Tammy's Olympic Diary!
Click on a date to go to the diary for that day.
(I will put
info in the box at the end of each day or on the next day)
Today I had the final training for my job in Event Services at the E Center. We received training on the mag & bag (a "mag" or magnetometer is a walk-through metal detector like at the airport). We learned how to inspect bags, how to pace people through the magnetometer, how to use the metal detector wand on people, etc. We'll be spending about half our days doing mag & bag (outside in tents around the venue), and the other half doing ticket-taking, ushering, access control (making sure that only people with the right accreditation go into certain areas), and other inside jobs. We also got a tour of the venue (really neat!) and a good lunch, to boot.
I took public transportation there and back so that I would be practiced with the schedules come games time, and I learned that wearing the volunteer uniform in public is like having a sign on that says, "Ask me a question, any question!" People on the TRAX light rail asked me about the train schedules, about where things were downtown, etc. Funny that they think I must know these things, but I did my best to help them. On the other hand, it was great to share the infectious Olympic spirit that is here right now. People were really interested in the work the volunteers are doing and in our uniforms, etc.
The next diary entry will be for February 6th,
since that is the next day that there will be something to report. I'm
going to attend the dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies that night.
I won't be allowed to take pictures, but I sure plan on writing all about
it, so bookmark this page and come back!
The dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies was awesome (as a volunteer, I got a free ticket)!!! I would tell you about it but if I told you, I'd have to kill you... anyway, it was really quite the production. I think I expected it to be bigger than it was (although it was certainly not disappointing! Perhaps it's just that it looks bigger on TV than from way above the field), but it was soooo cool to be there in person.
What I can tell you: LOTS of star power (we got to see some stars but not all of them; e.g. Sting and Yo-Yo Ma were not there tonight but some others were). Amazingly beautiful costumes, great music, very inspiring. Think Western themes, audience participation, and much much more. It was so neat being there with all the other volunteers. Can't wait to see it on TV. Tickets are $885!!! to the real thing, and it was VERY VERY VERY COLD!!! I had 4 layers on my legs, 6 on top, 2 pr socks (1 pr electric socks) and hat, headband, scarf, gloves. Plus I used handwarmers to keep toasty hands, and sat on a cushion and it was still COLD. I have to say that as spectacular as it was to be there, there is a lot to be said for watching it on tv with a nice cup of hot apple cider.
February 7
more photos of torch relay
My friend Lisa carries the torch!!!
WOW! Today was a really neat day! After I taught my last piano lesson of the afternoon, Loren and I headed up the hill (with my last student and his mom) and we saw the Olympic Torch Relay. My friend Lisa carried the torch, and it was so exciting to see her light the flame and run down the street with it held high. I almost didn't get to see her carry it because she ran about 0.4 miles past where she was scheduled to run, so I had to run with the relay to catch a glimpse of her. I nearly didn't make it, but I did get there and get a great picture of her with the torch.
Then we went to the LDS Church conference center and saw a special production they're putting on for the Olympics. It was a first-class production, and, agree or disagree with the worldview presented, it was an entertaining show with great costumes and music.
Finally, we ate dinner at Chevy's and came home to see the torch lighting downtown live on TV. When the cauldron at the city & county building was lit, there were all kinds of fireworks going off. I looked out the window, and could see them from our back bedroom! It was a short but amazing show, seeing it from our house overlooking downtown.
What a day! Tomorrow's opening ceremonies are going to be so exciting, though I won't see much more than all of you will, even though I live only 2 miles from the stadium. Might see some fireworks at the end, if we choose to drive up to the top of the hill ... and we might. I'll write again tomorrow!
February 8
pictures - don't miss out on
these!!!
Fireworks over Rice-Eccles stadium, as seen from the
seminary.
It was FABULOUS! And I thought yesterday was exciting!!! Don't miss out on looking at the pictures. I have captions telling all kinds of things about the evening. Anyway, we did NOT watch the fireworks from up high in the hills --- instead, we watched from Tammy's workplace, Salt Lake Theological Seminary, a mere 2 blocks from the Rice-Eccles stadium!!! We watched the ceremony on TV and ran outside several times during the ceremony when there were fireworks (most notably at the end, but there were some good ones in the middle, too).
