My First Days Experiencing Olympic Competition

Whew!!! My first two days of competition at the Laoshan Velodrome are over and it's been crazy. For Friday and Saturday, I was scheduled from 15:00 to 21:00. If you factor in traveling to and from the venue, I am in uniform for about eight hours. In those hours between the two days I have tons to share. For that, I am going to break this blog into headlines that will cover everything.

GREAT BRITAIN IS GOOD AT CYCLING

All of us who learned the world of track cycling in a matter of weeks knew the British had some talent but they have dominated the track so far. Many media members and cyclists are shocked that it has been so one-sided. The Brits have won six medals, three of which are gold, in the four events that have concluded and Sunday features are gold-medal match with two Brits. (That means they have another silver and gold coming their way.) Their muscle-man Chris Hoy has two golds and will try for his third in the Men's Individual Sprint in the next couple days.

NO SIGN OF THE AMERICANS

Aside from the Men's Sprint Team that made the top eight, the U.S. hasn't done anything. Gold-medal favorite, Sarah Hammer, was extremely disappointed with her effort in the Women's Pursuit. Hammer didn't make either medal ride-off and wasn't real sure why she didn't perform better. "It just wasn't my day," Hammer said. Also, the feel-good story of Taylor Phinney, the 18-year-old product of two cyclists, ended with no medal chance. The last shot for a medal is on the shoes of sprinter Jennie Reed, who is a medal favorite.

BIG CROWDS TURN OUT

The Laoshan Velodrome has benefited from two really good crowds. The Europeans love their cycling and it's showing. The crowds have been dominated by the Netherlands, France and Great Britain. A fan aspect that is cool in track cycling is you are really close to the action. Quite a few athletes have interacted with fans when riding by in celebration and that is always a fun aspect for fans.

PLENTY OF CHAOS ON THE TRACK

It didn't take long to witness my first crash in track cycling. During the first heat of Team Sprint qualifying on Friday, a Polish cyclist went down. A track cycling crash is a lot worse than one might. The cyclist is wearing a skin-tight rubber suit and the track is silky-smooth. The result is a sliding cyclist that doesn't stop for some time. The rubber suit then burns off from the friction and the next to go is the cyclist's skin. Saturday yielded another crash but this time it enveloped Theo Bos (NED), who is one of the track stars. Bos didn't use the re-run opportunity in order to save his body to battle for the Individual Sprint crown.

FLASH QUOTE REPORTING HAS ITS BATTLES

My job is to be a flash quote reporter, which means I gather quotes from athletes immediately following events. Like many things in life, it's not that simple. There are two areas where I can be to collect these quotes, the radio/television broadcast zone or the print reporters zone. For most of the medal rounds, there are more than 100 people in the zones. All of those people have a specific objective and tight deadlines, including the flash quote reporters, so things can get a bit crazy at times. Also, as everyone knows, most athletes operate in their own way. Just because one athlete wants to go talk to reporters doesn't mean the next will. A lot of these battles give myself some excitement and thrill in doing the job.

Bamboozled???

Absolutely.

I thought about writing this blog and not writing this blog and decided I would openly criticize digitally altering part of the opening ceremony fireworks and lip-syncing one of the performances with a different singer.

If you haven't heard, The Beijing Times broke news several days ago that the giant footsteps that opened the broadcast on 8.8.08 were digital. Why? Because the "haze" would have prevented viewers from seeing the fireworks on that night. Apparently the fireworks were actually launched but what billions of people across the world saw were fireworks

 created on a computer. In today's world, everything is about perception. So, if you are going to replace actual fireworks with digital fireworks without telling anyone, it will create doubt for many, many other aspects of life. I feel dumb because I thought the giant footsteps were one of the most special parts of the opening ceremony. I know why it was so impressive now. Apparently, NBC broadcasters referred to the a

lteration but I am not sure if their mention of it made it clear to viewers. I know the English-speaking broadcast I watched did not say anything about the footsteps being altered.

Secondly, to have a different little girl lip-sync a song during the ceremony is absurd. I can understand having a little girl lip-sync during the actual performance because she could get scared or something but have it be the same girl. Again, if you give people reasons to doubt things you are doing then it can lead to more doubts in undeserved areas.

I hope these were the only aspects that weren't "real" and I wish it wasn't that way. The opening ceremony was amazing and would have been with "hazed" out fireworks and the other little girl.

Olympic City

Here in China, CCTV rules the airways for broadcast television. And as you would expect, CCTV has five to six channels devoted to Olympic coverage. Combine that with two days off from work and you get loads and loads of Olympic Games viewing.

