Last few days working with USOC, and the start of the London 2012 Olympic games! (July 26, 27, 28, 29)

The last few days have flown by and I can’t believe that the Olympics are finally underway! Thursday through Sunday I was working with the USOC at the processing center. On Thursday and Friday, I helped the last of the athletes that came in with their entire Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony outfits, their Medal Stand outfits, and the bags they received from Ralph Lauren and Nike. I was doing a variety of things everyday. I packed some of the Nike bags and put together medal ceremony outfits, served as a runner for the Nike fitting room to get different sizes for athletes, and help load trucks that was going over to the Olympic Village. These last few days of processing were very busy, and it was great being able to help in so many different areas. After working at the processing center on Friday I went to check out the USA House. This is where people from the USOC and their sponsors can go to meet and enjoy themselves. It was a huge area with free food and drinks, and televisions everywhere to watch the games. They also have a team shop where they sell everything that I was working with at the processing center. It was really a cool place to be able to have access to.

On Friday night after visiting the USA House, a group of us watched the Opening Ceremony at Nido. I thought that it was a great show and was entertained throughout the ceremony. It was interesting knowing what was coming next having attended the last dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday. It was awesome seeing all of the USA athletes come out in their Opening Ceremony outfits, and know that I played a part in helping put that together. For the end of the Opening Ceremony, I went up to my room and streamed the Opening Ceremony on my computer. From my room on the 13^th floor, I have a great view of Olympic Stadium. I was able to see the fantastic firework show from my room. This was an Opening Ceremony that I will never forget.

On Saturday and Sunday, the USOC processing center was in full breakdown mode. I helped count and pack the left over inventory, breakdown tables and boxes, and load crates to be shipped to many different places. This experience at the USOC was one that I will never forget. I was able to make some great friends in the short amount of time that I was there, and learn about all the work that goes into the Olympics.

The last 2 weeks of my trip are going to be amazing! I have extended my stay from August 8 to August 14 because of a work opportunity with the NBA House. I will be working there everyday from August 3 till the end of the Olympics. This is another great opportunity for me to gain more experience in working in sports while abroad. I will also be attending many great Olympic sporting events. I will be going to China vs. Russia and Australia vs. Spain Men’s Basketball, to Women's Gymnastic Team Finals, to the first round of Men’s Boxing for heavy weights and super heavy weights, to the Women's Soccer Gold Medal match, and best of all to the Men’s Basketball Gold Medal game. This is going to be a great way to finish this amazing trip to Europe, and I will be sure to update you every step of the way. Thanks again for reading!

Work for the USOC and Opening Ceremony rehearsal (July 23, 24, 25)

What an eventful and unforgettable three days it has been. We arrived to Nido student living dorm late night on Sunday after an awesome weekend in Paris. As soon as I was checked in I went straight to my room and settled in. I had to be at the processing center for the USOC by 1 the following day, and wanted to leave early to make sure I would find the place and get there in time.

My first day working for the USOC went very well. As soon as I arrived I started breaking down boxes. Obviously not the best job, but you have to start somewhere. After doing that for about a half hour, I went off to find another task and show some of the people I could be very helpful in other areas. For the rest of the day, I was packing Ralph Lauren bags for the athletes, and putting together their Nike medal ceremony outfits. It is going to be cool watching the athletes on the medal stand, and know that I played a part in helping put that together.

On Tuesday I was more familiar with the set up of everything and was able to jump right in. I packed a couple bags at the beginning of my shift. After packing a few bags, I worked as a runner for the Nike department. When an athlete would try something on and would need a size bigger or smaller, I would run to the warehouse and grab them the size they need. I was able to help out both the men’s and women’s tennis team with this. It was great helping some of the best athletes in tennis like Andy Roddick and Serena Williams with their medal ceremony athletes. Near the end of the day I was asked to go through all the bags for the track and field athletes and check what bags were not packed yet. This was a great feeling because the people of the USOC already trusted me with a more important task then packing the bags. We found that 15 bags had yet to be packed, and were to be done the next morning.

Wednesday, I got there in the morning to help explain what bags were missing from track and field. I helped pack the rest of the track and field bags through the morning. At this point, most of the packing was done for the athletes. We started to organize the warehouse, which I was able to play a big role in. We moved all of the extra items from storage and placed them where they were in the warehouse to make it easier when packing everything away. I was able to help lead this and make sure everything was out of storage and put in the correct place. One of the employees also found a few medal ceremony outfits that had not been put together yet, and I was able to help her finish those. It has really been a great learning experience working for the USOC the last few days.

