The Road to Glasgow 2014 - Common Wealth Games!

So..... similar to my The Road to London 2012...and The Road to Sochi 2014.....I've decided to blog about the journey along the path to getting to Glasgow 2014...... The length of this blog will depend on how far along the journey I get! *Fingers crossed*

20th January 2013 - Application Submitted!

"Hi Nicola,

Your volunteer application is now complete. You could be part of the biggest sporting and cultural event that Scotland has ever seen.

The next stage of our process, the interview of candidates, begins in April and continues until December 2013. This will be Scotland’s biggest ever peace-time recruitment drive. We hope you understand that it may take us some time to let you know the outcome of your application......"

This would have been submitted earlier! I got up bright an early to complete it on the 14th January - but had problems with email system! Never mind - the hard part is done, now all I have to do is sit back and see if I get the offer of an interview!

20th March 2013 - Invited to Interview!

"Hi Nicola

We're delighted to invite you to join us for the next stage of our volunteer journey, an informal interview for a role within our Sport Competition team. 

We have made every effort to accommodate your preferences but this hasn't been possible in every case. Don't worry if Sport Competition wasn't one of your original choices, you'll find out lots more about this team when we meet........."

After logging onto the portal I find that my sport is NETBALL!! WOoop!! Being a netball coach/umpire/player and having volunteers at the Netball World Series, this didn't really come as a surprise!

I'm also on the Pass on Your Passion Volunteer Programme but I forgot to mention that! 

Now just to get the interview booked and work out how I'm going to get there!! 

20th March 2013 - Interview Booked!

After attempting to book my interview last night, and not receiving a confirmation email, I called the Glasgow 2014 hotline this morning to confirm it had gone through correctly.....didn't want to be booking my trains without it!!

So I had it confirmed to me this morning, Interview booked - Date: 29th April 2013.... Just over a month to go!! Eeeekkk!! 

29th April 2013 - Interview time!!

Alarm goes off at 5:45am.....15mins of snooze later I'm out of bed dashing to get ready to catch the 7:41am train from Newcastle Central Station!

I arrived in Glasgow slightly ahead of schedule and made my way to the volunteer centre.

I had my trusted map - I try not to rely on my mobile for maps, purely because it eats up all the battery!! After walking along the road saying "it must be down here somewhere" aha! I found it - Common Wealth House was in sight!


Since I was early I had a little bit of hanging around inside but finally I was called to the desk and given my lanyard, detailing my interview booth! I was very excited when I was told I would meet Clyde... sadly he was just a cardboard cut out, not an all singing all dancing Clyde!

After 'check-in' next was passport control! This is where my ID was checked (apparently passport is all you need as it's the one stop shop for checking your ID!) and I had my wonderful photo taken - which will hopefully make it's way onto my accreditation!

After passport control was the Glasgow 2014 Experience where I got to complete my very own smile as to why I wanted to be a Glasgow 2014 volunteer. Once I'd read the leaflets and guides on what volunteering at the Games entailed we were off into the cinema to watch a short video and presentation on what the Games were all about and what the role we were being interviewed for would entail! I must add, it was hard to hold back the tears when Seb Coe appeared on the video - he is my idol! It was good to see the purple and poppy represented on the video too!

Now all that was left was the interview itself. When it comes to the interview questions - I'm not going to list them here, as I think that's massively unfair! What I will say is, anyone who has the right motivation and passion for volunteering will be able to draw upon experiences and answer the questions fine!

On leaving my interview booth I was very hopefully that I'd done a good job and answered all the questions the best I could. Off I went to track down some Glasgow 2014 Pencil (I'm a bit of a pencil collecting nerd!) only to find there wasn't actually a memorabilia shop - I did get a 10% off online voucher though - I'll just have to keep my eyes open!

Now it's just time to wait....and wait.... and wait....!!

It's my birthday in October so I have my fingers crossed for a Glasgow 2014 birthday present, just like my (apparent) Sochi 2014 Christmas present!!

Monday 4th November 2014 - Accepted!!

A few days ago I'd had the 'Accepting Your Role' news on my portal. Many people had said this is part of the route to receiving your a acceptance, but I really didn't want to count on it. 

I was delighted this morning (whilst demonstrating for a Geotechnics Tutorial) to receive this emails:

"Hi Nicola,

Congratulations - you're a Clyde-sider!

Exciting news!

