Olympic Experience

As I'm writing this blog, I'm sitting outside on the 12th floor bar of my hotel in London looking at the skyline and the Tower Bridge lit up beautifully on a clear cool night.  It is inspiring and a rare treat, as I had only a 16 hour day instead of 18 like yesterday.  Also the pubs here in the financial district here where we're staying close at 11pm and I'm usually nowhere near being done with work by then. Today we started so early and finished so late last night, it worked out that our last assignment was women's water polo and I left the office about 10:15pm.  I figured I should take advantage of the small victory in getting out slightly early and enjoy this beautiful sight.

Yesterday I had the amazing opportunity to see my first American medal won, and it was gold.  It was earned by 32 year old skeet shooter Kim Rhode.  She was one of the athletes we had interviewed at the Olympic Media Summit in Dallas back in May, so we were especially interested to see how she would fare.  Her performance was amazing, hitting 99 of 100 skeet and not only winning the gold medal, but breaking the Olympic record and tying the world record with that score.  Her sport of shooting, that she has dedicated her life to, certainly isn't a mainstream rock star sport in the States.  She doesn't get the kind of attention the swimmers do and you won't find her in a McDonalds commercial, but she's an Olympian none the less.  In fact, she's the only American Olympian to ever medal in 5 straight games, dating back to Atlanta in '96 when she was 17. She was so humble and nice and full of the Olympic spirit and ideal.  When the National Anthem payed after she was presented her third gold medal, I was shooting video on my iPhone and trying to hold back tears.  It was a powerful moment and made me more proud to be an American.

As soon as she came through the mixed zone, where the media interviews her, three little French girls were crowded next to me to get her autograph.  Not only did she stop and sign, but she also talked to each one and let each one wear her brand new gold medal and take a picture.  That's a memory those girls will never forget and I won't either.  Sometimes the people with the most Olympic spirit are the ones you've never heard of.

To go from one end of the spectrum to the other in one day, we started the day at shooting and ended the day at beach volleyball.  Talk about the quintessential sport of the summer Olympics, it was all the party it was cracked up to be. It was even complete with swim suit clad dancers on a cool London evening.  The raucous atmosphere for beach volleyball at the Horse Guards Parade was completely different that the feel at the Royal Artillery Barracks for shooting.  Volleyball had the fantastic scenery, with the London Eye lit up just over the top of the stadium.  The Horse Guards Parade is just outside Buckingham Palace and there were beautiful old building everywhere.  The feel inside the stadium was more of a rock concert, complete with crazy outfits, loud music, dancers, and between match contests.  My producer JoEllen and I were able to snag seats for the first 3/4ths of each match before we had to get down to interview the players.  I just sat there trying to soak in the feeling of fun in being at one of the most popular Olympic sports and knowing that I was there to work, even though that particular assignment didn't feel too much like work!  Now don't  get me wrong, this whole trip is a ton of work and long physically and mentally grueling hours, but there are some times where I just try to take it all in and try to remember that feeling forever.  Beach volleyball made me dance in my seat and sing along to fun songs, all while balancing my big camera in my lap. This sport is truly for the fans and the players seemed to appreciate the experience too.  We saw April Ross and Jenn Kessey win 2 games to none and also Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser took their match in a 2-0 shutout.  They were great to interview and really seemed to be having fun, while keeping their eye on the prize.

No matter whether it is shooting, boxing, water polo, etc., being here makes me proud to be an American and I wish I could dress up in goofy outfits and wear the flag as a cape too, but I'm pretty sure NBC would frown on that!

Sleep Now or Forever Hold Your Peace

So I know it has been a couple days since the last post, but sleep has been a rare commodity so I have needed my four hours a night the last couple days.  We have been running like mad, starting earlier and staying later each day.  I've been trying to keep dilligent notes so I can remember what to share in the blog, because unfortunately, we are doing and seeing so much that's it is hard to keep everything straight in my head.  I've really been trying to soak everything up and enjoy and appreciate as much as I possibly can, but everything is new and amazing everywhere I look and it is really easy to get a bit overwhelmed!

