is it bizarre that every time i hear references to the sale/pelletier 'scandal' of 2002, it brings tears to my eyes? crazy as it may seem, it's due in large part to the fact that that was one of the defining moments of my olympic experience.
me and my co-worker and friend, sara, were responsible for running the press room at the main press center. overall, we had a pretty sweet gig. for one, we were actually being paid. we were also working indoors, in the one venue with every imaginable amenity you could conceive of. and we were working with the best. sports illustrated gave us their extra event tickets on a daily basis, and we could see any band we wanted at the medals plaza by 'volunteering' for about a half hour and corralling athletes to the and from the medal stands. although to be truthful, we rarely had the time off to use those 'free passes'. but since every notable athlete and visiting celebrity came through our press room, we weren't too disappointed.
we scheduled, we coordinated translation, audio visual, the name cards on the table--you name it. we worked with the media, the usoc, the athletes, and and the notable notables to make sure that all press conferences went off without a hitch. it was 18 hour days for a month and a half, with one day off. it was non-stop. press conferences were held from 7 in the morning until sometimes 2 the following morning. and with only two of us to manage all of the details, there wasn't a whole lot of down time.
that was never so true as with the pairs scandal. we were already maxed out, exhausted, and running on sheer adrenaline, we were given challenge after challenge to accommodate the media blitz that ensued. hundreds of people were involved in the little details, down to removing airwalls (to accommodate the larger than average media presence). and sara and i were responsible for overseeing all of it. so when references are made to that scandal, or the judging overhaul that came as a result, it brings me back like almost nothing else does. and suddenly, the time when i felt like i was at my most 'on', and perhaps the most memorable experience of my life, suddenly seems like it was only yesterday.
OH MY GOSH! i just saw myself on tv again. they are doing a piece on the scandal and just showed one of the press conferences we did. uh oh. now they've really done it. tissues please.
and to take the nostalgia trip to uncomfortable lengths, an excerpt from my february 2nd, 2002 journal entry:
last night was a rough one. i got to bed at about 11:00pm and at 3:00am i woke up and could not fall back asleep. so by 7:30am, when i arrived at work, i was ready to pass out. today was 'hit the wall' day. jet lag still has a hold, and the long hours and little sleep have finally started taking their toll.
this morning's sloc briefing was governor leavitt, sloc president mitt romney, and the head of secret service for the olympics. there was more press than usual, and a lot of filming going on. it was an interesting briefing, and the secret service guy even mentioned my friend melissa's dad, who is the utah commissioner for public safety.
this week has largely been spent figuring out what i will be doing come games time. i'm responsible for scheduling three press rooms, the largest of which currently holds about 250 people. however, there will be situations, like the one on the 7th, where we will have to open up air walls and turn the three rooms into one. we'll be joined by jacques rogge, ioc president, and the room will hold approximately 900-1000 people. this of course has created somewhat of a scheduling nightmare, since we had press conferences scheduled in the two smaller rooms and had to figure out how to bump them without creating havoc. all seems to be taken care of though.
i'm also responsible for coordinating the volunteers; asigning their responsibilities, and making sure they have a clue what they are doing. i coordinate with the audio visual people to make sure everything is set, with the caterers to make sure any 'special requests' are met, and with the staff of each of the organizations, whether it be olympic committees or sport committees.
i also have language duties; making sure the translators have the information they need, that the press board is updated, and that translation headsets are working and distributed properly. on average, it takes about an hour to prepare for each conference, and on days like the 7th, when we have 13, you can imagine what a long day that will be.
initially, i was meant to be a floating supervisor, covering the bullpen, main street, print and photgraphy distribution...but the interview rooms have become so consuming (unparallelled in any oter olympic games, i'm told) that this will take up 98% of my time. sara and i are splitting schedules and duties so that hopefully, we will both remain alive throughout the duration of the games.
an added bonus from this experience is the people i am getting to work with. everyone is fun and easy to get a long with, but they are so impressive. i've never worked with such a generally high class of people. everyone excels in their area of expertise, yet are willing to help whenever and wherever they can, which i've never really encountered before. it doesn't matter what it is, if they can help, they will.
when i got out tonight, i called dad. it occurred to him that he will get to see more of the games than i will. and it's absolutely true, since i will be lucky to get out of the press room long enough to see any of them. but as i told him, i'd much rather be working the media center than watching the games on tv! i am absolutely exhausted, and when i start to feel a little whiny, my 'grateful' mode kicks in, and i remind yself how lucky i am to be here--and i truly am. it's worth some fatigue to have an experience like this.
we are expecting guests like desomond tutu, dorothy hammill, wayne gretzky, and of course 95% of the athletes. so even though i'll miss the events, i will get to see those worth seeing.
the journal effort is progressing steadily, in the attempt to keep some of the memories alive for many years to come.
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