Glasgow 2014 volunteers will be known as Clyde-siders and we'd love you to be one of the friendly faces who make Scotland's biggest ever sporting and cultural event happen!

Based on your application form, your availability and your excellent interview, we'd like to offer you a role in our Netball Team."

Yippeeee!!! Only 2 weeks after offers have been rolling out, I have received mine! Based on this, I am now a member of the Netball Athletes Services Team based at the SECC! 

Friday 13th December 2014 - Orientation Training Invite!

This morning I received my email inviting me to attend Orientation Training. I'm so excited about this it's unbelievable! For London, I was allocated my role too late, so did my Orientation Training online.... not quite the same as being in Wembley Arena!

Booked Session - DONE!

Booked Train - DONE!

Told Parents I'll be home - DONE!

8th March 2014 - 10:30am - Excited much? :-D

Now just to wait 12 weeks for it to come around - I might also be able to buy my cuddly Clyde I've been waiting patiently for!! :) 

Monday 6th January 2014 - Accommodation = Booked!
I'd been pondering for a while about camping during Glasgow. I have to admit I was a little gutted during London 2012 to be coming back to my hotel room with no one to share the buzz with (although I pretty much arrived back and passed out!).

Camping seemed ideal to me. Designated area just for volunteers, a bar, mobile phone charging points - what more did I really need? The only point that didn't really sell it to me was the communal showers, but I've decided this is just a life lesson I need to learn... where do I put my eyes?! haha.

So for £238 I have booked a pitch for 14nights via Camping Ninja (http://campinginglasgow.com/volunteer-special/). I'm going to pack up my £17 bargain tent, my camping stove and sleeping bags! Destination: GLASGOW! 

I'm not going to lie, booking to camp has made my adventure seem even more exciting!! I will report back on just how exciting it turns out to be! :D

BUCS Gatorade Nationals: Sheffield

Date: 22nd to 24th February 2013

Location: English Institute of Sport Sheffield (EIS)
Mission: British Universities & Colleges Sport Gatorade Nationals
Role: Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteering for the BUCS Gatorade Nationals began on Wednesday 20th February 2012, with a volunteer training session held at the EIS. On arrival I was issued with my stylish BUCS t-shirt - although I was slightly confused as to why my small t-shirt was definitely not what you'd usual class as small! Apparently this is due to it being a Rugby Brand......!!! Anyway....At the same time as my t-shirt I was giving the volunteer bible, detailing how the weekend would run, what was going on where and who to call, if all else failed!

The training session began with a ice breaker quiz, not being from Sheffield I pretty much failed this as they asked you to identify the athletes from an obscure photographs! I did however get Jess Ennis correct and guessed at they were all from Sheffield! The next part of the quiz was a 'What happened next...?' style video section. Again, I was terrible at this and it's fair to say I was definitely not the the winner of the quiz! I was pretty glad I was hiding at the back of the room!

Next up in the training (now the ice was broken!) the BUCS team went through a background to what BUCS is all about and why it is such a successful event - being a university student I already knew about BUCS and what they stand for so this bit wasn't anything new! The session went onto talk about the sponsors and what Gatorade would be up to at the event. For many events there are not a sponsor present in the way that Gatorade would be, so I was interested to find out how their involvement would affect the mood of the event. The final session was an introduction the staff and volunteer coordinators for the event to the rest of the volunteers! This is where I had to stand up and give a wave....only to receive abuse about my Sooty and Sweep Jumper...hehe! At the end of the training I was given my shifts for the weekend....nice 24hrs of my life in 2 days would be spent volunteering here...is it sad that.....I just couldn't wait for the weekend! :D

Overall, it was a pretty standard training session, 30mins long, nothing out of the ordinary with regards to content. What would have been greatly beneficial at the training session was to have a walk around the venue to familiarise myself and the other volunteers of the positions volunteers would be covered, so that it wasn't such a mad dash at the weekend - but never mind!

My volunteering for BUCS started on the Friday night at the VIP Launch of the competition. This event was held in Sheffield's Winter Gardens and was a very chilled affair in more ways than one! I'd been told to prepare a 5minutes speech on my volunteering experience, how I got involved with sports volunteering and the 'other skills' gained from volunteering! All day in the office at Uni, I'd had my BUCS T-shirt and smart trousers hanging up to ensure I was smart and professional looking, only to be asked multiple question about what my latest volunteer event was about!