Most days we catch a media bus about a block from our hotel in order to get in to work, but the past two mornings we have had to hop in a van with an NBC driver to take us somewhere off site, away from the Olympic Park.  Two days ago, because no games had started yet, we were on food patrol.  All of our crew were turning stories about what London is like and how people live and what there is to see, etc.  I have to admit that I was less than thrilled about drawing the high tea, curry, and scone making assignments.  We shot our high tea story at Fortnum and Mason, a tea salon that was founded in 1707.  We learned the art of tea selection, etiquette, tasting method, and what cakes and finger sandwiches to pair the tea with.  It probably wouldn't surprise anyone to know that I don't consider myself fancy in the least and have previously never sat down to high tea and snacked on a cucumber finger sandwich.  After the shoot was over, we were invited to sample high tea and snacks.  I had some delicious jasmine loose leaf tea and sampled a couple finger sandwiches and cakes.  Queen Elizabeth and the Royals had visited just a few weeks earlier and had high tea in the very same salon I did, but Fortnum and Mason refused to say what the Queen's favorite tea was.

After tea we headed to East London and a neighborhood called Brick Lane, known for its many Indian restaurants and fantastic curry.  You might be interested to know that curry is the number one food in England, and to be more specific, its Chicken Tikka Masala.  The traditional fish and chips is about ten years past its prime as the most popular British dish. We, along with a tv crew from Sky New Zealand, shot at a great restaurant called Masala that I hope I can return to before I leave this city. The head chef demonstrated making curry and naan bread and also allowed us to sample it, delicious. It was only my second taste of curry, and the first came a few days ago in Northen Ireland. I'd definitely say I'm a curry fan now. Along with the great curry, I also managed to be on tv in New Zealand because the other crew needed video of people eating, so of course my producer and I obliged! Another traditional English food is the scone, and we went across town for a cooking demonstration of not only scones, but also other desserts such as muffins and tarts. I had my first scone this week in the NBC commissary and didn't really like it, but come to find out it was the total opposite of everything that a quality scone should be. Traditional scones should be light and moist and be spread with jam and clotted cream. Like the curry, I would now say that I enjoy a good scone. Being on food patrol that day was interesting, but I was ready to get back to shooting what I love, sports!

The Work Begins

So my sister has brought it to my attention that this blog might be a little too boring, so I'll see what I can do to spice it up and pass along all the juicy details and insights. Yesterday was the first day we got to see our workspace and get a feel for the layout of the Olympic Park and the International Broadcast Centre and everything. Our workspace is in the IBC with everyone else, but it is a part of the NBC compound. We are next to Nightly News and across the hall from NBC Sports and the Today Show offices are around the corner. One huge advantage of this arrangement is that we all share the same dining hall. This is my first Olympics experience but I have heard from many coworkers that the food is often times one of the worst experiences and that if you're a field camera crew, like I am, you often miss out on the catered meals and have to fend for yourself because of the long hours you work. I've heard the past meals have been awful, but the dining in the NBC commissary is amazing! Not bragging, just passing on details, but we have free Starbucks all day long, endless Coke products and bottled water. Also food is available 24 hours a day because there is always someone working due to all the branches of nBC and all the shows, and the 5 hour time difference back to the States. I'll skip the rest of the food details but it's awesome and there are many healthy options, which I was really glad to see after all the pub grub we consumed in Ireland! Not only does the dining hall offer great food, it also offers chances to see very recognizable NBC journalists. Last night I sat 2 seats down from Matt Lauer at dinner, former gymnast Nastia Liukin was behind me, and Meredith Viera was spotted also. I passed Bob Costas in the hall and didn't realize it until I heard his voice. Today I spotted Lester Holt as I got my free Chai tea latte. I've also seen former women's soccer star Brandi Chastain multiple times and I believe she is staying in the same hotel out crew is. Another one of my friends noticed Tom Brokaw in the commissary. I'll keep my eyes open and pass on the other celebrities I spot.

Today's shoots consisted of two amazing experiences that only a Tiny fraction of all the thousands of media here got to take part in. The first shoot was lining up to be allowed in to shoot video of the 2012 Olympic medals. We got there an hour early and were second in line, and there end up being 30 some crews in line. The medals were laid out perfectly on a fancy plush pillow with tassels and we got 5 minutes to shoot what video we needed. We couldn't touch, wear, breathe, or look cross eyed at them. They were beautiful and intricate but to be honest I was so focused on getting as much video as I could in a short amount of time and also shooting some teases for a network reporter with us, that I didn't really get to fully appreciate the beauty of the medals.