Thankfully, the USA vs. China men's basketball game is dragging me to a Western-style restaurant this evening because I have been useless the past 36 hours. In that time I haven't showered and I have only left our building to go get a newspaper and some noodles from the local mart. (Don't judge me, please.) I think the five weeks of basically no sports viewing made me thirsty for competition.

Of course most of the coverage is centered on Chinese athletes but when there are so many channels showing events, I have been able to watch events I have never seen. Here's a list of what I have watched.

– Archery

– Artistic Gymnastics

– Badminton

– Basketball, men's and women's

– Beach Volleyball

– Cycling Road

– Diving

– Equestrian

– Fencing

– Handball

– Judo

– Rowing

– Sailing

– Shooting

– Soccer

– Swimming (I saw Michael Phelps cry during his first gold medal ceremony.)

– Table Tennis

– Volleyball

– Weightlifting

That's 19 events. It would be awesome if NBC or any of the cable networks teamed together to give you the ability to see so much Olympic coverage at once. Of course, that is a bit unrealistic in the States.

Breathtaking Opening Ceremony

If I were part of the opening ceremony crew in London, which hosts the 2012 Games, I would be hating life today. After seeing what Beijing did last night for it's opening ceremony it's hard to think it can be topped.

I was fortunate enough to see a rehearsal of the event last week but there were numerous parts of the event that were not included in the rehearsal I went to.

– The beginning of the ceremony was insane. Giant footprint fireworks? Are you kidding me? Who does that? Apparently, the Chinese. That was awesome. On my way to "Steak and Eggs," an American diner here in Beijing, to watch the ceremony the streets were empty. Now I know why. The opening ceremony featured fireworks from across the city, including 29 giant footprints. I knew fireworks were going to be part of the show but a show across a city is unbelievable.

– Everyone was aching to know about the final torch lighting. Despite the act taking a massive amount of time, it was incredible. The giant torch that is attached to the Bird's Nest was not there a week ago. In fact, it wasn't there days ago. And to have someone dangling from the sky run across the top of a stadium is incredible, too.

I have never been a person to watch all of the opening ceremony for every Olympics but when I was watching this one I felt special. I don't know if it was because I saw a rehearsal or that I was in the same city as it or that I am a volunteer working for these games. Watching the ceremony finally unfold in front of me as a volunteer who saw a rehearsal in Beijing will be with me forever.

I hope everyone who watched the opening ceremony got a little taste of how crazy this country and city have become about the Olympics. It is clear that the Chinese are going to do everything possible to make these Games special and they deserve a lot of credit. Buckle up for what is going to be some great competition and memorable moments.

10 Things I Miss from Home ...

... Correction, six.

I have been in Beijing for more than four weeks and there are definitely specific aspects of life that I am craving. I tried to think of 10 but I couldn't. I think part of the reason why I couldn't is because I enjoy being in China.

6. Cell Phone

When we arrived in Beijing, the Olympic committee gave us a Chinese simcard for our phones but my Sprint phone doesn't operate on a simcard. The simcard allows for communication in China. I have the option of using my normal plan on my phone but that is ridiculously expensive and not worth it. I don't think I need one right now but there is something about having a cell phone and being connected to everyone you know. Having the ability to send text messages at all hours of the night is also fun.

5. Deli-style sandwiches

Don't laugh. This is for real. There are many factors why this makes the list. Bread is not something that is common in Beijing. The closest thing you can find without going out of your way is a roll that tastes like nothing and has the feel of a packing peanut. Secondly, most people don't own refrigerators. So, having lunch meat, cheese, mayo, mustard and lettuce on hand is rare. I hope you're happy because now my mouth is watering.

4. Taco Bell

I miss something that I was knee-deep in for four years of my life while in high school. Imagine that. For me, T-Bell is easily my favorite fast-food restaurant and it encompasses a style of cuisine, albeit fake Mexican, that isn't common in Beijing. Pizza Huts and KFCs are every where. Taco Bell? Nope. There are only three in all of China. Yes, I googled it one night to see if I could satiate the group's craving for Cheesy Gordita Crunches. Unfortunately, the nearest one to Beijing is about an hour plane ride away.

3. Drier/Iron

On most days we are lucky that the washer finishes all cycles. I am not kidding. Usually, I spend about five minutes after each load (a load equals no more than eight articles clothing) ringing out the water. When I'm lucky, the machine doesn't even attempt the spin cycle and I find my clothes bathing in a washer full of water. Either way, they have to drip dry. Combine the drip drying with rock solid water and you get laundry that's been starched for free. This has to be the most unexpected item to make the list. Never in my life did I think I would miss a drier and an iron.

