The Last Post...My Three Games Maker Objectives

Way back during the cold winter Games Maker training days - 28th Jan 2012 - we were asked to write down what were our three objectives for volunteering to be a Games Maker. The response was put in a self addressed envelope which was sealed .

That envelope appeared - 7th Aug 2012 - seven months later - pinned to the notice board in the Team NGR office. I opened it to be reminded of my three objectives.

1 To help others who want to be their best to be their best.
2 To be part of an event that puts the Great back in Great Britain.
3 To help others (and me!) to have a great time.
28/1/12

Back then it was all a bit cheesy but nevertheless written with belief and commitment.

As I reflect on those three objectives I can only say:  Mission accomplished!

This will be my last post so Good Bye & Thanks for being on the journey with me; see you in Glasgow at 2014 Commonwealth Games

Walking Weight Loss

Here's my final walking graph and summary :

Start date 13th July

Total distance walked in those 31 days 372.2 miles

Average daily mileage 12.1  miles
End date 14 August

The rushing around at the start - 15 plus miles per day - to set things up is balanced by the running around in the last three days organising departures with the ADS (Arrivals and Departure System) with the record set at 20.1 miles in one day as I tried to work out how ADS worked and make it  work for NGR.

While walking those 370 plus miles I lost 4kilos aka 8lbs, I weighed 85.5kilos at the start of my Olympic Adventure by the end I'd 'shrunk' to 81.5kilos.

All despite eating in Workforce Dining & MacDonalds aka and ending each evening in the small hours with quantities of crisps and wine.

BTW One of my 'take aways' is (was?) the very tasty MacDonalds Grilled Chicken Salad only 320 calories compared to the Big Mac's massive 1,320. 

Medals Like Buses?

To see or be near an Olympic medal was like waiting for a  bus - none for ages then two or more turn up together! It seemed like I'd been waiting ages for my opportunity to see one.

After almost 10 dys of waiting to see a London 2012 medal or to be seen with a London 2012 medal winner  I had three in encounters in one afternoon early evening spell.

Italy Men

SILVER Men's Water Polo

The afternoon opened with a chance encounter with two members of Italy's Silver Medal winning Polo Team as they were making their away from the Village's Main Dining to their apartment, complete with their Silver Medals [proudly!] around their necks.

GBR - Lutalo Muhammad  

BRONZE Mens's 60kg Taekwando

Next chance encounter was with GBR's Bronze Medallist in Men's 80kg Taekwando Lutalo Muhammad  as he walked past Team NGR on his way to Main Dining. Big Smiles and High Fives from and with him - a very nice guy!

Algeria - Taoufik Makhloufi 

GOLD - Mens's 1500m

Ending with a photo opportunity with the Algerian Gold medallist from the men's 1500m - Taoufik Makhloufi. Who I had seen before as I celebrated his win in the stadium with some Algerian Athletes who were ecstatic aka went mental at Taoufik's victory. I had tried to capture part of Taoufik's  victory lap - the moment his fellow athletes gave him an Algerian flag....

Taoufik IS in there!

Dinner with the Deputy Chef de Mission

Front the back left to right

Dapo, Hellen, John, Chef de Mission, Arek

Cath, Lekan, Me, Alex

(the Torch!) Bernie

To thank, Team NGR's NOC Assistants, we were invited to dinner at Nando's in Westfield  by NGR's Deputy Chef de Mission. To mark the event he had a photograph session commissioned of the Team (see above!). A great evening with some great people!

Saturday 4th August - An Unforgetable Olympic Memory

Saturday the 4th August I will remember for ever – I was in the Stadium GBR won three Gold medals, while NGR sadly won nothing.

I saw Jessica and Mo ride on the cheers of 80 thousand spectators, as both moved effortlessly to take the front in their races almost in sync with the rising  sound of the crowd. As the crowd became louder and louder so they ran  faster and faster leaving others in their wake  – moving (apparently!) effortlessly  to take the lead and Gold  medal – breathtaking!

Jessica

Mo

Watching Greg win his Gold was more tasking - he held the lead from early on -as others tried to exceed his jump and failing, with each jump by his opponents  there were respectful cheers while the loudest reserved for Greg. My heart was in my mouth when  Will Clay from USA seemed to out jump Greg  but the jump was given a red flag (to my relief!) Greg held on to his Gold.

Greg

On the night  the results for NGR  were regrettably not so golden. Amaechi Morton running in the men’s 400m hurdles, who has run 48.73s this season,  was disqualified  in the semi-finals. He might have been in medals as 48.10s by the Cuban Javier Culson won the Bronze.

Blessing 

centre in Team NGR Green

Blessing Okagbare one of the stars,  if not the star,  of team NGR track and field as she has the Long jump Bronze from Beijing. Came last in 100m finals running 11.01s having run 10.92 in the semi-final.

A sad night for NGR a happy night for GBR, together making a memorable for ME. 

More Nigerian Nails....

Nigerian Nails....

Nigerian Cone?

