, us as a crowd. Boyle
specifically requested to us beforehand that we didn’t share any of it and that
we maintained the Twitter hashtag “#savethesurprise.” It was a reflection on
the sheer power of the performance we witnessed that night, and its ability to
draw the audience into Boyle’s secretive gang, that seldom few photos were
shared, if any, and much of the media was none the wiser despite most (save the
splendid appearances of Her Majesty and Mr Bean) of his secrets being spread
that night. It was an honour and a privilege to be there, and I’m hugely
grateful to the organisers for granting me a truly special and wondrous night.
And that was just day one!
Robin
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