I had prepared my speech in the week leading up to the event and knew I was the first of 3 speakers for the evening. Following myself there was Isobel Pooley an high jumper from Nottingham University, and Toby Thie, an athletics coach from Cardiff Met University - all sharing their experience of what it's like to be at a BUCS event.

My speech was typical of me, having gave a few speeches in my time I was totally at ease in front of the small gathering there for the event. My speech ran through my volunteering to date, including my London 2012 involvement along side my regular netball volunteering at Sheffield Stormers. As per usual, there were the odd bits of humour which seemed to go down well, especially the fact that I must be from the north since I was only wearing my t-shirt in a some what baltic winter garden!. Luckily I'd checked with the compare Alex as to how he was going to introduce me, otherwise part of my speech would have been dead in the water! 

When ever I volunteer at these events, people always presume I'm doing sports at University and all this volunteering is just to add to my CV when I graduate. How wrong could they be!! As I highlighted in my speech - volunteering for me isn't about the experience for my CV.

I won't bore you with the whole things, just the more interesting bits.....

"From hearing my experiences, like most people I speak to at sports events you’ll have presumed I'm heading for a career in sports, or at least something along those lines. This couldn't be any further from the true. I'm actually a civil engineer, now studying a PhD at the University of Sheffield.

Many of my friends don’t understand why I choose to give up my weekends, pay to stay in London, travel all over the country volunteering, when it has nothing to do with my future career. All my friends see of my volunteering experiences is the range of t-shirts, pin badges and baton I now own, but volunteering is more than that.

What my friends who haven’t volunteered before don’t see is that, volunteering, allows you to develop transferable skills which are applicable to any career path you choose. Whether I’m volunteering on a Saturday morning with Sheffield Stormers Netball Club, or in the middle of the Olympic Park doing a song and dance, I’m gaining vital life experiences and developing skills applicable in my everyday life and my university course, whilst also having an amazing time!

Volunteering develops skills, without you really noticing, such as your customer service skills whilst selling programmes, organisational skills, whilst coordinating a team of 30 volunteers and time management when it comes to those early starts! One of the greatest skills developed through volunteering is the ability to work as a team. Basically, being part of a group of people, from all different walks of life, coming together as one team to make an event run like clockwork – where else do you get such an opportunity?

I must admit, for me, the thing that makes volunteering most addictive, is the people I meet, the friendships I make and the totally unforgettable experiences I have to tell my friends and family about!"

[[Sadly, being the one giving the speech and my parents not being present, I was unable to snap a stylish photo of myself at the lecture in front of the BUCS Gatorade sign-age.......sad times as it would have been ideal here!]]

Following my speech it was excellent to hear the views of Isobel and Toby, gaining an inside into what these events mean to them, representing the other people involved in a BUCS event! After the speeches were all done and dusted there was a final chance to network, munch on the delicious canapés and finish off a glass of wine before my none stop weekend!

I had been hoping a representative from Sports Sheffield would have been present at the event as I'd hoped to have a chat about how the university supports sports volunteering. During my time at Sheffield, I've noticed a massive difference in sports volunteering culture between my time at Newcastle University and my  time now at  the University of Sheffield, so was hoping to have a chat with them, but today wasn't going to be my day!

My weekend began with a 8:15am start.....which lead to me being stuck in traffic outside EISS for a good 20mins - I'll never learn that there is ALWAYS more traffic on a Saturday when there is an event on, compared to my normal Saturday mornings coaching netball!

I'm always amazed at how the same venue can be transformed to look totally different for every event I volunteer at. I love the way a bit of branding can totally change what is usual deemed as 'normal' training venue for many athletes into something a bit more special!

Having not volunteering that long in Sheffield (in comparison to the hardy regulars!) spotting the volunteers I was coordinating that day was a bit of a challenge and as per usual I seemed very rude not knowing their names! I normally like to be able to use peoples names and have something to relate to them about as I'm quite an open and friendly personality, so the first few hours felt a little awkward for me. Saying that, it wasn't long before I'd learn everyone's names and issued them with a lunch voucher and a rota detailing their volunteer positions and when their all important lunch breaks were!!

This weekend, the volunteers were different to the usual crowd! Mixed in with the usual bunch of the Sheffield Council Volunteering team were some students from Sheffield's Universities and some Games Makers from Sheffield. It was good to have some new faces around and some refresh volunteers ready to get going volunteering in their local area - strengthening the legacy from London 2012 of creating a volunteer work force!!!

