Today signifies the end of my Olympic adventure. This one at least. If I have ever felt the effects of finishing
strong it has been after the last week I endured here. Obviously it has made it really difficult to
write from a time aspect but my mind feels fried as well. Typically I do a good job of soaking
everything in really well and closing everything up. I am finding it difficult to give any of my
efforts emotion but maybe that's another way to look at it. The fact that I've exhausted myself reminds
me exactly how great of an ending it was.
This experience is far beyond anything I have experienced in my
life. It has been the best learning
experience for me in all regards whether it be what I learned about myself, the
Games, people, culture, the city, etc.
The five and half weeks cannot be described in words. I could use words like inspirational,
sensational, and phenomenonal but they wouldn't do it justice. There was so much between the lines. What my eyes have seen has been the greatest
spectacle on the planet but the feeling of being so close to so much of it is
inspiring and motivating. Coming into
this experience my expectations were that the Olympics were the summit of the
highest mountain but now that it is done I feel like it goes far beyond that
and I'm now on the moon! Work, events,
and pleasure have taken me all over London and I've seen a huge portion of this
remarkable city giving host to an athletic competition among 205 countries. So while I've spent more than a month seeing
London, I feel like I've seen the world.
There is truth to that because the city represented the world through
not only the athletes but the millions of fans flocking here. I've met many new people from all over the
world and had some of the most fun I've ever experienced watching others . What I will take away from this experience
most is going to be the people. The
people I've worked with to create such a great team has been a pure joy and
honor. Everyone was so helpful with every task that rose up.
They were a perfect piece of the bigger team, Team USA. I was able to strengthen many friendships and
make many more, some so great I know
they will be lifelong despite being from different parts of the world. I look forward to future interactions with
them all. I really want to send out a
big THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of every move at these Games and to
every person that has helped get me to this point as well (that includes every
good person that’s been some part of this lifelong journey). I could never be more proud to be part of
Team USA than I was at these games. The
expectations coming in were high but there were plenty of doubts. The country once again showed that amazing
spirit that bands us all together and won the medal standings in every
category. It was just as amazing seeing
new friends from the host country have their most successful Olympics in over a
hundred years because it was so awesome to see the inspiration it gave the
country. Is there a better example of
the powerful impact the Olympic Games can have.
It's a mind blowing 2 weeks of seeing the impossible become possible and
pure dedication and perseverance pushing people to the greatest heights. It unites the world in one place at one
time. A world united is something you
only see in apocalyptic movies any other time.
The energy is electric and you can't help but join in on the party. This adventure concludes today and I begin a
new one with just me and my backpack, yet there is absolutely no way to compare
them. I look forward to the next one but
this Olympic Tale will forever be something special. Thank you London for giving me the privilege
of being part of it and for being an unbelievable host! One last time…this is Chad signing off.....
Beyond the Game
There and Back Again : An Olympic Tale
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Day 36 - UEL wrapup, Volunteer Celebration
GOOOD MORNING LONDON! Well folks today is the last day of the action going on in my blog but tomorrow I plan to sum some things up. I will admit that today was a struggle (a bit tired) but we all banded together and finished packing things up. The movers once again showed the ultimate work ethic and helped give you reason to step you game up one more time and finish. Like MJ said, “It’s not about how hard you push along the way, it’s about having something in you to finish.” That’s exactly what it was. Once again I have to thank the volunteers (Ryan, Paul, and Abby) for helping me rally after the work was done. I really wanted a nap but they convinced me it was time for our pack to go have fun as a group in the city. Paul had been talking for a while about an American western style restaurant in Shoreditch. It was called Red Dog Saloon.
Abby, Ryan, Paul, and I |
They even had an eating challenge but none of decided to accept the challenge. The burger I had was delicious. From there we headed to a couple places that Paul was familiar with. They were located in the business area of London. The Gallery was our next spot which was very chill but had a great happy hour. We were all having a very a blast celebrating the good times we had over the last few weeks and trying to make one more memorable night. That is exactly what we did as we made our way across London Bridge and back to the place I was at last night, Belushi’s. This time, however, there was karaoke and dancing. We all shredded that dance floor and then took our one and only turn on the mic where we teamed up for “Summer of 69” by Bryan Adams with a little bit of our own flavor as Ryan led a rendition of our own. We changed the words to “Summer of 2012”. After many hours and a full day/night of being together one final time I think I can say everyone brought their ‘A’ game tonight. From there it was an enjoyable cab ride back to Paul’s to crash. What a way to wrap up five and a half weeks in London and with some of the greatest new friends you could meet! For me and my role at the Games this officially signifies the fulfillment of my duties. I hope you all have enjoyed reading the blog and please check out tomorrow’s final piece. Godspeed my friend! Good night!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Day 35 - SCORE/UEL Teardown, Closing Ceremony
Well my fellow readers this is the day that inevitably had to come, the day
of the Closing Ceremony. During every
other year when I’ve been able to only watch the Games on TV this day always
seems like a bummer because it means the 2+ week of fun is over. I don’t even think it is the end of
competition that makes me feel that way.