After my shift I headed home for a quick shower and nap. After resting up, I headed to Olympic Park to see the last dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies. This was an AWESOME experience! We were able to be in the standing room only right on the field, and had a great view of everything that was going on. While they could not show everything in the Opening Ceremony to have a little bit of a surprise, they did the majority of the act. It is going to be a must watch on the television for Friday night. I have put some pictures of it up, but if you want it to be a complete surprise, don’t have a look. I will continue to volunteer for the USOC for the next couple days and will be sure to let everyone know how it ends up. So excited for the Olympics to start, and I am so proud to be just a small part of it for Team USA!

Paris France (July 20, 21, 22)

The beginning of our trip from Manchester to Paris started on a very sad note. When we arrived in Coventry, we found out about the shooting that had happened in Colorado. I found out about the shooting only a couple hours after it happened, while most people in the US were still asleep and had no idea about it. What a sad and horrific event to happen. As if Colorado had not been through enough with all the wildfires, this event just adds to the sorrow. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.

After catching a bus in Coventry, we finally arrived in London to drop our luggage off at Nido, the dorm we will be staying in for the last two weeks of our trip. We took the Underground to go to the station for the Chunnel. The Chunnel ride was three hours, and we were finally in Paris. Immediately I noticed a major cultural difference that I had not experienced in England or Ireland, a new language. We had trouble communicating with our cab driver with giving him the address for our hotel and got a little lost on the way. We finally arrived to the hotel after over 12 hours of traveling from Manchester to Paris.

A small group of us went out to find our first French meal. We got a good bottle of wine with some bread and cheese. I tried escargot for the first time that was served with a nice pesto sauce. For dinner I had a flank steak with fries. It was a great first meal in Paris. Later that night we went out close to our hotel and had a couple drinks. We didn’t stay out too late because we wanted to be well rested for a busy tourist day the next day.

Saturday was a truly amazing day. We started by going to the Louvre, and exploring some of the galleries they had. I got to see some amazing sculptures and paintings that were hundreds of years old. The room for the Mona Lisa was packed with people trying to get a good look of the painting. It was awesome seeing such a famous and historic painting so close. After walking through parts of the Louvre, we walked towards the Eifel Tower.

Most people from our group decided to grab lunch on the way to the Eifel Tower. Three of us however decided to go to a market and buy food that we could eat on the lawn in front of the Eifel Tower. I got a 2006 bottle of wine, some great couscous with chicken, and some slices of salami. We took our meal and sat right near the base of the Eifel Tower, it was one of the best and most memorable meals of the trip thus far. After a great lunch, we headed back to the hotel to shower up and rest for a bit.

Later that night, a big group headed to spend the evening at the Eifel Tower. We sat on the grass and drank bottles of wine that people were going around and selling. Every hour, the Eifel Tower would have a five-minute light show that was beautiful. We stayed there for hours just drinking wine and socializing with each other and locals. It was a great way to spend a night in Paris.

Sunday morning we headed out to see the scene at Le Tour de France. Although we were unable to see any of the bikers come through because of the time of our train back to London, it was awesome being a part of the environment. There was a parade before the bikers came with hundreds of different floats. After walking all around the last stage of Le Tour de France, we headed back to the hotel to pick up our luggage and head to the station to catch the Chunnel. What a great weekend in Paris it was!!

I am currently on the Chunnel heading back to London. Next week is going to be a busy and exciting week. On Monday, I will start my volunteering for the United States Olympic Committee. I will be a member of the USA Processing Team, and will be welcoming the athletes when they arrive in London. I will be giving the athletes their Ceremonies clothing, Medals Stand outfits, and various other items from Ralph Lauren and Nike. The athletes will also be getting their photos taken, and filling out all the necessary medical forms. This is really going to be a great opportunity, and will offer me great experience. I have to give some thanks to Crissy Perham, for helping me get in contact with people within the USOC. I will make sure to let everyone know how this goes, and will update the blog again when I have time. Thanks again for following me on this journey, I hope you are all enjoying keeping up with my experiences.