Other AMAZING highlights of our day: seeing the heightened security, including snipers on the roof on University buildings, watching the presidential motorcade AND the Olympic torch go right by the seminary building (we stood out on the street cheering!), hearing firsthand about the ceremony from a man who is staying at the seminary for a few days (he bought his ticket from a scalper at 25% of face value!), and meeting a Russian Orthodox priest from Moscow. Please look at my photos from today, because I tell a lot more about the experiences in the photo captions. Suffice it to say that this was one thrilling evening!
After we left the seminary, we drove up in high
in the Avenues to try and photograph the brightly lit giant Olympic rings on
the hillside. We couldn't get a good picture from up there, but we did
get a neat shot of the stadium and the city. Then we drove the state
capitol, hoping for a good shot, but instead got a picture of a giant
illuminated American flag on the capitol grounds. The best shot of the
Olympic rings was to be had right near our home, as we returned after our
exciting evening. We didn't get to bed until after 1 am, and I have a
2 pm to 1 am shift at the E Center coming up! These 2 weeks are going
to be exciting, but very tiring.
February 9
Pictures from my first volunteer shift!
Tammy amongst a sea of yellow.
My team was deployed to be USHERS! This means we got to watch both games as we helped people find their seats, and also kept them from returning to their seats if the puck was in motion (some people didn't like this, but it is common courtesy to the other fans at hockey games). We also helped with access control in a stairway used by athletes and coaches and other bigwigs - one of our team members met Wayne Gretzky, who gave him a Canada pin!!! Too cool!
I knew 2 of my team members already, interestingly enough. Nita Jensen is a friend who I have scrapbooked with before, and Mark Hertweck works for the Salt Company, a Baptist campus ministry at the University of Utah. I've had some contact with him in my job at the seminary (he was the one who met Wayne Gretzky, incidentally). I'm rambling, but that's because I'm pretty tired. My feet really hurt after 10 hours standing with just a few breaks, but they feel better now. I'm writing this on the 10th, before I go to my next shift at 5 pm today. I am also feeling a bit sick this morning --- sore throat, fatigue. Gonna try to squeeze in a nap before my shift.
Anyway, back to the ushering thing. The best part was the total enthusiasm of the fans. They were so excited to be at the Olympics! Lots of people asked me to take their picture, and one spectator even bought me a diet Coke (hey, those were $3, so that was pretty generous!). People were thrilled with how beautiful the arena looked and the fans from other countries were so much fun, especially the Swiss, who had these GIANT (like 1 foot across) cowbells. I met a fan from Ireland who said he loved being here because the Americans were so friendly and helpful. Also met a guy from Australia who was having a great time too.
One hard part was the drunk spectators (of which there were many) who kept hitting on the female volunteers. This wasn't as bad as it sounds, because they were pretty harmless types, and it was sort of amusing at times. Another hard part was the error by Ticketmaster that resulted in selling 2 rows of seats that didn't exist... the seats began with Row 3, but they sold Row 2, so all of these die-hard fans that thought they had front row seats were moved elsewhere. Not good. In addition, they sold Row 23, which also didn't exist, so we had folding chairs in the disabled seating area and we put the people there. They are going to try and work something else out by today, so that problem should improve. But I might do something entirely different today, like mag & bag, or ticket taking. If I do mag & bag, I get to leave earlier, since once the spectators have gone through the magnetometer and had their bags inspected and are inside, they don't need those volunteers any more. I'm kinda hoping that's what I get today, since I'm not feeling well and could use the sleep before my 9 am to 8 pm shift tomorrow.
February 10
Pictures from my first and second volunteer
shifts!
Volunteers lining up for security check.