2.The Piano Bar at the Neon Cactus

I promise I'm not an alcoholic. This place is just that fun. Thursday nights just aren't the same without being able to enjoy my favorite 32-ounce cup of rum-and-Coke in one of the most fun atmospheres I have ever encountered. Bruce Barker and the Doctor provide laughs that last for days and I have missed those. Fortunately, my birthday is the day after I get back in the States and it happens to be on a Thursday.

1. The Chicago Cubs

I could be missing the summer of history. I know, I know, there's always next year but this could be the year. And with the 12-hour difference catching games on the Internet isn't easy. Instead, I end up glancing at the score and checking the standings. All I want is a little Bob Brenly and Len Kasper in my life right now. I think this may be good training for if-and-when I move out of the Midwest and lose Comcast, which shows loads of games. For now, keep the Cubbies rolling, Joey, Scotty and Timmy. And hopefully when I get back we can sing a little "Go Cubs Go!"

English News in China

The news for English-speaking and reading people in Beijing are limited as one would expect. There are two avenues I have discovered to utilize for domestic and international news. The first is the China Daily. The China Daily is the National English Language Newspaper. The second is the international channel produced by CCTV (China Central Television).

Of the two, I have used the China Daily more often. So, I thought I would run through some of the headlines and talk about the type of coverage the readers get.

In Wednesday's edition, the lead story was Olympic related with the headline "IOC: Air is safe for one and all." The story is accompanied by a photo from the opening ceremony dress rehearsal that took place on Tuesday night. The story, as many have in the recent weeks, utilizes positive comments made by the International Olympic Committee and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. For the most part the story is balanced but the issue of pollution still remains a popular topic in Beijing.

The other stories on the front are a follow-up on the terror attack in the western part of China, an update on Iran's nuke situation and President Bush's visit to South Korea. For the most part, these stories read unbiased and present multiple sides to stories. Many of the questionable aspects of the stories relates to quoting government sources. Most criticism toward China is focused on the government controlling news and entertainment. So, when a story about pollution in Beijing quotes government officials, it draws skepticism.

Ultimately, I have realized that having the ability to openly criticize the United States' government is a blessing.

A Day In the Life of a Foreign Olympic Volunteer

I have talked a lot about cycling and the Olympics but I don't think I have given great details on what my days are like here in Beijing.

5 - The sun begins to creep through the curtains that aren't really good at their job. Depending on the night before, the sun may or may not disturb my sleep in the morning.

7 - My roommate Chad hits the snooze button for the first time.

7:30 - Snooze No. 2.

8 - A morning shower is a must because starting the day without being 100 percent clean will result in an odor, for sure. Unlike in the States when you get a nice cool breeze on a 80 degree day, Beijing is an oven where you are constantly surrounded by stifling heat.

8:30 - Even though we don't have to be at the Laoshan Velodrome for another two hours, we have to allocate plenty of time to commute in a city this size. During morning rush hour, there is a line to enter the subway station. Then you have to go through a security check that has appeared recently and get a ticket. And then the real fun begins. Boarding a subway car in Beijing when it is busy is something all humans should do. Essentially you push the person in front of you until you are on and then hope the door doesn't close on you. Thankfully, the subway is free for Olympic volunteers.

10:20 - After the hour-plus subway commute and some walking, we arrive at the venue.

10:30 - Most days at the venue begin with an easy transition into the day. The real work doesn't begin until after "lunch."

11:30 - The description of our "lunch" that I think fits best for this was told to me on my first day at the venue. "The food is incredibly bad because they tried to make Chinese food Westerners would like, so the Chinese volunteers don't like it and it's not anything like what Westerners like." I will say that we can rely on three bottles of water, a Coke and a piece of fruit every day.

12 - Staking out at the track watching athletes practice is a primary practice. The goal here is learning how athletes ride the track and interviewing athletes after they get done training. So far, I have spoken with riders from Columbia, China and Uruguay.

15:30 - We are free to leave if we want. If not, there are athletes still on the track and plenty of cycling studying to be done.

18 - Shower No. 2. This is a must after spending an entire day in Beijing.

18:30 - Dinner has to take place earlier than normal because of the "lunch" at the venue. Depending on the mood, dinner may be Chinese or some Western-type food.

23 - I find myself going to sleep earlier than at home too. I think between the heat and long days I get exhausted easier.

I used the 24-hour time because that is life in China. Also, my evenings may also include blogging, basketball and drinking.