Having previously volunteered at events with a different event management team (I'll name no names...hehe), it was a totally different experience (and a massive relief!) to be volunteering with the BUCS team! I've never know an event management team by so relaxed and chilled out, and yet put on a successful event! It was great to be giving more responsibility to be left to do my job without constant radio/telephone calls about trivial things!

By the end of the Saturday, looking at the rota, there was only myself plus 1 volunteer down to be volunteering from 7:00pm till 9:30pm - thinking this was a little strange and maybe unnecessary I double checked with the volunteer manager who to my delighted said my thinking was correct and they'd manage without us for the rest of the evening as G4S were also covering the event! This meant........ EARLY FINISH!! By the time I got finished up and into the car I was relieved at the early finish. Although  if I'd have been needed I'd have happily stayed, but once I'd stopped being on the go I was most definitely ready for bed!

After a few hours of sleep (no thanks to my silly noisy neighbours!!!) I was back at EIS for 8am the next morning, ready and raring to  go! Again, it was a mix of volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, adding a bit of interest to the day! On the Sunday I was kept on my toes as the day wound down and volunteer positions were no longer needed, as they'd been specified, meaning volunteers were reallocated to different roles, and to some of the team, the joys of an early finish!

By 5:30pm all athletics competition has finished, with just some badminton still going on at the EISS. At this point I was relieved to hear I wasn't going to be required until 7pm as I'd previously been told! My bed was definitely calling after the busy, but totally enjoyable weekend!

To sum up my weekend of BUCS, I'd have to say it was an event like no other -what with the over sized t-shirts, relaxed (but successful!!) event management and the student vibe about the event. Not even the volunteers were the same as usual! The only thing which was the same as previous events was the volunteer packed lunches - the delight of a high calorie treat for the middle of your shift ;)



Giving my speech on the Friday night gave me a nice reminder as to why I volunteer in sport and what makes it most addictive! I couldn't help but reflect on this over the weekend, thinking about the points I'd made to all those gathered at the Winter Gardens. It was true, it's all about the people you meet and share the experience with, along with the practical aspect of using the skills gained from other events.....I even collected a BUCS pin badge to add to the collection, so my friends could see I did take "something" away from the event!


Hopefully the BUCS Gatorade Nationals will return to Sheffield next year...Fingers cross it won't be when Sochi for the winter Olympics, meaning I can get involved again!

Diving with the USA: Pre-Games Maker Volunteering

So, in my previous blog The Road to London 2012 I mentioned I visited UDAC whilst on 'Other business'.....this is my 'other business'!!

Before I get into this, I'll just point out that I haven't covered everything in this blog - it would be wrong for me to write about some of the stuff as it was the teams personal experience not mine! I was just the one helping to make everything ran smoothly, so the team could make the most of their training in the run up to their time in London. So it begins....

Following my time volunteering for the UK School Games held in Sheffield and me starting my PhD at the University of Sheffield I decided to sign up to volunteer with Sheffield City Councils Major Events Unit (MEU).

In February 2012, I received an email from the MEU asking for people to volunteer with some London 2012 Pre-Games training camps being held in Sheffield. As the dates which volunteers were required was at a time when uni work was less demanding I thought why not - lets go for it!

Having already volunteered on a pre-games training camp with the USA Wrestling team, I was fully acquainted with the lovely Manchester Airport, so off I went on the coach, armed with my 'USA Diving' sign to collect the USA diving squad from the airport! 



We were running a little late and I was worried they would be in arrivals before me, so I jumped off the coach and dashed in, thankfully there was no sign of the team... although I didn't exactly know who I was looking for.....!! As I'd been told to dress slightly smarter for this adventure, I looked slightly professional, well I had a blazer, shift dress and boots on, complete with 'Yorkshire' Olympic pin attached. What I didn't realise was this 'professional' look, pin badge and sign attracted slightly more attention than the last time I was at the air port! This resulted in me having a little gathering of taxi drivers around me asking "so it is the real ones you're collecting, like the ones for the Olympics?"....This kept me entertained whilst I waited!

After waiting for about 20-30 minutes, I was worried that I'd missed them and they'd disappeared, as the passenger flow through arrivals had now died down. Thankfully I hadn't, and 5 minutes later I saw a group of  only what I can describe as astronauts coming through arrivals, with bright red 'Team USA' puffer jackets on! Aha! They'd arrived!