Today I was deployed on mag & bag. I was pretty happy to do it because it meant we got to go home early, and I wasn't feeling well. I was the "pacer" for a while, which means I asked everyone to open their bags, turn on electronic devices, and remove metal items from their pockets. Then I was the mag operator, and I funneled people through the magnetometer. If the alarm went off, I sent them over to be wanded by the National Guard. Then I searched bags for a long time, which was the hardest job. I had to confiscate a lot of food and water (you're not allowed to bring food or beverages into the venues). You should have seen the size of the pile of stuff we confiscated. I felt bad about wasting all the food, because we had to throw it out. Should have taken a photo, but was too busy! Also had to ask everyone with a camera to take a picture of the ground. They weren't happy about wasting their film, but we had to do it to be 100% sure it was a camera. Wow! Tomorrow I work 9 am to 8 pm. I'm gonna be tired!
February 11
MORE PHOTOS of medals plaza
The Medals Plaza.
Loren went to the medals plaza tonight... see the pictures for more on that. As for me today, I was on mag & bag. I think I have found my true calling --- as a PIM, or Pre-Information Marshal. I got to sit in a lifeguard type chair, hold a megaphone, and tell spectators, "Welcome to the E Center! Have your bags open to be inspected, remove all metal items from your pockets, turn on all electronic devices, and have a super day!". We were encouraged to elaborate on the script, so I enjoyed yelling, "Are you excited to be here?" and the crowd would cheer! We also had to get people to come down to the mags on our side, because the lines were shorter, so I'd yell, "COME ON DOWN," in my best Bob Barker voice, "You're the next contestant on the mag and bag!" Or I might say, "Welcome to the E Center! Come over here - our lines are shorter and we're just as friendly!". I loved it. The time just flew by.
Then we had lunch --- and got to sit back & relax for 2 1/2 hours, until we had to go out for the next game. Meanwhile, they have TVs with LIVE FEED from ANY event you like... and NO ANNOYING COMMENTATORS! So we watched luge, speedskating, and snowboarding (awesome!!!) until we had to go back outside for the 2nd game.
For the 2nd game, I worked as a bag inspector, which I don't really care for because you have to lean over a table and it makes my back tired after a while. But it was nicer today, because they didn't make us have everyone take photos with their cameras - just examine them closely instead, and we didn't have to confiscate everyone's water and food. If they had a small amount of food, we let them take it in with them. That was much better.
Got to go home early today, too (4:30!) and am hoping to be on mag & bag tomorrow so I can go home early because Alex is arriving tomorrow afternoon!!! :)
February 12
Photos of the PARTY downtown!
Wild hockey fans.
Today I worked at staff check-in at the E Center, and saw these wild hockey fans (at left). Too fun! Most of the day I searched staff bags, which was more relaxed than searching spectator bags, but I almost didn't get to go home early to see Alex. Fortunately, my team leader was kind enough to work out a way to let me go.
When I got home, Alex was here and so we went downtown to have dinner, soak up the atmosphere and see what was going on. We ran into the monster.com guy, saw amazing ice sculptures, fireworks, and more. Don't miss out on the pictures, because they really tell today's story.
February 13
You've gotta see our curling & luge
photos!
Loren and Tammy cheer on USA men in curling.
Today was totally amazing. A little bit to our surprise, we LOVED curling! It was so strategic and intense, yet beautiful and graceful at the same time. The way they delivered the stones was incredibly smooth. By the way, the goal is to get as many of your stones closest to the center of the "house" (the target) as you can. You get a point for every stone that is closer than ALL of your opponent's stones, and if you have the closest stones, then the opponent gets no points for that "end". An end consists of each team curling 8 stones, in alternating order. Since the team that curls the last stone has the advantage, the team that wins the end has to go first in the next end, making for exciting play. They had 4 games going on at once on the ice, which made it fascinating and exciting to watch. It was really tough to keep track of all 4 games at once, but fun! We mostly kept our eyes on the sheet where the USA was matched up with Germany. It was such a close game --- they had to play an extra end because they were all tied up at the end of 10 ends. The USA was in a great position to win, but choked on a relatively easy shot, and Germany won the match.
