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| Lobby area of SportsDock at UEL |
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| Basketball gyms in SportsDock |
I'm beginning to love that our meetings are only every few days because I heard they were daily in Beijing. I get a strong sense that everyone is carrying their weight and a great team has been assembled. Everyone is looking out for each other and offering help all around and trying to plug any gaps. The Sports Dock was essentially completely turned over the USOC after the fire evacuation briefing. Its amazing that this brand new place was built to be ready for us. It's quite impressive!
The main goal for the morning was to get the fencing strips laid out and the 24 Hour Fitness staff has offered to help with any setup and we have definitely not been forgetting that. Haha. I'm very happy with how they all got laid out and think the fencers will be pleased.
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| Fencing training area |
A big group of staff reconveined to head to the Westfield Mall for lunch. It's the biggest mall in Europe but it's got nothing on Mall of America (Minnesota represent!). Today was the official staff team processing day so the afternoon was spent at Sarah Bonnell. I got a nice greeting as I came in the doors. A good friend, Lenny, who worked in International Games with me when I was an intern, was there at the door. He has been working with the London Organizing Committee (LOCOG) since then so it was great to see him. I was very pleased with the package that was put together with us. Katie showed off her skills when it comes to apparel. That's for sure. Great job! The process was smooth.
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| Welcome to Team Processing |
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| Ralph Lauren Room |
I got my finger fitted for the 2012 Olympic Games Staff ring which felt pretty cool. I also got my phone finally and could communicate with people outside the realm of wi-fi. Whether that is a good thing is yet to be determined. I like it for getting in touch with people I need to contact but it also means others can get in touch with me for requests. I was kind of liking the "take a step back a decade" approach even if it was difficult at times. Processing was good because I got to run into people from different sites and the place has really begun to take shape since moving day.
The staff was told to get out and enjoy the day. We decided a to make a trek a whole two stops to Beckton which is probably a total of 500 feets total (from the room to the DLR station then the DLR station to the Winsor House). It was great because Rick came over after we ate and had a drink with us. I think it shows a lot about his leadership skills when he is willing to join us and to also get down and do some dirty work as well. It's been a reoccuring theme amongst a lot of people here. It speaks volumes, especially when many are in prestigious positions.
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| My favorite shirt from the package |
I left with another group to wander around with them as they tried to find food at 10 at night! It's a difficult task in these parts. Somehow we found a little cafe/bar that served food 24/7. While they ate I tried a beer called Tiger. They say not to judge a book by its cover but the bottle looked cool and the name was awesome so I had to. It wasn't too bad. I'm all about trying new things when I'm in a foreign country. It also helps that the customs here are nearly identical to ours. I can't believe how fast time is going. A lot has been accomplished already. Well folks, one week is in the books!
Days Until Olympic Games: 12
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