This is a retrospective memory of a fabulous weekend visiting the Paralympic Games to watch Ellie Simmonds swim and the closing ceremony. It is written on September 25th 21012, two weeks after the weekend of 7th-10th September.
I now regret not planning to visit the games when tickets were readily available as the decision to go arose after winning £200 from a long shot bet that Chelsea would become European Champions. With the benefit of hindsight I should have made the Paralympics my main trip of the Olympic period or at least given similar consideration although in fairness I was governed by the escalation in accommodation costs and finding myself allocated two football tickets over a period of four days.
In the event I had to pay more than usual for accommodation and travel for my weekend visit back to Croydon but not significantly. I also booked a later train than usual which then arrived late because of signally problems and where the time was not made up because of further delays waiting for platforms which could take a twelve carriage train.
I was able to gain a seat where I could use my lap top and was able to test out the recently acquired internet on the move USB device. However I was yet to work out that in order to override the dominant source such as the British Rail service or that at the Travel Lodge you have to disconnect on the soft ware. It was not until the return train journey that I was able to listen for long periods without interruption to Five Live overcoming the electrical interference which prevented listening to the pocket radio.
I was able to reflect on what had been an amazing week until then. There had been some reaction to the Channel Four coverage of the opening ceremony when advertisements were included although inserted at points which did not affect the overall enjoyment of the impressive show. The problem for many is that they had been spoilt by the BBC with its dedicated channels for each sport and with the main channel bringing the highlight events without advertising.
Channel Four is a commercial station dependent on advertising and which in fact became a significant aspect in terms of promoting individual athletes and treating them as the professionals they are no different in this respect from those who are able bodied. The sponsorship of key individual also mean they will begin to achieve the financial lifestyles of the able bodied and play a part in t eh cultural life of the country alongside Dame Grey Thompson who has made it all the way to the House of Lords and to the sub committee which vets sports men and women for national honours
The main feature of the excellent Channel Four coverage was the use of disabled people as presenters, a feature which I would like to see continued. They had only three dedicated channels which meant it was not possible to view many of the sports live although given the return to school of children; it was unlikely there would have viewers to have merited the expenditure involved.
I did not watch the after show hosted by disabled people for disabled people and others which took an irreverent view with a nightly challenge asking questions you dare not ask setting new boundaries of what is and is not acceptable. I watched the show towards the end of Paralympics, the last I believe, and admit it was good and regretted not viewing before. Several Olympic teams stayed up after their bedtime curfew to watch, according to one report.
I spent a good twenty minutes trying to find a recording of the Opening ceremony to refresh my memory but without success and unfortunately I appear to have unintentionally deleted the recording made on the Sky box. Later I discover there is one on You Tube but by then I have written and moved on. I have only few visual memories with the opening sequence which had the great paraplegic philosopher and scientist Stephen Hawkings introduce the event with a powerful overview of human development and endeavour and an aerial moment where a number of former leading athletes including Lady Grey Thompson highlighted some of the key sports. The emphasis was on the role of science in promoting human development, on exploration of our world and of ourselves including overcoming barriers and challenges seen through the eyes of one young girl.
A full house was expected fort he opening event and it was quickly evident that those attending were going to show the same level of support for the British Team as happened during the Olympics a month earlier. To the credit of those submitting the bid and designing the Olympic Park, the stadiums and the accommodation had been designed for use by Paralympians so that only limited changes were needed to some stadiums to increase the space for those with disability and a feature of my visit was the huge special parking areas for wheel chairs and for baby and child carriages at each of the venues. It is possible these were also provided for use by spectators.
There was an early start on the Saturday morning with tickets for swimming and seeing Ellie Simmonds in her heat for the 50 meter freestyle event. She functions better in the long events free style and medley where she is able to make effective use of her powerful freestyle which more than compensates for the lack of starting drive because of her lack of reach due to lack of height and short turn arounds.