Next we drove to Utah
Olympic Park to watch luge. Alex dropped us off there and drove downtown,
because he caught a ball tossed into the curling audience and had to
redeem it for 2 Olympic Medals Plaza tickets before 7 pm (and the luge was
from 4 to 7). So he went and did that and made it back at 4:10 pm! Anyway,
luge was incredible! The TV coverage does not do it justice in one sense,
because you can't see just how FAST they go. These women were literally
blurs as they went by. We stood 2 different places to watch. First we were
near the middle of the track, where we only had success photographing them
with our digital cameras on sequence mode, so they'd rattle off a series
of shots, and we'd toss the bad ones. Even then, we only got them about
1/3 of the time. Up at the top of the track, we could actually photograph
them pretty well, since they weren't going quite as fast. Please do go
& see our photos, as you won't see all that we did without doing
that.
February 14
Click here for more great photos from figure
skating!
Tim Goebel, Olympic bronze medalist.
Today started very early. We got up at 4 am, boarded a bus to Utah Olympic Park at 4:40 am, and were there by 5:10 am. We waited for 1 hour in the cold for the security gates to open, then took a bus up the hill to the ski jumping area. After waiting another 2 hours in the cold, we learned there was too much wind and they postponed the competition until 11:30. Well, we had figure skating tickets for that night, so we decided we'd leave, since we couldn't watch the competition and make it downtown in time if we stayed. It took until 11:30 for the bus to be ready to leave, and it turned out they had to reschedule the competition for Saturday morning anyway (and we couldn't attend - bummer!).
That afternoon, we made
our way to the Salt Lake Ice Center (the Delta Center) for the figure
skating. It was an incredible evening --- we were so glad to be there. The
competition was fierce, and the skating was excellent. We enjoyed all of
the programs, even those of the earlier competitors who were not in medal
contention (most notably, we enjoyed the talented Belgian skater). It was
great to watch sentimental favorites Todd Eldredge and Elvis Stojko,
though they had no hope of a medal after their short programs. American
Timothy Goebel and Russians Evgeny Plushenko and Alexei Yagudin were the
medalists, and their performances were so outstanding. It was amazing
being there in person and cheering along with the huge crowd. The artistry
of the skaters and the way they cover the ice so quickly was impressive in
person - more so than on TV. Don't miss our pictures - click on the link
at left.
February 15
More photos of Alex climbing, the hockey game, and
the medals plaza.
Alex climbs the
wall at Galyan's.
Now for a long story. Alex & I went downtown today because he was meeting a guy there at 11 am to get tickets to the medals plaza. You see, on Wednesday when we went to the curling match, Alex caught a red ball thrown into the audience. The ball was worth 2 Olympic Medals Plaza tickets for that night. The problem was, we had luge tickets for that night. So Alex went downtown inbetween curling and luge and redeemed the ball for 2 tickets. He then went to the ticket exchange, hoping to swap them for 2 tickets for Friday. He met a guy named John who is the coach of the BERMUDA (yes, Bermuda) luge team. John needed Alex's tickets, and had tickets for Friday --- sort of. He couldn't pick them up until Friday morning. To convince Alex of his good intentions, he gave him his business card, cell phone #, and a Bermuda luge pin, and agreed to meet Alex Friday morning. So, Alex met him Friday morning, and sure enough, he had the tickets!
After that, Alex and I went to Galyan's so I could show him the huge 76-foot climbing wall. Alex was immediately impressed, and it turns out it's free to climb it. So he got a ticket and waited only about 20 minutes before he got to climb the wall! Too fun! I had a great time watching him. Then we went to the Roots store because Alex wanted one of the berets the athletes wore in the opening ceremony. But the line was 4 to 5 hours long, so he decided to buy a vest instead (at another store). We grabbed a bite to eat, and then were off to sell our ski jumping tickets, since we couldn't attend the rescheduled event Saturday morning (that is when Alex's plane was leaving). We could only get 1/3 of face value, but it was better than nothing. We stopped at a couple Olympic souvenir shops to get Alex some T-shirts, and then Tammy picked up some film she had developed and we went home.