Team Nigeria NOC Assistants

The NOC Assistants for Team Nigeria; how we looked when we  first met and later in Games Maker uniform  in the Village  

 A B C D J & Me aka Alex, Bernie Cath Dapo John and Me.... 

Alex, Bernie, Me, Cath, Dapo, John

Design Concept for OLV Flag

Gold at the centre representing the Medals at the centre with the Olympic Rings

A thin annulus with the fiver colours of the Games Makers’ Uniforms – Beige, Blue, Light Blue, Red and Burgundy

Six colours - Green, White, Yellow, Blue, White and Black – found in all the flags of the 204 NOCs

Lunch with the Deputy Mayor

Yesterday I Had lunch with the Deputy Mayor  of the Athlete's Village thanks to a nomination by my fellow Games Makers, I along with six other nominated Games Makers , met the DM, received a limited a edition Village Pin (one of 10,000)  and had lunch in THE Dining Hall.

Compared to Workforce Dining  where  the choice was (is!) MacDonald’s or meat dish with a  vegetarian option the selection  and range of food in Athlete’s Dining was huge and international –American  and Mediterranean; African and Caribbean, India and Asian, Best of British and MacDonald’s. And as much as you could eat!

Within each gastronomic area the choice of dishes on offer  was impressive with great presentation served beautifully.

Access to the Athletes Dining is restricted to those with the knives and forks symbol on their accreditation. So this was not just a treat but a privledge such is the segrsation between Games Maker and Athlete services and access.

So it was a genuine  privilege to be invited in to THE Dining Hall with my Golden Ticket.
The food was just lovely the Jerk Chicken and coconut rice(African and Caribbean)  was the high light as well as the lively banter with the DM and fellow Games Makers. The latter like me were in awe at the choices and quantity of food available, most going back for more.

The most popular second helping was the Victoria Sponge as recommended by the DM, which though lovely to taste, the size of the portions defeated most of us who tried it!

Medals ?

I have yet to see a medal close up. I’ve been close on two occasions.

The first time was at the Medal Ceremony for the Men’s 62kg Weightlifting at the Excel . A theatrical  occasion with colour and pageantry as the three medallist paraded in with the officials and medal carriers all to the music of Chariots of Fire – almost on a par with a royal coronation or  wedding in microcosm  – underlining the significance of the event. The Ceremony was carried out with military precision, wonderful to behold.

Me & Jude Monye 4 by 400 Gold Medallist Sydney 2000

The second time was when I was asked to show Jude Monye around the Village. Jude was a member of the Silver medal winning from Nigeria's Men’s 4 by 400 relay team in Sydney – twelve years ago. They have just been awarded the Gold following the disqualification of the USA team for drug offences, sadly only three of the four are around as one has died. So there's me with a Gold medallist!

I know the medals are there as many of Village's apartments and the offices of some countries proudly display  how many medallists they have:

Seaside 1 Home to China and Korea

Seaside 2

Japan's Office

Seaside 3

Walking Update

Start date 13th July

Total distance walked in those 24 days 261.2 miles

Average daily mileage 10.9  miles

Since competition has  started things have slowed down and almost become routine with the morning and afternoon shift  patterns working well - three in the morning and three in the afternoon. My daily average mileage has dropped from 12m  to 10.9m reflecting the change.

Games Maker Precision & Teamwork

It was at the Men’s 62 Kg Weightlifting at the Excel I noticed how precise the Games Makers were working as a team

This was the only event for which I had a managed to obtain tickets – 2 at £65. I had no idea what to expect,  as weightlifting was not one of my sports but the event was a chance to be part of the-once-in-a-life-time-Olympics-in- Great-Britain. I was not disappointed. To see and actually be part of  the Olympic theatre created  men smaller than me in size and weight lift more than two of me above their head was truly amazing.

I weigh 83kgms the top five all lifted over 170kgms – that’s more than one of me either end of a pole!

It was not just the weightlifter's feats that impressed but also how the weights and the stage were  prepared by the Games Makers, in red and burgundy, overseen by the technical official, in blue and powder blue, for each weightlifter.

It – the weight change and stage prep - was carried out like clockwork for each weightlifter. Each end of the pole had a team of two Games Makers  with others  sweeping the stage , preparing bowl for the lifters to dust their hands and  even disinfecting the pole after another lifter had cut his hand. Each Games Maker member of the team had a role and carried out it like clockwork: they entered the stage in order , left in order and sat down in  order all under the direction of the technical official – precision teamwork in motion.

And it was not just at the Weightlifting that Games Maker's precision and teamwork was manifest they were also to be found at the Olympic Stadium.

Standing to attention, ready to take the athlete's clothing away at the start of a heat in the Men's 400m

All in a line - as a team - ready to take the athlete's clothing before the Men's 3,000m Steeplechase.

Nothing seemingly left to chance , everything in order and on time even taking the athlete's clothing off the track is carried out like clockwork. Great Teamwork!

My Opening Ceremony Olympic Moment

I had a wonderful Olympic Moment during the preparation for the Opening  Ceremony.