It’s the end of that energy high you coast on. The effect is amplified by a ton when you are
at the Games because you rely on it so much more. The coverage you see isn’t limited to what is
on TV. It is all around you all the
time. While the crash of everything
being over worries me a little bit I also know that the ‘real’ rest does sound
incredibly refreshing. I was actually
very excited for this day, not because it is the end, but because it is a day
to close things up and celebrate. A big
group of us (volunteers, staff, and 24 Hour Fitness group) all headed to SCORE
to tear down all of the equipment there.
Yes this meant tearing up the volleyball floor (my least favorite
setup). It was actually quite fun though
because Paul and I were having a blast messing around and trash talking to each
other. We had so many people helping the
teardown of both volleyball courts and the boxing ring went incredibly
fast. The people who ran SCORE were such
great hosts during the Games and helped with any requests or issues that arose
with a very fast response. The same goes
for the staff at UEL, from the security staff to Mary and Phil to the
maintenance team, Graham and Yohan. I am
going to miss Yohan with his assistance he game me with the sauna and
everything and his “No problem” response.
And seeing Graham on his scooter driving across campus was a sight to
see every time. Too funny. One of my favorite parts of working at the
Games is the unforseen hiccups that occur and make you improvise and try to
find a solution. I’ll never forget how
ridiculous it was for all 10 or so of us (the Sound Moves moving crew and I) to
be in the back of a semi-trailer trying to jump up and down so the wheel would
gain traction underneath and the truck would be able to get out of the parking
lot. Something as big as the Olympics is
absolutely impossible to prepare for and not have things that were unexpected
to happen. The Games test and challenge
you to be on your feet. I love it! But at the same time a lot has to be said for
the people that do try to examine every angle and minimize those occurrences
otherwise it would be utter chaos. After
SCORE we returned to UEL to work on tearing down equipment at UEL. The mats and fencing strips were a piece of
cake to pack up but the worst nightmare was the sauna. The worst part was the tarp underlying the
sauna. Imagine sweaty wrestlers in an
enclosed box with high temperatures. Um
ya a couple weeks of that will produce the most disgusting slime/liquid and
stench that you can imagine. Paul, Ryan,
Abby and I felt like our entire bodies needed to be disinfected after getting
the tarp to the trash. Disgusting! That pretty much wrapped up today’s portion
of the teardown at UEL and saved the loading and shipping portion for
tomorrow. After we all took turns
sanitizing ourselves we headed over to the big grassy area along the path near
the water and just laid down and enjoyed the beautiful day for a while over a
cold one. Jay and Rob joined us as
well. A solid day of work and now some
relaxation before some great food at the Edge (dining hall) made by Terri and
her crew was a perfect cap. The food was
amazing like usual. It was a
carribean/south american theme to represent the next Games in Rio de
Janeiro. After mingling for a while Jay,
Paul (Amerian one), Rob, and I headed off the UEL campus and back towards Tower
Bridge to try to get into Austria House once again. Once again it was packed. Instead we went to meet a bunch of other USOC
staff at a place called Belushi’s. It
was by far my favorite place we went out in London. It reminded me more of the atmosphere I like to
go out to. In there we met Andrea and
the other dieticians as well as Wes. On
one level some were watching the Closing Ceremony and on the other there was a
live band. I enjoyed seeing all the
music culture of the UK come out in the Closing Ceremony. It would have been great to be there. It looked like one big party and the athletes
were really enjoying themselves. After
we tried to keep things going and tried to find Brazil House but once we did it
was closed. That wraps up the Games as
far as competition days go but not quite the end of my time here working. There is still another day and something
tells me there is one more day of some high quality fun left ;) Na-na-naa-na, hey hey hey, Goodbye!