That night Alex &
Loren enjoyed the medals plaza, featuring SmashMouth, and Tammy got to
usher for the USA vs. Finland hockey game (she had a volunteer shift from
5 pm to 1 am). It was a great game --- USA won 6 to 0. The
crowd was so loud!!! Jeff Hornacek, former Utah Jazz basketball
player, was sitting in the section I was ushering in. I also got to
see Scott Hamilton, who was at the game, too.
Today I worked from 5 pm to 1 am again, but got off early because I was on mag & bag. Our team covered the end of the second game and the beginning of the third game. I got to be the PIM and use the megaphone again :)
I was happy I didn't have to work until 5 pm, because I got to relax all day and watch some of the taped coverage I had building up.
February 17
The "mag &
bag" area at the E Center.
Today I was assigned a 2 pm to 1 am shift, and since tomorrow I'm supposed to be there from 9 am to 8 pm, I tried to get on mag & bag so I'd get to leave early. The strategy almost backfired, because we got assigned to relieve Zulu 30, the team on the end that stays and lets stragglers into the venue until the end of the game. There were still quite a few stragglers arriving 1 hour into the game, when we got relieved, thankfully, and I got to go home. Why would you pay over $100 for a ticket and then come 1 hour late??? Crazy!
On the way home, I heard a story on the radio about a mag & bag team at one of the venues. They were searching the purse of a petite young woman, and inside was a GOLD MEDAL!!! It was Kelly Clark, the snowboarding halfpipe gold medalist. Too cool! Now why can't that happen on MY shift? :)
February 18
Photos of the wild 'n' crazy hockey day!
Tammy with the "Canada Snowball Fighting
Team".
This was a long but crazy & fun day. They gave us "8 days to go" pins when we checked in this morning --- they had Steve Young (#8 for the 49ers) on the pin ... kinda silly since there were only 7 days to go, but it was a nice sentiment, nonetheless. Then they had the break tent all decorated with balloons and streamers, and had a goofy contest to raise our spirits.
Now about the contest: SLOC (Salt Lake Organizing Committee) had ordered mabye half a truck full of Wahoos chips for the volunteers and staff... well, someone goofed up and they got around 20 semis filled with the things. So they have a basket at the break tent that says "Wahoos! Take some while they last!" Anyway, today they had a contest to see who could eat the most Wahoos in 2 minutes. It was a total riot... see the pictures by clicking on the link at left.
Lest you think the day was all about staff, I did get to usher today and watched 2 great hockey games. The first was USA vs. Belarus, and USA won, 8-1. It was at 11 am, so the fans weren't too drunk yet, and it was a good time. They were very loud, though, as they should have been. However, it was NOTHING compared to the volume of the Canadian fans at the 2nd game, Canada vs. Czech Republic. The Candians were significantly more drunk when the game started, and even more plastered by the end. They were dressed in all kinds of wild outfits - most notably, a guy wearing shorts with a hole cut out around the behind, and no underwear! I called my team leader, who called the sector coordinator, and it turned out to be a false alarm, as the "bottom" was just that - false! It was VERY amusing, however. The game was a 3-3 tie, and it took a long time to get the very drunk fans out of the building. So, I'm pretty tired... signing off for the night.
February 19
Tammy with mascot Powder in the E Center lobby.
I worked at the E Center from 9 am to 7:30 pm today, and was there the whole time... I got assigned to the lobby just as you enter, and told people (with a megaphone), "Welcome to the E Center! Please proceed to your right and up the stairs, where you will find your seat, concessions, restrooms and merchandise. The entrance to the store on this level is also to your right." I said it over and over and over and over for 2 hours! People still would go to the left to go in the store. I even said "This is a recording" and most of the time, no one would notice. Sometimes people would laugh, though. This job was pretty fun, but the bummer was that we had to stay even after all the ushers left to help clear the lobby. Excited USA women's fans stayed for over an hour after the game, despite our best efforts to shoo them out (the USA women won in these semifinals, guaranteeing their spot in the gold medal game).