My producer JoEllen and my next assignment was to board a bus headed to the Athletes Village. The Village is highly secured and restricted to almost anyone but the athletes. It is where they get to socialize and focus and have time alone without the glare of the spotlight or the distractions of friends, family, or coaches. Only 2 crews from each accredited outlet were allowed in and we had 3 hours to shoot. The caveat was that we didn't disturb the athletes, meaning we didn't try to invade privacy by interviewing them or trying to capture private moments. We weren't allowed in their actual rooms but I did get to shoot a model room and I think I've had college dorms that were slightly bigger. There were 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a common seating area. The beds couldn't have comfortably fit anyone much taller than me and there were 2 beds and 2 side tables and a small closet in each bedroom. What was really cool was the national pride on display in the way they decorated their balconies. Many had simple flags hanging, but some had giant banners and signs or artwork. The Canadian compound had a giant red moose standing guard over their front door, not bad eh? I shot video in the fitness center, the main dining hall, The Globe ( their place to play video games and hang out), and outside in the all the green open spaces. There was a giant set of Olympic rings in an open space Many athletes streamed there to take pictures together, and their pride was so evident. We stumbled onto a big group of Canadian ladies posing with their flag Nd then they decided the classis "1-2-3 jump" pose would be a good one. It was definitely good for all the photographers like me who were looking for extra video. I took a pic on my iPhone and the pure joy on their faces in exactly what you want to see in an Olympian. It turned out the be the Canadian women's basketball team.   The dining hall was also massive and impressive. I believe they said around 40,000 meals a day are served there. There are endless choices and they are altered to different cultures all around the world. There is one symbol that needs to translation no matter where the athletes are from, and that's the golden arches of McDonalds. You might think all of these athletes treat their bodies as finely tuned machines, not so much, as evidenced by the constant lines At the McCafe!

It did feel oddly like I was at the zoo while we were in the dining hall because we had to stand behind a barrier, far away from the athletes, and we watched them eat and took pictures while they watched us. I saw only a handful of Americans and didn't recognize the few I did see. We heard many of the US athletes haven't arrived yet. I know this one was extra long, but I wanted to attempt to fill everyone in on the goings on here. I felt so lucky to have been able to experience a couple things that are very rare and definitely wanted to share. Not bad for a first day of shooting! Tomorrow the rumor is that my assignments will take a decidedly culinary turn. Our first shoot is supposed to be about the traditional English High Tea and what the rules and customs are. The second shoot is about Britain's most popular food, no not fish and chips, but curry. We will be learning about curry and the different types and how to make it. The other shoot again has to do with tea, but also its pairing with scones and how to make them and what to put on them. I do feel a bit unqualified for these assignments seeing as how I'm a very unfancy person for high tea, I just had my first taste of curry the other day in Belfast, and I just tried my first scone yesterday and wasn't very impressed. At the very least it should be interesting and maybe I'll actually learn how to make scones or to throw a tea party!

London Calling

Now the work begins, I just said goodbye to my travel buddies and friends Amy and Dearsley. They'll hop a flight home and I'll catch a cab to meet up with my co-workers about an hour away in London. No more playing around and drinking during the day with no real schedule of what to do or where to be. I'm really excited but a little nervous. We had a perfect end to our vacation yesterday. We left Northern Ireland super early and drove to Dublin to catch our flight to London-Gatwick. Our plan was to drop out bags at the hotel and head to London to paint the town red. We didn't realize that shops in London are only open 10-4 on Sundays and we didn't get in until about 2:30. We weren't going to let that stop us from having a fun afternoon. So we made the 15 minute walk from our hotel to the small town of Lingfield to see what we could find. We found a couple hundred year old traditional English pub called The Cage. The weather was beautiful, and much warmer than what we were used to in Ireland, and this pub had an awesome outside seating area. We set up camp for at least a few hours and ate and drank and reminisced. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic trip. I feel so lucky to have good friends that would willingly shell out money and take time off to follow me across the pond for an adventure. My friends are experienced travelers and they've helped me to feel more confident in foreign travel, since this was my first trip. We have made unbelievable memories and I can't wait to look at all of our pics and tell trip stories when I get back in 3 weeks. It doesn't seem real that the Olympics are actually here. I'm sitting here watching the the British morning news and a Today type show, BBC Breakfast. The major excitement here is a Brit winning the Tour de France and the torch relay through all the London Burroughs leading up to the opening ceremonies on Friday. I can't wait to see all the scenes I've only seen on tv in person! I can't wait to see what the next 3 weeks has in store for me. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated as to what venues I'm at each day and who I'm interviewing. The dream is about to begin!