My role, along with two others from the Games Maker’s NGR team, was to guide, chaperone. cajole, shepherd whatever (!)  the Team NGR  Athletes and Officials who were taking part in the Opening Ceremony parade of Athletes from the Athletes' Village to the Olympic Stadium.

Keeping the Team on track on its 1.4Km  walk to the Stadium. The walk for the 204 teams was meticulously  planned for the first team – GRE – to arrive at 22:10hrs the start of the Athlete's Parade around the Stadium followed by the other 203.

That walk was a lotta fun!

The Athletes and Officials had to walk by a  Guard of Honour of  about 2,500: 2,000 school children and 500 teachers from local schools lined 3 deep pressed hard against railings.  They  treated the Athletes and Officials  like pop stars walking the red carpet . Much screaming shouting, country name calling and chanting - Nigeria!, Nigeria! Nigeria! -  generally a deafening , sometimes ear splitting, cacophony of fans lauding their heroes and idols.

The Team (and all the other Teams’ Athletes and Officials) loved it, stopping to having photos taken with their adoring fans! While we – Games Makers - tried to keep them moving to meet the Parade’s  strict schedule – dynamic tension – great fun.

The real stars of Team Nigeria's Parade were its basketball players who thru their huge height,  graceful, elegant walking coupled with their  distinctive  Nigerian Dress : bright white brocade with dark green ornately patterned piping they looked brilliant – in fact - absolutely fantastic. Unmissable!

Graciously every few yards , the players  literally stooped to be photographed with the screaming kids aka delirious fans en route. Huge, happy smiles all around.

There was one outstanding moment on the walk that stood out for me – an Olympic moment.
The Team was walking past a lovely smiling young girl in a wheel chair which was covered in the flags of the countries that had gone before including GER, ESP, HKG flags.

 (Apologies for the poor quality of my iPad taken photo but I did want to catch the moment )

The look on her face as the NGR basketball players dropped in on  her,  descending down to her wheelchair level to give her their NGR  flag - I will never forget that look of amazement & delight – she was positively  beaming!

A lovely, lovely moment!

Walking Summary

Here’s a summary of my walking so far:

Started measuring – 13 July

Total distance walked in those 16 days 194.5 miles

Average daily mileage 12 miles

That average,  according to some,  is more than many car's average daily mileage!

Olympic Moment

I was moved and delighted  (aka Olympic Moment) to discover that Team Nigeria’s Boxing Coach is from Liverpool. Not only that he’s from Toxteth  so he’s a real  home town boy – Kevin Smith.

That's Kev on the left me on the right !


Took me back as we talked  about Liverpool based Nigerian boxers  of the Sixties – Dick Tiger  and Hogan Bassey  also Liverpool’s very own John Conteh  often called my doppelganger.

Kevin was very knowledgeable on the history of Liverpool boxing  Also learned the essential difference between amateur and professional boxing – stamina – amateur boxers go four three minute rounds while professionals go twelve or fifteen five minutes rounds. So when some amateurs turn pro and sadly fail to make the grade lack of stamina plays a big part.

'Sadly' as a Liverpool FC supporter now, the ‘bad’ news about Kev not only does he support Everton but he has convinced the rest of Team Nigeria to follow Everton....very sad!

That's me with Team Nigeria's  Secretary  General Dr Patrick Uwuagbale and his Everton shirt via Kev!

Who’d have thought I find fellow Scouser in the Village and not  just any  Liverpudlian but one from my area – Toxteth!

My Next Door Neighbour's Nigerian?

Nigeria's Flag and my next door neighbour's washing line.,,.

2 hours 26 mins 40 secs

I eventually arrived home after the Opening Ceremony having missed the last train and taking the bus, I arrived home at 2am. But couldn't resist  the chance to watch Team Nigeria for real - actually in the stadium.

I could do this courtesy of BBC’s great Olympic  coverage.  I was able to watch the whole Ceremony on line and fast forward to 2:26:40 where Team Nigeria made their colourful and energetic entrance into the Olympic stadium looking just fabulous!

Went to bed at 3am v hpy!

Almost 20 miles..

Walked almost 20 miles (19.9miles) on Opening Ceremony  Day. What a day it was. Started in the Village withy a trip into London via the Javelin to the Savoy to help dignitaries attend the evening Opening Ceremony.  Had to pick up another dignitary at ‘another’ hotel which to my surprise turned out to be in the Isle of Dogs in Dock land.

This addition meant some hasty reorganising involving unplanned Taxi rides ,calls to Nigeria and a walk with two dignitaries  around the Park calling at each gate from Gate A to E as we tried in vain to find the correct entrance to the Prestige Entrance.

At the same time and for the first time had both my Olympic phone and my iPhone go flat on me as I reorganised  the day’s  travel plans and negotiated the printing of Nigeria’s 60 page full colour Olympic brochure’s samples.

The end of day was good fun as I helped (walked!) the Nigerian team to reach their entry point to march into the Stadium.