February 20
Photos of the SKELETON!
Jim Shea celebrates GOLD.
Today we woke up at 5:45 am to go up the hill to see the skeleton racing at Utah Olympic Park. It was incredible --- USA men took gold, and women took gold and silver. Please see the photos, as the story is better told there.
Then we came back down the hill and I had to work at the E Center from 5 pm to 1 am. I ended up on mag & bag, which was good, since I was really tired. I got home around 10 pm, which worked out well.
February 21
Photos of the Olympic Museum and the Steinway exhibit.
Tammy plays Van Cliburn's Steinway.
Today I worked at the E Center from 3 pm to 9 pm (scheduled) but was on mag & bag again and so I got off early, at 6:00. This was very good because I was getting very sick. I had a fever of 100 degrees and alternately shivered and roasted all evening as I watched figure skating on TV.
Earlier in the day, even though I wasn't feeling great, I really wanted to try the pianos on display at Abravenal Hall (symphony hall). Steinway exhibited 5 pianos. One was decorated by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, and it was mostly neon green with bright orange and yellow keys and a purple metal frame. It was obnoxious, but still really neat looking. Another was in commemoration of George Gershwin, and another was Steinway's 500,000th piano. But the best were Van Cliburn and Vladimir Horowitz's pianos - and I got to try them both. Horowitz's piano was not in the best shape - I think it needed a lot of regulation. The touch was very light but fairly pleasing, but the sound was less than I would have liked. A good Mozart piano, I think. Van Cliburn's piano was more to my liking - a heavier action (but not too heavy) and a warm, rich sound. Unfortunately, it was hard to hear with 5 pianos going all at once, but it was still a great experience.
I also visited the City & County Building to see the Olympic Museum, and saw torches, coins, and medals from various Winter Olympics. Very cool. I will post photos later, because I'm not feeling well at all.
February 22
Tammy with the Stanley Cup.
Still not feeling well today; had a nasty fever last night but woke up without it. Very tired though, and have a bad cough. I went to volunteer anyway, and my team leader gave me a cushy job - bag search in the disabled aisle. Less traffic meant that I got time to sit on the table and rest. The first game was really slow, but the 2nd game (US vs. Russia) was pretty busy, because a lot of sponsors and athletes came through our aisle (they can do that w/the right accreditation). I had the privilege of searching Michael Weiss' bag (he's a figure skater for USA) and also Vonetta Flowers' bag (she is a bobsled gold medalist for USA). Guess what was in her bag? A gold medal!!! So I got to hold it... too cool. Derek Parra (speedskating gold medalist) went through a line just a few aisles away from ours. I also got to see the Stanley Cup today, as it is on display near the E Center.
Got home at 6:00 and crashed in front of the TV. Could barely stay awake for the coverage of the figure skating exhibition.
February 23
Photos of the short track speed
skating
More crazed hockey fans.
Still feeling rotten. Only one game today, so I'm going to go in. We have short track speedskating tickets for tonight! Hope I feel good enough to enjoy it.
Felt horrible my entire shift at the E Center. Fortunately, my team leader was super nice to me and let me do access control, which meant I got to sit down the whole time. After I finished my shift, went home and left to go to see short track speed skating. Unfortunately, I felt so horrible the whole time that I didn't enjoy it much. To top it off, the USA didn't do very well, and so it was a bit of a disappointment. Loren was very good to me, as I felt so bad by the end, and had to walk 4 long city blocks to the bus. I have rarely felt so awful in my whole life - got home and had a 101 degree fever and could barely breathe. Loren took great care of me, though, and by midnight I was able to sleep, somewhat fitfully.
Woke up feeling terrible, with a 100 degree fever. Loren told me not to go to my shift, but I had to get my playbook signed to be eligible for my thank-you package (which includes a really nice watch!), so he drove me over there just to get it signed. What a guy! So I watched the gold medal hockey match on TV. What a way to end these 2 weeks... but it has been an amazing experience, all the same. I would do it again in a second (and hopefully avoid the sickies next time!).