The Little Things

So my time in Ireland is coming to an end. Today we took the train to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and our group of 5 split into a group of 2 and a group of 3. It was fun to take a train for the first time into a really big city I wasn't familiar with and just set out on an adventure with my friend Amy. We hit the Titanic museum, because it was built in Belfast in case you didn't know. Then we set off to St. George's Market, which was a local farmers market type place with seafood, produce, baked goods, crafts, etc. it was really cool to be able to see what the locals do on a normal Saturday afternoon. I also tried my first falafel and my first Scottish soda called Irn Barr Bru. We just walked around and picked up a few souvenirs, but mostly just took in the atmosphere. From there we wandered around the city and a shopping district and sought out a couple old churches to take pictures of. The two of us didn't have a time schedule to stick to or a plan in particular to follow, but it was more about seeing where the city took us. It was great to see how native Northern Irelanders live. Another thing I realized about this trip is that the things I'll remember the most are the little moments that aren't necessarily planned. Yes, we've seen some amazing natural wonders such as the Cliffs of Moher and the Giants Causeway, but some of the most fun times involved something spur of the moment. If you caught my last blog, guest posted by one of my travel buddies, Amy Mann, it was all about the hilarity that ensued when I took on my first lesson in driving a stick shift and on the wrong side of the road. That was definitely not something that had been circled on the calendar, but it ended up being a bonding moment in pure joy and laughter. If you haven't seen the video, check out my Facebook page. We've laughed for days at stupid inside jokes and nicknames, etc., but the most important thing is that we are all here for each other, no matter what. We have been able to find find humor in the smallest moments, which has made for an amazing trip and experience! It is the little things in life that are easy to overlook that are often times the most important to pay attention to and be grateful for. Having fantastic friends who know you inside and out and still want to be friends with you anyway is the best feeling!

Today's post: guest contributors!

Today's adventures are best told by guest contributor Amy Mann. First day at school. First school dance. First kiss. There are certain experiences that most people have, share and recall in vivid details. Today while in Ireland, Beth had one of those experiences. We have spent the week driving around Ireland and when I say we, I mean Dearsley and me. This has been because of one reason: Beth did not know how to drive stick. So today we were taking pictures on this absolutely picturesque road, in fact it has been featured on the HBO series, Game of Thrones. It was a slow country road, straight and relatively long and flat with gorgeously arching trees. After we took some pictures we decided to teach Beth how to drive stick. Now this is not as easy as it would be if we were just in the US. Since they drive on the left side of the road in Ireland, the stick shift is also on the left. So not only did she have to learn how to work the clutch, she also had to immediately get used to driving on the left hand side. We got in the car, I explained the basic concept and Beth took off flawlessly! I was shocked. She slowly shifted up through the gears and didn't even stall as we came to our first intersection. I was floored! But as we came to our next intersection, Beth became a traditional first time stick driver. We stalled. We jerked. We stalled again. A few people watched and laughed. I laughed and remembering my own experience, felt MUCH better. We finally turned around and headed back to the group. As we approached a very, tiny, small incline, we saw the rest of the gang. We were a quarter of a mile away and Beth started screaming "get out of the road, get out of the road"! Since we weren't even close to them and they weren't even close to the road, I started laughing and could tell something special was about to happen. We got up to the stop sign, the windows down, the pressure was on for Beth to start on a hill, surrounded by people watching. The coast was clear, we told Beth to go. We waited. We yelled go. We laughed. We did not go. Finally Beth worked up the courage to start. She put the clutch in, slooooowly pressed the gas. We drifted back about 5 feet. Finally Beth pressed the gas, we screeched, made a skid mark and we were off! It was absolutely hilarious, partly because Beth's face was so precious, she was sweating and so nervous, but mostly because for everyone who has ever learned to drive stick, we had the exact situation. All of us were laughing so hard we were crying. There is even video, on her Facebook page! You will cry as you watch the car drift down, out of frame, then lurches she takes off. But for all our laughing and Beth telling us we were no longer her friend, she had to go back and take a picture of her skid marks, so I know she was proud. And really, as her manual transmission instructor, I was pretty proud of her too. Amy Mann

Northern Ireland, Here We Come!

