Beach Volleyball
My first Olympic athletic event was beach volleyball. It took place the day after the opening ceremony, so it was still pool play. I saw two women's matches and two mens matches. The venue is called Horse Guard Parade, and is located right next to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye. I bought the cheapest seats I could, and it turned out that was a good idea because the view was incredible. The first thing I noticed was all of the empty seats. I figured people would be arriving late after a long night watching the opening ceremonies, but by the middle of the matches there were still plenty of empty seats in the more expensive sections. I took a break and got some breakfast, a traditional veggie sausage in a roll. The mimosas were tempting, but they were 13 pounds. There was a lot of effort spent on creating a good atmosphere with people leading cheers and several attempts at the wave (which originated at the University of Washington). They also had bikini clad dancers that preformed during the breaks to keep the crowd interested. It was a very fun event overall.
My first Olympic athletic event was beach volleyball. It took place the day after the opening ceremony, so it was still pool play. I saw two women's matches and two mens matches. The venue is called Horse Guard Parade, and is located right next to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the London Eye. I bought the cheapest seats I could, and it turned out that was a good idea because the view was incredible. The first thing I noticed was all of the empty seats. I figured people would be arriving late after a long night watching the opening ceremonies, but by the middle of the matches there were still plenty of empty seats in the more expensive sections. I took a break and got some breakfast, a traditional veggie sausage in a roll. The mimosas were tempting, but they were 13 pounds. There was a lot of effort spent on creating a good atmosphere with people leading cheers and several attempts at the wave (which originated at the University of Washington). They also had bikini clad dancers that preformed during the breaks to keep the crowd interested. It was a very fun event overall.
Rowing
The next event I attended was rowing at Eton Dorney in Windsor. It took about an hour and a half to get out to the venue but it was very easy to find our way. The venue is beautiful, but located in the middle of a horse farm. The athletes were also complaining about the consistent crosswind, and wished they had built the course with a head/tail wind pattern. The weather was looking promising, but it kept alternating from intense sun to light rain. We had really great seats thanks to my friend Katy Tai. Rowing draws a bit more sophisticated crowd, but people were still cheering. We had some time to kill before the races started so we walked out to the learn to row tent, where they were teaching people how to row and then conducted a 30 second race. It was pretty cool to see all of the younger gets getting excited about erging, and I hope this inspires increased participation in local rowing clubs in the future.
The next event I attended was rowing at Eton Dorney in Windsor. It took about an hour and a half to get out to the venue but it was very easy to find our way. The venue is beautiful, but located in the middle of a horse farm. The athletes were also complaining about the consistent crosswind, and wished they had built the course with a head/tail wind pattern. The weather was looking promising, but it kept alternating from intense sun to light rain. We had really great seats thanks to my friend Katy Tai. Rowing draws a bit more sophisticated crowd, but people were still cheering. We had some time to kill before the races started so we walked out to the learn to row tent, where they were teaching people how to row and then conducted a 30 second race. It was pretty cool to see all of the younger gets getting excited about erging, and I hope this inspires increased participation in local rowing clubs in the future.
Court Volleyball
One of the fellows on the trip had an extra ticket to a court volleyball match and I decided to go. The venue is called Earls Court, and it was built in 1936, and used in the 1948 London Olympics. Its age was evident, but it was still a cool venue. We were directed to get off a stop before the venue and walk with the rest of the crowd. We arrived at the venue to see a mass of people but got through security and inside in less that 10 minutes. This was one of the cooler venues in my opinion because they had decorated the inside with history of the other two London Olympics, with quotes from former participants and fun facts. We were up pretty high, but that I could still see how tall these athletes were. It was pretty amazing to see the clearance they were getting on the blocks. Again, they had several emcees who tried to lift the spirit of the stands during quiet moments. One of the coolest things was when every one starting singing We Are The Champions. It gave me chills because all these people from all over the world were able to unite and sing this song together in one language.
One of the fellows on the trip had an extra ticket to a court volleyball match and I decided to go. The venue is called Earls Court, and it was built in 1936, and used in the 1948 London Olympics. Its age was evident, but it was still a cool venue. We were directed to get off a stop before the venue and walk with the rest of the crowd. We arrived at the venue to see a mass of people but got through security and inside in less that 10 minutes. This was one of the cooler venues in my opinion because they had decorated the inside with history of the other two London Olympics, with quotes from former participants and fun facts. We were up pretty high, but that I could still see how tall these athletes were. It was pretty amazing to see the clearance they were getting on the blocks. Again, they had several emcees who tried to lift the spirit of the stands during quiet moments. One of the coolest things was when every one starting singing We Are The Champions. It gave me chills because all these people from all over the world were able to unite and sing this song together in one language.
Rowing
The last event I went to was another rowing event. This time I went by myself, and had no trouble with the transit. When I was walking to the venue I noticed the very dark clouds quickly approaching. I pulled out my rain jacket as I got to my seat and soon enough it started raining. Then it started pouring and people started to take cover. I lasted a few more minutes, then decided that I needed to get out of the rain to protect all of the things in my backpack, which is water proof but only to a certain point. There were no covered areas except for the bathrooms, which I decided to take cover in. They were quickly sold out of ponchos, and some people were walking around in soaked t-shirts. Since London weather is wet even in August, I think they should have been more prepared for the rain showers. There were many spectators that just gave up and went home. It would have been nice if there were at least tents they could unfurl. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the lovely town of Windsor, still quite damp. The other problem I noticed at Eton Dorney is they did not have enough restroom and eating facilities close to the stands. They were very spread out along the 2000 meter course, but the crowds were only in the last 500 meters. Also, the first day I went the races were heats and were run on 10 minute centers, which kept things fast paced and exciting. The second day there were finals, and they went to 20 and 30 minute centers for the A finals. This made things much slower and more boring for spectators.
The last event I went to was another rowing event. This time I went by myself, and had no trouble with the transit. When I was walking to the venue I noticed the very dark clouds quickly approaching. I pulled out my rain jacket as I got to my seat and soon enough it started raining. Then it started pouring and people started to take cover. I lasted a few more minutes, then decided that I needed to get out of the rain to protect all of the things in my backpack, which is water proof but only to a certain point. There were no covered areas except for the bathrooms, which I decided to take cover in. They were quickly sold out of ponchos, and some people were walking around in soaked t-shirts. Since London weather is wet even in August, I think they should have been more prepared for the rain showers. There were many spectators that just gave up and went home. It would have been nice if there were at least tents they could unfurl. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the lovely town of Windsor, still quite damp. The other problem I noticed at Eton Dorney is they did not have enough restroom and eating facilities close to the stands. They were very spread out along the 2000 meter course, but the crowds were only in the last 500 meters. Also, the first day I went the races were heats and were run on 10 minute centers, which kept things fast paced and exciting. The second day there were finals, and they went to 20 and 30 minute centers for the A finals. This made things much slower and more boring for spectators.