The day before had been exceptionally hot and two more days were forecast so I went only in shirt and trousers but taking my new GB Team bag with me. The journey into London via St Pancras and then on the Javelin train the Olympic Park was without incident although I forgot to get a photo of Javelin on my new touch screen photo phone and then decided to leave taking other photos until after the swimming event. Although the Aqua centre is the closest building to the main entrance getting to the entrance involves quite a walk and over a bridge as the stadium is raised on an island in part because there will be a public swim baths on the lower level or for use my the professional swimmers ass well as the main pools above. I thought the lower pool was where the Athletes warmed up but in fact many also used the main pool perhaps because of the overall numbers involved.
My seat was to one side away from the start and finish line where one bonus was that lights. one for first and three for third, come up with the touch of the competitors something which is not evident on the TV where the camera concentrated on the pool below. The downside from my location about midway up the top tier but at an aisle was the inability to see the large screen at the end of the pool on which there is information on participants of the race itself. We had a much smaller screen where it was difficult to read the result as well as into and one had to be guided by the British Flag and the flags of other participants alongside the names. The other draw back was the absence of information about contestants when because of number of the heats, two or three for each race category there was no time for individual introductions. Fortunately the British swimmers all wore red skull caps which enabled their immediate identification.
Ellie was already one of the undoubted stars of the Games as she had been in run up and with a large portrait of her on the side of a building at the shopping centre and visible from the Park. Unlike the able bodied she and the other swimmers lived up to expectations.
Ellie won the most extraordinary of races in her opening event the 400 meter freestyle where she was behind the young American woman who had won her appeal against being reclassified. Disabled athletes are not graded according to their disability but according to measured performance and then grouped so that in theory all participants in a particular category have a chance of winning. In this instance the young woman in question had recovered from a coma and was regaining strength and movement which led to reclassification. The reversal of the decision resulted in one of the most memorable swimming races of all time because the girl was well ahead in the opening length of the eight lap event. Fortunately Ellie was able to take back the gains made on the turn arounds so that as the final 100 metres of the four was reached she was within striking distance but it was not until last twenty or so meters that it looked she would be able to win which she did but only with her last strides towards the touching the pool end. Only the 80000 cheering on Mo Farah and the noise in the cycling arena equalled that on this occasion.
Ellie broke down in tear of relief and joy and signalled that unlike the able bodied this girl was here at the top for the duration. A few days later she repeated this triumph in 200 metre medley where from being way behind she took a commanding lead which she maintained. It was therefore not surprising that she could only achieve silver in her third event and then bronze in to 50 metre event final. Although she was able to win her heat by a long distance breaking her own world record so did the next two athletes in the second heat thus signalling how the final might end.
Camera men were located on terraced area across from my seating while the athletes then made their way to where journalists from different media stations were waiting to interview including channel Four and BBC Five Live Radio. I have mixed feeling about this aspect which is OK if an Athlete wins or achieves best performance however it must be difficult for those who lose or fail to do well.
The most moving and impressive moment of the morning was not the performance of Ms Simmons but a young man without legs from above the knee who made his way up on to dais without assistance for the dive into the pool. The pool at the winning end side away from me is flush with the water to enable athletes to get out without assistance if they wish. In his instance I had missed that he had arrived on his artificial legs which he had placed by the pool exit and which he now refitted before striding off to increasing applause as he made his way to be interviewed. Although I watched with amazement on TV as I have in previous years seeing the athletes close up and live was a very moving experience. Those who are visually disabled had assistants holding stick with flat material at he end to tap the swimmers to alert they were reaching the pool end. It was the visually disabled athletes who throw themselves in the air to long jump and hop skip and jump who impressed most of all for the courage mixed with professional ability. Final word of praise goes to Ellie has to be for Ellie who is only 17 years and still at school and already as Rio in mind.