After a few quick introductions on the way to a bus, parked  where it probably shouldn't have been, everyone climbed aboard, destined for Sheffield! On the bus I'd been given some bottles of water and fruit to dish out to the team for the journey back.......with many jokes over my pronunciation of 'plums'...although I don't know what's wrong with the way I say it :( I did however find out that some of the team were well acquainted with Sheffield, having competed in the city in previous years! 

I'll leave it there with my February adventure there as I did the same role later in 2012....keep reading :)

After my time volunteering with the team in February, Tom Daley realised his autobiography. Classing myself now as a bit of a diving enthusiastic with a bit of love (haha!) for Tom, the autobiography was a must read. It was so strange to be lying on the grass outside of my flat, reading about Tom working with and competing against people, I'd just been having lunch and laughs with a few weeks ago! It was all a bit surreal being able to put faces and memories to these peoples names!!

Skipping on a few months, to May (ish) and I received an email asking if I'd like to volunteer with the USA diving team in their Pre-Olympic Training camp.......did I really need asking? Answer was obviously yes! By this time I'd found out that I'd been selected as a Games Maker at the Paralympics so had the time before and during the Olympics to lend a hand!

This time the team were checking into the Athletes Village down at the Olympic Park so there was sadly no trip to Manchester Airport........instead it was a first class train London bound! So, 19th July,  I found myself at Sheffield train station at 6am, waiting for the train company representatives and member of staff from the MEU to head to London. 

We were due to collect the team from the concourse of Stratford International, this meant a trip on the Javelin high speed rail connection between London St. Pancras and Stratford! Arriving in Stratford we headed for the escalator to track down the team, but just as we were about to step on the escalator, I spotted a familiar face......"There they are!"...The team had decided to wait for us on the platform instead, to save us the trip up to come back down! Thankfully I recognised them (as if I could forget!) from February as I was the only member of the welcoming party to have met them previously! After welcoming hugs from Team Leader Molly and Performance Director Steve along with "ahhh we've got you again!!" smiles from the team, we boarded the Javelin once again, this time, destined  for Sheffield!

Whilst in St. Pancras station, we stopped by the First Class Lounge to meet up with 2 lovely ladies from the Woolsack Inspired Project. The ladies had brought along lots of cushions which had been made by a whole host of volunteers across the country for Olympic and Paralympic Athletes! Click here for more details on the Project! Here's a photo of the team in St. Pancras station with their cushions!

So, you might be now wondering why I was involved and what my role with the team was... My official title was Pre-Games Volunteer...basically, the only way I can describe my role was as a Mam/tour guide/Sheffield Expert/suitcase returner....although I don't think I was majorly qualified for any of these roles, being 23 at the time, and having only lived in Sheffield for around 8 months, but never mind I had my trusty volunteer pack with maps and telephone numbers  along with my common sense and enthusiasm - what more did I need!

Basically, my role involved me meeting the team at their hotel, walking with them to and from Ponds Forge, translating English to American (via Geordie!!) and basically helping out with anything they might need, whilst watching them train - not a hard job, I promise :)


Some of the things I got up to where trips to the tailors to get clothes made smaller, trips into town to get those vital supplies (gummies?), a trip to the doctors and various water runs from the pool side to the kitchen of Ponds Forge, and comparing English to American words!

The most totally confusing moment of preparing to volunteer with the team was looking down at their planned training schedule before their arrival and seeing the words "dry diving". It's not first thing you think of when you think of diving....surely diving has to take part somewhere wet right... like maybe a pool?! Not to worry though - I was swiftly brought up to speed on what dry diving was before their arrival back in February!

One of the funniest moments I had was in Boots was when shopping for a 'neti pot'...!! This confused me big style.... as the word netty is old Geordie slag for toilet! So I was very confused as to how we'd find a toilet pot (guessing this meant potty!) in Boots! After asking what it was for, to be told it was to help get rid of a cold, I knew I was definitely on the wrong track! Ops!! Turns out a neti pot is used to flush out your sinuses by pouring water up one nostril! I learn something new every day!

I also learnt all about 'orange tang' or orange squash to us English! I can also now relate 'where is the bathroom?' to 'where is the toilet?' rather than 'where can I go to get washed?'. You'd think this is obvious, but it got slightly confusing with people who had just came out of the pool......