Blackpool, British Open, and Manchester! (July 16, 17, 18, 19)

Sorry it has been so long since an update, it has been another great and busy 3 days in England. On Monday I woke up early and went to do laundry at the laundry mat. After doing getting a couple loads done, I went back to the hotel and had lunch before catching a train to Blackpool. In Blackpool, we are staying at the Metropole hotel. This is the strangest and creepiest hotel I have ever stayed in. It seems like it is straight out of the Shinning with Jack Nicholson. After checking in, a group of us ate dinner at a local chicken place that had so many different sauces to choose from. It was pricey, but great food. I went to bed soon after because we had an early morning at the practice round of the British Open.

Tuesday morning we woke up early and got cabs to the practice round of the British Open at St. Annes. It was a little cold and rainy, but was amazing to see so many of the top golfers in the World just practicing their games. Our group also got to speak with Nike Golf executive Mark Thaxeon. He talked about what he does for the company, and what a week like this is like for him. It has really been great to hear from so many top sports executives from so many different areas of the sports industry on this trip. Because it was only a practice round, I left before the crowd and headed back to the hotel.

Later that night, a new friend Nathan and I went to play some blackjack at a local casino. After playing for about an hour, two guys came and sat at the table to play with us. They saw Nathan wearing British Open gear that he got earlier in the day. One of the guys said he was actually playing in the tournament. Neither of us really believed he was actually playing in the tournament, until we got to talk with him for a while. Turns out we were playing blackjack with Dale Whittner, a recently turned pro golfer from England. It was the first time I walked out of a casino not winning money, and having a smile on my face.

Wednesday we had an opportunity to go to the second practice round for the British Open, but I decided to catch up on some sleep because I was able to attend the first round of the tournament the following day. I laid low and relaxed for the majority of the day. In the late afternoon, a couple of us went down to the south pier to check out an amusement park that has the largest roller coaster in England called “The Big One.” On the roller coaster, I sat behind a man named Richard Rodriguez, who was 49 days into setting a record for consecutive days riding a roller coaster. He only had to get to 104 to set the record, couldn’t imagine doing that myself. We then went to grab dinner and went to bed early for the early and eventful next day.

Thursday was one of the most memorable days of the trip so far. We woke up early and headed to the first round of the British Open. Traffic heading there was insane, but we managed to make it there at a decent time. When we arrived, we went straight to the 5^th hole where we had an awesome view of the green. We watched a couple groups with players like Bubba Watson, Earnie Els, and Tiger Woods. After Woods finished the 5^th hole, we followed him through the 8^th tee, and then headed to explore the rest of the course. After grabbing lunch and going to most every hole, we sat at the 18^th green to see about eight groups finish their days. We saw most of the groups that we saw at the beginning of the day on the 5^th hole, including Tiger Woods. We then quickly caught a cab to the train station to head to Manchester.

When we arrived in Manchester, we put our stuff in the room and had a quick meeting about a work/volunteer opportunity near the end of the trip. As soon as I can release information about this opportunity, I will be sure to let everyone know. After the meeting we hurried over to Manchester Arena to watch the USA Men’s Basketball team play an exhibition game against Great Britain. As a fan of basketball and of the NBA, this was one of the coolest sporting events I have ever been to. Seeing so much NBA talent that I am familiar with play on the same team was really something special. At one point Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kevin Durant were playing on the floor at the same time, a seemingly impossible lineup to defend. One thing is for sure, they are going to be really hard to beat this year in the Olympics, should be fun to watch. We went back to the hotel after the game and prepared for a long day of travel the following day.

Today is Friday, and we are on our way to Paris. We are going to Coventry, picking up the rest of our luggage, and then catching a bus to London. We will drop our bags at the dorm where we will be staying for two weeks following our brief stay in Paris. I will make sure to give another update after returning from France. It going to be a very exciting time once we get back to London for the days leading up to the Olympics. (I will make sure to upload some more photos when I get reliable internt).

Great weekend in Dublin Ireland (July 13, 14, 15)

What a great weekend I had in Dublin Ireland! We left Coventry before 6am on Friday for our flight to Dublin. We caught a train to Birmingham International, and had a quick 40 minute flight over to Ireland. Everyone seemed to sleep on the flight but myself. I was dealing with my ears constantly popping due to the pressure changes, so it wasn’t the most enjoyable short flight I have had.

