On to Rio 2016...?

Despite all the fun and Games described in these blog posts, there are times when the thought of going to another Olympics is not an appealing one. Between the hour long bus rides, the 30 minute waits for the bus and having to go through airport-style security about five times a day, nothing is easy. All the cool sporting events I was able to see occurred at the end of a long day of work and getting to and from the venue was an ordeal. This was time that could be spent working, sleeping or eating.

That said, I wouldn't trade it for the world. The Closing Ceremony renewed my energy to stay in the Olympic movement for as long as it will have me, or at least another four years. The Closing was truly a party, which wasn't always the case with the tight security surrounding this Olympics. John Lennon and Freddie Mercury even made appearances. Surprisingly, Brazil's portion of the ceremony was one of the more subdued segments.

Right before the Closing, I was lucky enough to score a media ticket to the gold medal men's basketball final between USA and Spain. Until then, I had been sticking to the less popular sports because I didn't want to take a seat away from a reporter who's actually working the event. But I couldn't turn down this opportunity. The game was close and the crowd was into it, but Kevin Durant and Co. were too much for the Spaniards.

I leave on Tuesday, which gives me the rest of today to have some non-Olympic fun in London. I think I'll go for a bike ride.

Click HERE for my latest photos.
Click HERE for my latest press release.
Click HERE to see the Universal Sports interview I helped set up.

Sprint to the Finish

London 2012 Round 2 starts Tuesday for me as the flatwater sprint canoe/kayak racing begins for Team USA. We have two kayakers. Carrie Johnson is a three-time Olympian who will affectively retire  after these Games to begin a four-year veterinary program at UC-Davis. The other, Tim Hornsby, is a first-timer whose girlfriend just finished 9th in the pole vault.

Since my last post, I have been able to watch tennis at Wimbledon, women's water polo, men's basketball, rowing and table tennis. It was the first time I had seen many of these sports live, but seeing tennis at the All-England Club was special. It's the closest I might ever get to experiencing Wimbledon. I watched the Bryan brothers advance in men's doubles and Serena Williams do the same in women's singles. Both would go on to win Gold later. I also sat on "Henman's Hill" to watch Federer v. Isner (USA).

In the lull between slalom and sprint canoe/kayak racing, I've been able to set up interviews with BBC World News and Universal Sports. The sprint canoe/kayak venue is even farther away than the slalom venue, and the races are in the morning, meaning I will have to leave my dorm at around 6am to get there in time. I'm not sure if I'll have any time for sightseeing, but if I do tops on my list of things to do are Tower of London and trying out London's bikeshare system. Somehow I never saw the Tower of London during my semester abroad in this city.

Click HERE for my latest photos.
Click HERE for my latest press release.
Click HERE to see the BBC interview.
Click HERE to read one of the stories I helped set up.

An Olympic Reunion

When I'm not out at the faraway canoe/kayak venues, I'm generally at the Main Press Centre in Olympic Park or at my dorm at the University of East London - Docklands Campus. Seems like everywhere I go I run into people I know - some I expected to see, others were a surprise. It was the first time for me to meet 5 of the 7 canoe/kayak Olympians, two coaches and one of my co-workers. Then there's the 11 other Young Reporters that I knew from our adventures in Singapore and Austria. Then there's the good folks at the U.S. Olympic Committee and the other U.S. press officers at other sports. To think it all started with an internship in 2009.

Sadly, all five U.S. slalom athletes were knocked out of competition in the qualifying rounds, many in heartbreaking fashion. After a very busy first two days of competition, I find myself with more free time than I'd care for. Still, I'm working to garner as much media attention as possible while I am in the same city as these athletes. The two U.S. sprint athletes begin competing next Tuesday.

Yesterday, I was able to venture out into Central London for the first time. Olympic Park is in a part of East London that no tourist would have gone to before now. I was glad to finally see the London I knew from my study abroad experience in 2008. I was able to catch some beach volleyball near 10 Downey Street, where the Prime Minister lives. As I write this, I'm sitting in the press area watching Argentina take on Pakistan in field hockey. If I get a full day off, I'm thinking of going out to Wimbledon to watch some Olympic tennis.

Click HERE for some photos. More photos.

Click HERE to read one of my event recaps.

Click HERE to read one of the interviews I helped set up.

Click HERE to watch kayaker Caroline Queen's final run.