It was great to see USA Diving getting lots of coverage by the UK press, with a media afternoon held in Ponds Forge. There was a hole host of different people from BBC Yorkshire to students from the university papers there to chat to the team!

During the time I was volunteering with USA Diving I returned home to Gateshead to run the Bupa Great North 10k, whilst at home my granny had been asking me all about my adventures with the team....and the big question: "So Nicola, Who are going to support when it comes to diving in the Olympics?".....my answer to that had to be USA. Having met the team, spent so long watching them training and ate lunch with them, how could I not? My granny did not approve!!

Once Games time approached, the team then packed up in Sheffield to head back to the Olympic Park for training in the Aquatics Centre. I'll never forget the scenes navigating around Sheffield train station with trolleys of luggage, with the team dressed 'incognito' with bags covered in Team USA logos...not obvious at all - haha. I was telling a couple of the team about my Granny, and her disapproval at my choice in team to support. To help me out with further annoying my granny, I was given a mini stars and stripes flag to wave during the competition to show my support! 

Having been to the Olympic Park for the Olympic Park Run, I thought I knew what to expect getting off the Javelin at Stratford International, but how wrong could I be!!! It was like a scene from a holiday brochure. All the lamp posts and fences were branded up with the typical 'London 2012', Olympic Rings, Agitos' and the motto for London 2012 'Inspire a generation'. I was so excited! It was hard to believe where I was. Coming down with USA Diving made everything seem so real. After waiting so long to hear if I'd made the cut to be a Games Maker, it was hard to believe that in about a months time I'd be allowed the other side of the fence, dresses in the purple and poppy uniforms!

Now the team was back in London, my life went back to PhD work, with a mini-project due in before I was able to head home to pre-pare for my 'official' London 2012 adventure. With my diving TV schedule all planned out and the house TV booked for those time, off I returned to doing my real work. I've got very vivid memories of sitting on my sofa with my house mates cheering on the USA, only in diving - obviously!! 

Up until this point I've never been so proud of my volunteering - watching USA Diving compete was up there just under the Opening Ceremony with the best bits I watched of the Olympics! I was so excited when Abby and Kelci won the first medal in the first event for the USA. Following this we then had David and Nick winning their Bronze medal, with Kristian and Troy joining them as medallists.

Since both David and Nick were competing again, later in the diving schedule, I'd been asked to head to London to collect them from Stratford to come back for some extra training in Sheffield. I'd managed to coincide this trip with my visit to UDAC and headed off to London for a bit of a morning adventure before collecting the guys. After waiting for about 15 minutes at Stratford I was a bit worried as to where they had got to. With the organisation of the team, lead by Molly, I'd never known them EVER to be late! So I got called the training camp manager in Sheffield and asked if he knew what was going on and to check I was in the correct place! It turns out a bit of miss communication had occurred and they'd got an earlier train without me- how rude! haha! I'd been abandoned in London :'( So offer I went, back to Sheffield...without the team! Thankfully with my trip to collect my stylish uniform, all was not lost! I'd also had a chance to have a cheeky shopping trip around London, planning what I was going to buy when I returned for the Paralympics! 


On my return to Sheffield I headed to the team hotel to drop off a few bits and bobs including the train tickets for return journey, whilst also collecting my volunteer t-shirt I'd given to them, asking if they could sign it! There it is, my signed volunteer t-shirt signed by the team, minus David, Nick and Troy....pretty good going I'd say so myself! Another item to add to my Harry Potter Style trunk of memories! :)

A couple of days after this, I was back on a coach to London, this time with no Team USA in tow. I was off on my own adventure to London to watch some of the Olympic Games (blog to come soon!). Towards the end of my Olympic  Adventure as a spectator, I was in Windsor for some canoe sprinting, but made sure I was in the hotel when the diving was on, refusing to go out for dinner until I'd seen at least the first 2 dives! I even had my parents texting me the position that the USA and GB had finished in! Bit of a nerd, I know!

My greatest diving memory from the Olympics has to be David Boudia exceeding Tom Daley to the Gold medal position! After all the hyper that had been built up in the UK for Tom, a lot of people just presumed Tom would take the gold. I don't think the tension in my living room has ever been so high when I watched it with 2 of my house mates!! When I came to the final dive I was on the edge of my seat, the order was David, Tom, Bo. So David dived and went 1st, Tom dived but only managed to achieve the silver position, I could barely watch when it came to Bo diving.....What was going to happen!! By this point, I knew both David and Tom would finish with a medal, but what colour would they be??? Bo dived and that was it! David had won Gold! At this point I was getting told off for supporting David and the USA, over Tom and Team GB. I even had my mam call me asking if I was proud of myself since Team GB had lost a medal.....and yes I was! This photo (from www.zimbio.com - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe) pretty much sums it all up!