We have left our first location of Doolin, Ireland and are now driving along the coast headed to Northern Ireland to meet our other two friends that are joining us for 3 days. We went it last night to a couple pubs for dinner and dinner and drinks and celebrated our last night and all the nice people in Doolin. When I woke up this morning the entire sky was bright blue and the sun was out and I realized for the first time that I could see to the Atlantic Ocean and some mountains also, all from my bedroom window. I had gotten so used to fog that I didn't know what views I was missing. I feel so lucky so to have seen and experienced what we did in our first four days. I don't know how Northern Ireland will match up to the hospitality and experiences we've had so far, but I'm excited to find out. So we're in Northern Ireland now and had the most amazing journey to get here. We didn't really have a time schedule or a plan, just a place to get to. We drove the Irish coast and stopped to take pictures anytime we felt like it. We pulled over to the side of the road for landscape pics, stopped at an old cemetery, and we looked off in the distance and saw castle ruins and the ocean. It turned out to be the most amazing sight that we stumbled onto. The colors are so vibrant, the shades of blue in the ocean and the sky and the thousand shades of Irish Green are unreal. There were mountains in the distance, castle ruins to the left, cows across the street, and amazing rock formations with the ocean waves crashing right in front of us. Some times the best things in the world are the things you don't plan. I suppose that's a good lesson for life. We eventually made it here to Portrush, Northern Ireland to the bed and breakfast and met up with our friends Candace and Carol. Now we're having some wine and reminiscing about our adventures and planning our next adventure.

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Today was such a success and also an unexpected second chance. Before I talk about today's activities, I guess I should talk about last night festivities first. We did not go to the Matchmaker Bar, so I'm sorry to report that neither Amy, Dearsley, or I will be returning to Charlotte with an Irish farmer.  We went into "downtown" Doolin, which is the small town we're staying in.  Our cabbie Tony recommended dinner, drinks, and music at McGann's pub.  That's exactly what we did and it was a blast. The food was good, the music was awesome and authentic, the drinks were plentiful, and we met a lot of nice people.  My friends were disappointed that there were more Americans in that pub that any other place we had been so far.  Anyway, it was a great night and we bought a couple of cd's to put on our iPods.  We also may or may not have drunk Skyped a few friends back in the states When we got home (sorry)! This morning when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was small patch of sun, and that has been rare during this trip.  That gave me hope for the day ahead.  We met up with the lady who owns the house we're renting, Ann O' Callahan.  Ann's family also owns a castle right down the road so she gave us a private tour.  It's called Balinaecken Castle, and it isn't open to the public.  It was so cool to be able to explore and climb up the small spiral stairs and look at at the top to see all the land and the ocean around us.  We got some fantastic pictures and pretended to be princesses in our own castle.  It was fun to be a kid again and explore. After the castle tour, we went back to Ann's farm because she had to bottle feed a new calf named Jake.  There were a couple funny things about this to me, 1. The fact that she put his milk in a wine bottle so it looked like Jake was enjoying a nice house red, 2. The fact that my friends were a lot more intrigued with the idea of feed a calf than I was.  Jake was more like a pet than a farm animal and he followed us around and just wanted to be petted.  It struck me as funny that I was standing in the middle of a cow pasture and wearing a Kansas Jayhawks shirt in Ireland, but I could've been doing the exact same thing back in Kansas.  Sometimes when I'm having a new experience, I think like the Wizard of Oz, we're not in Kansas anymore, but this time I could've been! Today's second chance involves returning to the Cliffs of Moher that we attempted to see yesterday.  Today's weather was fantastic so we went back and parked farther away and walked up and hiked at least a couple miles.  It was so worth it!  The views are majestic and pictures and video shot on my iPad can't truly do it justice.  When we were leaving we even saw blue sky, which is the first time that has happened during our trip.  Just a little bit of blue sky made the sights all the more amazing and impressive.  We climbed to the top of a castle and to the top of the Cliffs of Moher all in one day...awesome.  Now we're finishing out the day at McDermotts pub for some dinner and live music.  This trip is so great.  Off to Northern Ireland tomorrow!

