In Record Time

It's a little weird to say that, in a way, being at the Olympics in person makes it all seem a little less magical. On TV you get to see all the little athlete bios and sappy music and camera shots of the family crying at the medal ceremony. When you're here, it's different. Don't get me wrong, it's magical in it's own way. When you're here the courts all look a little smaller, the track a little shorter, and the people less intimidating. You realize that it's just real people playing real sports. When I saw Federer and Nadal they just look like ordinary men, but with extraordinary talent. But the atmosphere is something you can't feel through a TV screen. The broadcasters don't show the lines at the bathroom or food stand, they don't capture the frenzy of the press workroom or the mixed zone, they don't show the scalpers outside the venue or the half time shows. And the biggest part is all the sounds. On TV you can't hear the conversations in 10 different languages around you or music on the loudspeakers at the entrance gate or the Germans singing a sloppy victory song after several beers. Being here makes you actually feel the enormity of it all. I could never have imagined. It's truly the biggest event in the world.

On that note- I was able to see a couple of events this week. First, on the 14th, I saw the beginning of the USA vs. Canada softball game. I've always watched Jennie Finch and Crystal Bustos on TV, but it was so cool to see their pre-game warm up rituals. (see pics) They do all the same stuff we did- stretching together, practice lead-offs, fielding/batting practice, etc (but at a higher level, of course!) The game got off to a rocky start with Canada scoring in the first inning off an error. We had great seats as it was, and then this American guy told my friends and I that we could come sit in the front row with him since his friends hadn't shown up. We were front row, first baseline with a guy who turned out to be kinda crazy. He looked like he had been in the army and yelled for the team like he had been, too. I thought the veins in his neck were going to explode from the pressure of his vocal chords. Anyway, in the 3rd inning the skies opened up and flooded the stadium. We waited for awhile, but had work that afternoon so were not able to stay.

On the 16th, Mizzou surprised us with track tickets for the night session. BOCOG (Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games) bought them for all the international volunteers. We sat in the 2nd tier and were able to see the whole track. Since we had block seating our U-S-A chants could actually be heard amidst the China chant that goes- Jia You! Zhong quo! (Come on! China!) It was obvious that the session was building up toward the men's 100m final. The race that now takes less than 10 seconds lasted for 15 minutes. The pump up music, the lengthy introductions, the drawn out rituals for getting into the blocks. I had my camera ready to take a video and the crowd went silent for the first time that night. Everyone held their breath. Then the gun- the crowd now at its loudest roar. Our section watched as the world record was smashed by Usain Bolt with a 9.69s, while the USA squeaked out a 3rd place finish. Although the Americans didn't win, it was hard not to be happy for the Jamaican. The loudspeakers were filled with Reggae music and the stands celebrated a new world record. It's still sinking in that I was able to witness that.

This morning I'm dragging a bit because I'm working back to back shifts- 3-midnight yesterday and 6:30am-3pm today. But I can't complain. I switched because I have tickets to the track session tonight. I love it!

Note: I was talking to a reporter from Pakistan a few days ago who is writing a very unique story about the next generation of Chinese families. Because of the 'one child policy' no one will have aunts, uncles or cousins. Weird.