I enjoyed a portion of fish and chips for lunch albeit expensive at £8.50 with a cool drink and visited the mega store where I acquired a hat for £2 which looked awful but stopped the sun frying my head. I then found somewhere in the shade before visiting the Orbit again where entertainment was provided because the queues in part made worse because of the number of people who were able to make a visit via the gate and able to go straight to lifts for a viewing.
The act on arrival was a young man singer song writer with a guitar with Tyler part of his name and a Facebook page although a quick search failed it did lead to discovering full You Tube recording of the Closing ceremony after repeated problems on the Channel Four Player. The young man finished his set and was replaced by an aging Mexican Band complete with Sombreros which they loaned to those who wanted to be photographed, I was unaware at the time that the group are well known from their participation in a video for Doritos usually associated with sporting and other entertainment programmes. Even later I found that they appeared in the film One Day. When making my way down from the top viewing platform to the second I discovered the group had come up in lift and were playing to a crowd and obviously enjoying their outing and determined to take the view.
It was such a clear day that I was able to some great photos compared to the rain and cloud of my previous visit. After the early start and with the heat I decided against staying for Live showing of the evening finals having checked that there were no last minute tickets on offer and made my way back to Croydon at leisure and had to lay down to recover after enjoying an ice cold drink and a ice cream. Later still refreshed and having watched Ellie get her bronze medal I enjoyed a starter of chicken wings and a pizza in the Travel Lodge restaurant and having had difficulties logging on in the room used the free service to check on emails and plan the following day.
The following morning I enjoyed a full English breakfast with Orange Juice, a cereal and the large helping of sausages, eggs scrambled, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms. This was followed with by two rounds of toast with blackberry jam and lashings of coffee. I was set up for the day.
The closing ceremony ticket was scheduled 7.30 so on the basis of other events where the stadiums were opened one hour before this I aimed to travel to the Olympic Park to arrive no later than 6.30 prepared to be early and avoid the rush than late. It remained a gloriously hot day but with and end expected to be close to 11pm, the opening had gone on later, and a problem with everyone leaving at he same time I was prepared for the cold and for the possibility of a shower. I had checked that my key ticket worked as I anticipated arriving back between one and two am.
I cannot remember when I set off although it was close 5 than 5.30 pm and I was able to get a good seat as well as on the Javelin which was full but nothing like as crowded as on the previous day. I was struck by the crowds queuing at the restaurants between the shopping centre and the main entrance to the Park. This suggested people eating after shopping or my likely that I was indeed early or as it transpired the show did not in fact begin until 8.30. There nevertheless a large crowd making their way or so it seemed to me and therefore I concluded I had not left too late.
According to plan my entrance was on the far side of the stadium opposite to the Orbit which meant going past the bridges closest to main thoroughfare, however although people were progressing past entrance C when I and other went further a one of games Makers advised we could not go no further and an to use C It was only after reaching area below my seating did I appreciate there was direct access to the bridge for vehicular traffic for the Olympic Committee, the VIP’s and the entertainers. There was also a bridge with direct access to the Olympic village for the Athletes. As I approached the particular numbered entrance for my ticket I reached the VIP and Media entrances which contrasted with the rest of the stadium with attractive doorways with attendants. I was directed to an outside stairway which took up to the upper tier which I anticipated but only to find that I had also been allocated a free standing chair against a long media desk with electrical and internet points beneath but with room for ten people in an area where in the rest of the stadium there would have been twenty, moreover in addition to the depth of the desk there was plenty of room behind for passage and There was also uninterrupted view into and across the stadium because of the banking so one had to bend over the desk to see those sitting immediately below and behind there was separate boarding at the top of which was a band of lights whereas in the rest of the stadium these were place between the seats. There were perhaps a bank of half a dozen more levels between me and the roof space and other side were media/stadium control boxes fitted into the roof space. The area of the desks space extended on either with a length of at least 50 meters if not more.
When I arrived close to seven there were only a few thousands inside and Jon Snow in the TV programme which reviewed highlights of the games before ceremony said there were about 12000 in place by 7.30. There was entertainment via an exceptionally loud audio system and films on two screens below the roof level across from where I sat with no doubt two above me at either end of the arena from where I was sitting.