Throughout my time volunteering, I learnt so much about diving, a sport that I'd honestly only previously know for the speedo's and the crazy height of 10m! One of the key people who taught me a lot of my diving knowledge was team physio Terry, who would sit pool side and answer my stupid diving questions.  Questions like "should there really be a splash when they're diving?", "Why are they going in feet first?" and "Why are they jumping off the 5/7m board when there's not competition at that height?".........I'm sure you get the idea!

To sum up my time volunteering with USA Diving, I can honestly say it was pretty epically amazing  ........that doesn't really make sense, but that's exactly what it was! I met some truly inspirational extraordinary people who were so down to earth, and as I'd put it, just really 'canny' people, who were passionate about their sport. It was amazing to see a true insight into what life is like training to compete at the Olympics.....and it definitely motivated me go to the gym A LOT more!

If you've read this far, you'll notice I've been pretty brief in some area, as I mentioned at the beginning, it wasn't my Olympic storey to tell - I'm a professional volunteer remember! A very proud one these days too! hehe! :)

Finally - check out this video - it brings back so many memories for me, and puts a massive smile on my face! It even feature Clive, but sadly no Special Agent Sam! :( 

National Lottery - Olympic Park Run!

Date: Friday 30th March 2012

Destination: London

Mission: National Lottery Olympic Park Run!!!

On Friday the 30th March 2012, my parents arrived in Sheffield to pick me up for the most exciting trip to London I'd ever been on......so far!!!! 

On Saturday 31st March 2012 I was due to run the National Lottery Olympic Park Run!! 5mile route around the Olympic Park......the first competitive event to be held in the stadium......and I was going to be one of the first 5,000 to cross the finishing line in the Olympic Stadium.......Wow!! Here's the route for those interested!

I'd received an email advertising the run through Bupa running, having been on their mailing list from running the Great North Run and Great North 10k's for the previous few years. I thought I may as well apply, although the odds of actually getting a place were very low! I'd regret not applying when I saw it on the TV - wishing I could have been there! By entering the ballot at least I had some chance of taking part!

The cost of entering the run was only £15 - believe me, I would have paid a lot lot more for this opportunity so I thought it was a bargain. In the weeks leading up to the run I'd been suffering for a stupid, painful, cough....after the run I found my cough was actually a chest infection (Ops!!) I'd refused to go to the Doctors about it as I didn't want to be told this, and to be advised I shouldn't run!

My parents and I had booked rooms for the night before and after in the Travelodge in Stratford, only a 10 minute walk to the park, the location couldn't have been any better!

On the Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and headed to Westfield Shopping Centre (aka. Shoppers heaven!). We'd heard that you could get a good view of the park from the window in John Lewis.... this was no lie! The weather could have been a bit more sunny - but for running, the weather was ideal! I also got a chance to meet Wenlock and Mandeville again, after my time as a SEV.

After a swift wander back through Westfield, off we went to the Olympic Park! I was so so excited I could have wet myself.......thankfully I didn't :)

Entrance to the park was via the Stratford Gate, after 3 walk through metal detectors (although I'm sure these weren't actually plugged in!) we reached the airport style security point. Bags on the conveyor and another walk through metal detector! I was pleased that, unlike every time I go on holiday, I didn't beep, meaning I could run straight into the park! I was very impressed by how efficient this process was, and wondered if they could make it this efficient when it came to games time!

On entering the park there was none of the pink over head signs we all know from Games time, instead there were fences covered in The National Lottery Banners as a lot of the park was still a building site! Lots of people were getting their photos taken along side them, so it was rude for me not to! 

It was pretty quiet when we entered the park, one could have called me a keen bean, dying to get inside! On entering the stadium, everything just got too much! I'd followed the building of the Olympic Park (remember I'm a civil engineer - so that sort of thing is right up my street!) and as a Games Maker Applicant at the time, I simply couldn't believe I was there. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in the Olympic stadium. My parents found the fact being in the stadium made me so emotions it reduced me to tears hilarious. Likewise, the security guard working at the top of the stairs at a good giggle at the expensive of my tears - but I didn't care! I was just so happy!