"Moher" to be Desired

One place that we've been so excited to see since we started talking about coming to Ireland was the Cliffs of Moher. After sleeping in from a late night last night, we ventured out to the Cliffs. It seemed to be typical rainy, gray, windy weather that we've encountered so far, but we set off anyway. By the time we drove up winding roads to the Cliffs it was mistier than ever. This was the first attraction that we had to pay to get into, only 5 Euros though. After wandering around the visitors center that was built into the cliff, we headed up to check out the views. I was glad to get some exercise in and do some climbing, hitting a bunch of stairs to get up to a viewing spot. I was disappointed to see a whole lot of mist and gusting winds and rain. It was a practice in patience because we tried multiple viewing spots and keeping trying to wait out the fog and hoping it would blow away. A couple times it cleared out for a second or two. I knocked off a couple pics but they weren't exactly what I was hoping for. A few other times you could hear the ripple of excitement through the waiting crowds as the view was a semi clear for a fraction of a second. In the time it took to get the lens cap off the camera, the view was obscured again. We gave it a shot and the couple partial clearings we did have were awesome. It is definitely too much to hope for to have a clear blue sky here! That will definitely help me to appreciate a bright blue sky when I get home. Last night after closing down Fitzpatrick's Pub, we were able to upload some pictures and reminisce about the days activities. I'm so glad to have Amy and Dearsley to travel with because they're more experienced travelers and more outgoing than I am. We are having fun everywhere we go and taking awesome pictures between the three of us and making a lot of fun memories. I can't wait to see what the rest of our trip has in store for us. We're about to have a cab pick us up so we can all enjoy the evening and head into Lisdoonvarna for dinner and some pub hopping. In case you were curious, Lisdoonvarna is the home of the world famous Matchmaking Festival every September. There's even a Matchmaker Bar, and something tells me that the three of us will stop in there! I'll update everyone later and let everyone know if any of us got match made with an Irish Farmer.

50 Shades of Grey Weather in Ireland

The weather here in Ireland has been what is for the most part typical; rainy, windy, chilly, and gray. Today while out exploring we did manage to have the best and worst weather of the day within about 90 minutes of each other. We did see a sliver of blue sky for a few minutes though. Today was spent driving around the country and stopping and taking pictures and goofy self portraits wherever we felt like it. It was so awesome not to have a schedule or anywhere in particular to be.  I had my first Guinness today and it wasn't bad. I suspect I'll have a lot more of them in London. We've met such nice amazing people here. We're not stating in a touristy area so it feels like we're just meeting regular people going about their regular daily lives, which is nice.   We ran into a traffic jam this afternoon for a funeral. It seemed like the entire town stopped to pay their respects. Life just seems to move slower here, and that's a great change of pace. One thing that isn't slow however, is the the way Irish people drive on winding narrow roads  with no shoulder! The views everywhere you look are amazing and it's still a little hard to believe I'm actually here. It stays light here until about 10pm so that really lets us extend our adventures and we are taking advantage of it. We're heading out to the pub for dinner and live music, so I'll update everyone again tomorrow (assuming anyone is actually reading this!)

Delayed post from yesterday

This was my post that I wrote on the plane yesterday before I got off the plane, it wouldn't really make sense if I wrote it today! I can't believe the opportunity that's in front of me when I step off this plane. I just saw my first foreign country from the air and it's amazing.  Just seeing London from the plane window waiting to taxi to the gate, it doesn't look all that different than any American airport. It is however rainy and gray, as you might expect. My adventure is about to begin and my life will be forever changed. I probably sound like a wide eyed idiot, but I know I'll never have quite this sense of anticipation again. 

And so it begins.....

I can't believe it's finally time to leave. We're just about to board the plane. I've been counting down since March waiting on this day and it is finally here, surreal. I don't think it has fully hit me that the biggest dream I've ever had in my life is one week from coming true. Now I'm about to board the plane for a week of fun in Ireland with my friends and have a blast.