There was also opportunity for the Athletes to make their way into the stadium from two entrances and then to four large areas of seating within the athletics field with the former running track outside them covered for use by large vehicles and to hide the electrical connections for the lighting attached to their searing. They therefore had a good view of the ceremony reminding of the way members of the public were part of the opening event for the Olympic Games. Given that the last event in the stadium occurred the evening before there was work during the night and some rehearsing in the afternoon and during the pelimins with use made of vehicles made into fantastical contraptions as well as created stage areas with one for the main music band Coldplay who were an intrinsic part of the event coming on some 40 minutes after commencement and continuing to perform during the next two hours. I am not a fan of the band that are loud and without the kind of well known and enjoyable numbers which a host of other artists could have provided. What those from a number of other nations made of it I can but speculate?
In the build up I was joined by two and then three ladies to my right and by a single girl to my left whose photo I took for her on her camera. As the evening progressed it was evident that some of my neighbours had not come through my route but from other ticketing sources I was provided with a double sided programme of the event passed on by one of the neighbours from stewards and among the last in his possession so that others at our level and higher up and some below went without.
The programme is in the form of letter from Kevin Gavin the Artistic Director, He explains that throughout our history fire is seen as symbol of beginnings and ends and the Festival of the Flame celebrates the extraordinary journey that commenced seven years before when it was announced that London was to be the host city for both games in 2012 and comes to a joyous spectacular end on the night.
The nation that is the British nation is associated with Festivals from harvest to music, comedy and film festivals. I like the concept of festivals and regret not participating when I was younger. Now the concept remains a good one but I would to have the funds to be able to participate in relative comfort and I am not sure I could cope with prolonged intensity.
Mr Gavin said that the Festival of the Flame played tribute to gatherings which infuse the spirit of the nation drawing on the ever changing seasons that define us (although given the weather over past 24 months our seasons appear to be merging or in the case of summer non existent). The event is intended to celebrate some of the ancient and modern traditions that have gathered down the ages. He gives a special mention to the participation of Coldplay as part of a cast of nearly 2000. There would be tributes to the 70000 volunteers with some 1300 in the stadium on the night. The last sentence asks that the last person in stadium turn out the lights.
Situated across from the Orbit it was great to see it lit up at as the night and I felt a great sense of once only occasion never to be repeated and pleased that I had managed to visit both key stadiums before they are changed. The wings of the swimming stadium are to be removed while the future of the main stadium remains uncertain with a number of bids including from West Ham United. It would be a pity if London was not to retain a major Athletics stadium in the capital as that at Crystal Palace is OK but not World Class. The problem is that with Wembley stadium for football and associated big sporting events and Twickenham for Rugby Union there is no need for another huge stadium although Spurs with ambitions to join Arsenal and Chelsea made a bid. The obvious candidate is West Ham a club with a good local crowd but in small playing area stadium with spectator’s right to the field with a feeling of being close to the action. This is difficult to achieve with an athletics track and a large field for Athletic events plus long jumps, water jumps and such like. It has also been stated that the stadium and Park site is also being considered for a London based Grand Prix event. There is already talk of a London street race taking in some of the main sights of the Capital.
The opening section of the ceremony is headed Windstorm with machine blowers and vehicles fantastical designs entered the stadium. The youngest son of the Queen as patron of Paralympics was joined by the Chairman of the governing committee in a vehicle with an attached platform for the singing of the national Anthem by someone who is blind, Lisa Hermans, and who also suffered from Autism. Two former soldiers wounded and disabled also participated in the section Raising the Flag and is designed to honour servicemen and support Help for Heroes. This is not as incongruous a section as might be first thought given that the Paralympic were started in the UK in 1948 alongside the Olympics games in London the hospital for spinal and other serious injuries to soldiers in the Second World War.