Day of the XXX Olympiad: 17
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Day 34 - Mile End Teardown (Beginning of the End)
Ok at this point I'm running out of ways to open each blog. How about a simple "Good
Morning". That is exactly what
today was since it was an early wake-up for some good physical labor. I use the word good lightly. I'm kidding it was good to change things up
again. Today was the first real day of
teardown though so that part was very bittersweet. It's no joke that it is difficult to carry
the same enthusiasm at the end of the Games as the beginning. The experienced ones said that well before
the Games and I tried my best to keep that in mind and keep it lively today. We
spent the entire morning moving equipment and packing everything up at Mile End
(the practice track). It was actually
very fulfilling to bring everything full circle. I've now seen the beginning, the results, and
the end of the whole process and let me tell you, those results were
spectacular and make it all worth it.
It's always great when you win but there was so much more than that. The culmination of seeing so many dreams on
this stage really hits you where it counts.
Honestly, you don't want an experience so great to end but at the end of
the Games after everything you witness there is an big sense of satisfaction
with seeing the end of the tunnel. It's
actually a hard feeling to describe because if it is so good you would want it
to keep going but I think if it would keep going for a long time some of the
moments would lose value and luster.
That is why I want to make every final moment count and end it the right
way. The times when it's quiet and you
know the activity is done with nothing to come are the ones where you can look
at your teammates in the eye, let out a sigh, and say "what a
ride". Mile End gave me an
opportunity to work with Peter and Randy one more time and get to know them
more. Peter was one of my favorite
people I got to know at the Games. His
knowledge of sports, especially soccer, is unbelievable and I really enjoyed
picking his brain. Talking about soccer
which is a sport I have only became a student of the game in recent years. There are things I have really started to
understand about the sport and to share them with him was a true pleasure
because he recognized my interest and inquisitiveness. The entire staff was incredible with
everything and the 24 Hour Fitness crew deserve a big thanks for all their
help. "Many hands make light
work." After finishing packing up
Mile End we returned to UEL where the men's basketball team were having their
final practice before the big rematch with Spain for the gold medal
tomorrow. Today was great because it was
very casual and I got more of an opportunity to see the guys shooting around
and hanging out. It reminded me of how
much I miss being part of the basketball team in college. After practice I worked on gathering a few
items at UEL for the teardown there. From there it I was off to Paul's to relax a
bit and soak in the final night of competition while grilling some food. We invited some friends we met in London over
as well. I couldn't be more appreciative
of the bloke (Paul) for giving me the opportunity to get away once again. Besides I really enjoyed using him for his
cooking (I hope he reads this). The
finale of the London Games on the track took place tonight with the men's 4x100
meter relay and it was a finale that lived up to the hype with the United
States taking on Jamaica for the gold.
Both teams loaded with talent. To
see Team USA come together despite being bitter competitors on the track and
give it all they had for an American record (one that beat the previous WR) yet
still come up staring at Bolt's heels at the finish line made me very
proud. The way they raced for each other
and accept their medals as a team proud of one another was special. To see Tyson Gay get his elusive Olympic
medal was straight awesome after everything he had battled (the guy had hip
surgery at the beginning of 2012!). It
was a great cap to a wonderful evening with fantastic friends. Tomorrow is another big day but one that ends
with a party. Time to wrap it up. Wishing you all a very good night!
Day of the XXX Olympiad: 16
Friday, August 10, 2012
Day 33 - 1-on-1 Bball, Hitting the Spots one more time
Riiiiiiiiise and shiiiiine London! It felt great to get a full night of
sleep for a change. I went outside my
building this morning and walked along the river/canal (whatever you want to
call it) and simply tried to soak the place in a little more. There are only a few more days left . I watched the lineup of planes take off at
the city airport across the water. Thank
God I am a sound sleeper because I now realize how annoyed some people are with
them. They are quite loud. It's quite the opposite of how UEL feels
now. It is quiet. Most of the athletes are now done training
besides women's and men's basketball.
Today was the women's last basketball practice before they prepared to
play in the gold medal final tomorrow.
The other volunteer, Paul (not the UK one), prepared to step onto the
court for some 1-on-1 basketball ourselves.