Once we arrived in Dublin, we took a bus to Aviva Stadium. Aviva Stadium is the home of both the Irish Rugby Union team and the Republic of Ireland National Football team. Martin Murphy, the Stadium Director at Aviva Stadium, spoke with us about the history of the stadium and what he does for them. We then took a tour of the stadium for about an hour, and then had a great lunch at a hotel across the street.

After lunch, the students went to back to Aviva Stadium to have class for a couple hours. The group of graduated seniors went to the hotel to check in early. We enjoyed a nice Guinness at the hotel and then headed to explore the city a little bit. While looking for food in the city, we came across the Auld Dubliner. For all my Tucson friends, this is the real Dubliner, not the want to be Dubliner on University. There was great music, great food, and great beer. It was great getting a real taste of Ireland. We then went back to the hotel where I took a nap. This nap however quickly turned into a full nights sleep. I was fully rested for the busy Saturday ahead.

On Saturday we walked over to Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). This was an awesome experience. Croke Park is the 4^th largest stadium in all of Europe. It is pretty cool being able to tour 2 of the 4 largest stadiums in Europe so far on this trip. First we went on their Skyline tour. This was a walkway that went all the way across the top of the stadium. We were able to get views of every part of Dublin. It has only been open for less then 2 months, so we were one of the first large student groups to take the tour. Dublin is really a beautiful city with a rich history. After the Skyline tour, we toured the stadium and visited the GAA Museum.

Croke Park is best known for hosting Gaelic football games, and Hurling. Both of these sports are very foreign to Americans. Gaelic football is a mix between soccer and rugby. Hurling is a mix between field hockey, lacrosse, and rugby. While walking through the GAA Museum, I learned more about the history of both of these sports. They had video of some of the championship games that have been played in the stadium. I was very impressed seeing people successfully play a game that looks so tough to play. I walked away from the experience with a new respect for two sports that I didn’t even know existed the day before.

After the tour of Croke Park, a group of us grabbed a quick bit to eat then headed to the Guinness Storehouse, home of the Guinness beer. On this tour I was able to learn everything there is to know about Guinness, from the ingredients and how it is made, to its founder Arthur Guinness and the history of the beer. I even became certified to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. So if anyone needs help pouring a Guinness the correct way, I would be happy to show you. To finish the tour, we enjoyed a Guinness in the Gravity Bar at the top of the Storehouse. This was another great view of the city of Dublin.

At night, a large group of us went to the Temple Bar, which is know as Dublin’s cultural quarter, and is famous for its nightlife. We went from bar to bar, and pub to pub, to see everything the area had to offer. It was also a Saturday night, so there was a great crowd everywhere we went.

Today we got to sleep in before catching a plane back to England. When we got back to Coventry, I had a chance to Skype with my girlfriend and family to catch them up on everything I have done on the trip thus far. The next week is going very busy and fun. We are traveling to Blackpool tomorrow where we will stay for a couple nights. We will get to see a practice round of the British Open, as well as the first round on Thursday. After the first round of the British Open on Thursday, we will travel to Manchester to watch the USA Basketball team play Great Britain in an exhibition match. I will make sure to keep everyone posted on the great experiences to come. Thanks again for following my blog!!

Cricket in Birmingham. (July 11, 12)

Yesterday I headed to the hospital again in the morning for the second time in a week. The first set of antibiotics didn’t help too much so I decided to get some more medication. This time they gave me more antibiotics, and inhaler, and ear spray. All of this will hopefully cure me in the next week. The rest of the day we just hung around the hotel and ate dinner. Most of the group went out in the evening to celebrate our friend Matt Dukes birthday. Wish I could have gone with them, but it was best that I called it an early night to try and get better.

Today we took a train to Birmingham to watch a Cricket match at Edgbaston Stadium. This was the first Cricket match that I have ever been too. It is a very hard game to try and follow for someone who is clueless about the sport. We stayed at the match for about an hour, and then went to grab a bite to eat. A small group of us went to this place called Yo Sushi. This was the best meal I have had here yet! They had all the different dishes going around on a conveyer belt and you grabbed whatever you wanted. They had different color plates for a range of prices. After lunch we caught the train back to Coventry.

For the rest of the night I am going to pack and maybe do some laundry in the sink. We are leaving tomorrow morning at 6am to go catch a flight to Dublin Ireland. Our group will be in Dublin for the weekend. I will be sure to give an update of my time in Ireland as soon as I return to England. It is going to be very busy from now till we leave in August, best is still to come!! Cheers!!