The Heart of Many Nations
was led Rory Mackensie on a raised platform some 40 feet above the stadium ground, a former army medic, was recruited for audition after he had undertaken several daring adventures since losing a leg in a roadside bomb at which an 18 year old colleague died. He has leaned to Ski and participated in a crossing of the Atlantic, rowing, and in race conditions. The Flags of the 164 Nations entered the stadium and later left. There was much endeavour in the centre of the arena while this was taking place so that before the section Truck Invasion what is described as crop circle took fire and the smell of firework powder filled the air. It was then a large number of fantastical trucks entered the stadium and which I will see close up when I view the whole of the ceremony on You Tube.
In Spirit of the Games Dr Whang Youn Dai, a champion of the Paralympic Movement presented award to two Paralympians, then five Paralympians gave presents to five games making volunteers and the six new members of IPC Athletics Council were introduced. It was then time for Coldplay to arrive for Autumn with a four number set which included Us against the World and Up in Flames. They played three further numbers to mark Winter with movement and dancing elsewhere in the arena.
The British Paralympics Orchestra and Rihanna elevated on a wire participated with Coldplay for Summer which included their most well known piece to me Viva la Vida. It was then time for the handover ceremony of the Olympic Flag by Boris Johnson the London Mayor to the Mayor of Rio with a great cheer for him. With the raising of the Brazilian Flag and the playing of their national Anthem, As in Beijing, it is then the host city for 2016 which gives a taster called Joy. This included a group of four blind young women who have been trained as ballet dancers and who were interviewed on the TV the night before.
The evening then drew to a close with the Final Flame as Sir Philip Craven the President of the International: Paralympics Committee and Lord Sebastian Coe Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee made speeches before the Cauldron was extinguished with one of those involved Ellie Simmonds. Throughout the evening there had been much use of fire as there was during this part which ended with Cold Play, Rihanna and Jay Z involved with Run this Town
Coldplay continued to play during the Firework Finale and at one point there appeared to be a roof over stadium of fire works. Given that I was located furthers from the Javelin Train, I therefore start to make my way before the end but by the time I get down and start to make my way round the inner circle everyone else commences to make their way. I walked fast rather than run and decide against going to the toilet which fortunately I had done before the start and making my way up.
I continued a fast walking pace through to the queue for the station where I was held up just before the entrance was insight and alas there was to be a long wait of half an hour before the next train. The enthusiasm of the Games Makers at this hour was extraordinary and I wondered what time they would be getting home.
Having moved to the front end of the platform on reaching St Pancras I was able to catch the next train to East Croydon with a number of others which came in within moments of reaching the platform. This was about a quarter to Midnight. It will remain a matter of conjecture if I had taken the advised route to West Ham Station or a line from Stratford to central London and Victoria if I would have arrived in East Croydon sooner. Certainly those waiting on the Platform at London Bridge were in panic as there appeared to be no room on the train with cries of concern at the doorways from within the train as it set off. There were also lots of tired people waiting for train connections at East Croydon as his majority of those leaving the train headed for the trams and buses. Despite the delay at Stratford International I was at the Travel Lodge around 12.30 which was amazing all things considered and earlier than I had anticipated as a started off at the end of the event.
While finding myself with a space, a chair at a desk was interesting and provided an excellent viewpoint. One felt separate from the majority of those in there stadium and the younger ones who wanted to dance appeared self conscious in their comparative isolation.
The following day I packed leisurely and made my way without a rush back to St Pancras over to Kings Cross when I found a seat and listened to preparations for the Victory Parade when a huge fleet of vehicles would take all the British Olympians in convoy according to participating sport with Paralympians and Olympians. Although I had some difficult starting off and one point later I was able to listen to Five Live throughout most of the Journey and at Newcastle station I was able to see something of the end with the fly past in the bar alongside the main entrance. I needed to get home to shop and for Newcastle on the telly later. I will write further on the legacy issued sand on the individual athletes and their success as I have still to do for many of the Olympians.
No comments:
Post a Comment