Once I'd pulled myself together and dried the tears, it was time to take some photos! Who knew if I'd ever get the chance to come back into the park - I had no Games Maker Role or tickets at the time, so I thought I best make the most of it!

Dad and I climbed the stair right to the very back of the stadium to check out the view from the there - we were both pretty impressed that you would still get a pretty decent view from the 'cheap seats'. Looking back, its strange seeing the stadium so bare without its fabric façade and pretty coloured lights!

Before I knew it, it was race time! I decided I'd run with my camera, so that I could take photos on my way round and share the memories of a partly built park with my friends and family! Everyone lined up and there was an unforgettable sea of red t-shirts!

One of the runs participation criteria was that everyone was to wear their race t-shirt which was sent out in advance of the run. It was a very impressive sight!

The race begun with a group stretch, although space was a bit tight so some of the moves were slightly limited but to be honest I don't think any warm up was needed with the amount adrenaline in my blood, warming me up nicely with excitement!

Nearly 15 minutes after the first runners it was my turn to cross the line! 

On the panel to be pinned on the back of my t-shirt I'd wrote 'Geordie Racer'. This lead to various shouts along the route of 'Toon Toon' and 'Geordie!'. There was also a few people who ran alongside me, also from the north east, asking where I was from, and general just supported each other for the part of the run! I found this run was the most sociable run I've ever done. Anyone you found yourself beside did their best between pants to chat and generally just share the enjoyable experience. 

I'll never forget one lady, who must have ran behind me most of the way round. I decided at about the 4.5mile enough was enough and I couldn't really breathe any more so had to walk! The lady behind me patted me on the back, and said "I'm so glad you decided to drop to a walk here, we're close to the stadium so it's a good idea, but I'd promised myself I wouldn't stop until you did! Thank you for the break!". We then walked for a minute or so chatting about how amazing the experience was before I decide it was time to finish the run at a proper pace with pride!

I finished the run in a time of 52:05 minutes! Boom! What an achievement for someone with a chest infection, running whilst taking photos!

After the run, I spent a bit of time watching the Stadium entertainment and catching my breathe before it was time to sadly leave and go back to real life! I'd joked that I'd love it if Tom Daley was at the run...sadly I hadn't spotted him, until I opened my race pack I got at the finishing line and found him on the front cover of the London Prepared Magazine! Aha! Maybe not in person....but I had found Tom Daley in the Olympic park ;)

I left the park with 1 final photo (on top of the many I'd taken but won't bore you with!), my race pack and medal, as one very happy girl!

In the lead up to Games, I'd be an avid follower of the sustainability and construction side of the park - I still am now with the regeneration of the park! One of the quirk things I read about the park was canal crayon art work! I'm a bit of a geek and collection pencils from various locations, so I thought having these in the park as functional art was AMAZING! I'd been sad that I hadn't seen any of them whilst running acround the park....but just as we were crossing the bridge by the aquatics centre my mam points and says "are those them stupid crayon things you've been on about?".....YES we'd found them! Turns out we would have spotted them on the way in, if we hadn't had been so fascinated and engrossed by the stadium! Seeing these, my visit to the park was officially complete - simple things, I know :)

After I'd finally left the park - we had another wander through Westfield where I found a shop, Pull and Bear, that I'd never heard of in the north east. After a wander in, I found my sweaty smelly self in the changing rooms trying on a pair of dressy shorts! I've no idea what the changing room guy thought of my sweaty mess trying on their clothes.... Thankfully they fitted so I bought them!

After a quick shower and change we headed back to Westfield for dinner. We settled on 'The Real Greek' in the outside area of Westfield, where we enjoyed a nice selection of meze. On leaving the restaurant I couldn't believe my eyes..... the Olympic Park was all lit up.....very impressive! Walking back to the hotel turned into another photo opportunity!

That was it, Olympic Park Run adventure was officially over, off I returned to back to Sheffield with my t-shirt, medal, memories and photos, not knowing if I would get the opportunity to come back. I'd had my interview and was still playing the Games Maker waiting game.....thankfully my dream came true!

Addition: The route I followed for National Lottery Olympic Park Run in 2012 can be found on my Endomondo Page - it should give you an idea of hills etc: http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/45552932/2899302