We have been talking trash to each other for about a week now. I'll admit the games didn't start out in my
favor and it was a struggle. I could
tell it had been weeks since I had gotten some quality exercise. I finally found my groove a bit more in the
later games. Nonetheless, it was great
to sweat and do something that was a familiarity for me. I love the spirit of competition. Seeing so much of it firsthand at the Games
is very inspiring. It keeps you going
every day. Even though Paul (UK one)
couldn't join Ryan, Abby, and I right away tonight for another trip to USA
House we decided to go anyways. I may
have said this before but I truly feel like I got a true taste of 'big city
living' these last few weeks. Whether it
be by bus or train, it is almost second nature traveling across the city by
public transportation. It is very different
than anything I have experience in my life where being able to get from place
to place by car was the main (if not only) option. It has been nice and easy as well as quicker
(especially in a big city) but at the same time I do miss the freedom of driving
my own car and getting out on an open road with some music blaring. Once again we headed straight for the food at
USA House and once again it was delicious.
I have had many opportunities to eat like a king the last week or
so. No complaints here. After feasting we headed up top to the patio,
the Bud Deck, to watch some Olympic coverage for a bit. It was very relaxing. There is nothing like a beautiful evening and
enjoying a cold one outdoors. One of my
favorite things in the world. Later,
Ryan and I split ways with Abby and went to meet Paul and some of his buddies
at where else...Visa House! The place is
like our spot. Paul brought his roomie
Laura and her boyfriend Owen with. They
are Scottish. It was so fun talking to
them with their accents. It never gets
old. I think it really makes you feel
like you are somewhere new. To be able
to have that cultural interaction is something every person needs to experience
because it gives you perspective based on your own experience and not just what
others say. Besides, they usually enjoy
it just as much as you. Owen is quite a
character and so hilarious to BS with.
From there we got out in the center of Trafalgar Square and took some
pictures before meeting up with the 24 Hour Fitness crew. It was great final Friday night. As I wrap this day up I have one confession
to make and some may have noticed. I've
been cheating on the date and time of each of these posts. I was waiting for someone to call me out on
it. It's been a struggle to get these
done but I am very happy I did because I love sharing with all of you and it
will be great to go back and read at some point. Hope you all enjoy. From one side of the world to the other this
is Chad signing off!
Day of the XXX Olympiad: 15
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Day 32 - Women's Gold Medal Soccer Final
Wembley Stadium |
Women's Soccer Gold Medal Final |
Team USA after scoring goal |
Team USA celebrating a gold medal victory! |
Abby Wambach |
Our section was very much for Japan. Once the U.S. put in the first goal to take a 1-0 lead the Japanese crowd quieted down but then Japan evened it and the rest of the match remained tense. With every breathtaking save by Hope Solo my heart stopped a little bit. Midway through the game I was watching the time because we really wanted to get to the concourse to see Usain Bolt define history a little more. To see him handle the field in the 200 meter final and win his second gold I knew at that moment he was the greatest sprinter this world has ever seen. To have that much hype and expectation every time you step on the track and to perform the way he does on the grandest of all stages is downright amazing. I feel incredibly lucky to have witnessed all of his races live. I remember seeing Michael Johnson win the 200 in 1996 and destroy everyone in spectacular fashion by shaving 3 tenths off his time for a record people didn't expect to be broken for 50 years. Now seeing Bolt surpass that but still no one else comes close to either is remarkable. These are once in a lifetime athletes. After the race we returned to our seats to see Carli Lloyd put in a second half goal to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead.
The pressure began to raise in the stadium as every minute passed. Every time Japan attacked the U.S. denied them. It was the kind of sporting event I live for. It was like being in a basketball arena with the lead trying to fire back at every rally the other team brings. After 90 minutes and some change I finally took a big sigh and jumped in the air as the United States wrapped up the gold medal. It was incredible! This was my second gold medal ceremony and I can tell you all that it doesn't get old. To hear the National Anthem play as the American flag is raised is an amazing feeling. I never get sick of hearing that song. I remember every time stepping on the hardwood and the song playing and getting chills, especially before the biggest games. I can't imagine how all those women felt on that podium. Unvelievable! After witnessing all the postgame celebration Abby and I prepared for a difficult journey back. Soooo many people leaving the stadium and headed for the same location, the train stop. It was shoulder to shoulder and moving very slowly. Someone could easily get claustrophobic. Finally we got on the train and at a certain point headed different directions as she went home and I went back to UEL. I think I felt the adrenaline rush for a good chunk of the journey which is a good thing because now I can crash. Toodles, Chad
Day of the XXX Olympiad: 14
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Day 31 - USA House
Inside USA House |
USA House |
Budweiser Deck |
Day of the XXX Olympiad: 13
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