Day One of our Olympic Action 2016

Well I didn't think I'd be blogging again so soon, but day 1 of Olympic events has been so super that I want to record all about it. 

We set off just gone 8 and it took a couple of hours to get to the Equestrian Centre, or I'm thinking of adopting the Brazilian name which seems more fun: Centro Olimpico de Hipismo. We were in time to see the first Brit performing. I remembered pretty quickly, that I don't really know a thing about Dressage. When the scores came up at the end of a routine, it was always quite a surprise to me to see how they scored - I couldn't tell at all whether a routine looked good or not. I was just happy marvelling and wondering how you ever teach a horse to dance! We did comment that we could have done with one of the two Emma's to improve our horse knowledge!

It was very hot in the stadium and we were imagining how unpleasant it will seem if it's the same for the triathletes on Thursday. Sadly for the competitors, the stadium was pretty empty. But the fact that it was unreserved seating meant we were able to move around and choose our seats where there was a bit of a breeze. We also moved sides of the arena just before the end to get a good view of the medal ceremony. 

We had an entertaining moment when we got our the Union Jack we had been carrying around South America... only to find it was actually a New Zealand flag!! Whoops!

The tension increased as the final 6 competitors took the arena, including Charlotte Dujardin on Valegra. I thought her routine looked more ordinary, but as I said I knew nothing as she leaped into the lead with an amazing score!! 

There were four competitors after her so we had a nervous wait to see if and what medal she would get and it was absolutely fantastic that she got the gold! I really enjoying the medal ceremony and we're pleased the horses were there too. It was great to hear and sing along to the national anthem at our very first event. I almost got teary when they did their lap of honour. 

We were dashing out of the stadium to get across the city to the Barra Olympic Park to get to the Velodrome. But we were stopped just outside and asked if we could do an interview for Sky Radio. We obliged and apparently Sky Radio is used by several commercial radio stations - anyone hear us?! 

We just had time to eat a sandwich before heading in to the cycling. It felt wonderful being in the arena and seeing just how steep the track is. Again it wasn't full which was a shame. I remember hearing that the velodrome at London recorded one of the highest decibel crowds but for much of today's event the noise and atmosphere was pretty low. It didn't stop is having an amazing time in our incredible seats - four rows from the front very close to the start line and next to the press. I could even see the stubble of Mark Cavendish as he came past - that's how close we were! All so exciting. 

Some Brits came to sit next to us. We got chatting and they turned out to be the friends and family of Richard Hounslow, silver medalist from the Canoe Slalom. Not long after he turns up and sits behind! He seems a very nice man and I had a very interesting time eavesdropping as he talked about 'partying with Bradley!' At the end of the session we plucked up courage to ask for a photo and he kindly obliged: 

The first several events we watched all seemed very calm and we were chatting away to our new neighbours. But then the final of the omnium came - Mark Cavendish's chance to get an Olympic medal at last. It was the points race which turns out to be the most stressful thing ever. I'm glad it was 160 laps as it took me a while to understand just what was going on but oh was it tense and then there were the guns and bells! Fortunately we had a performance of the UCI behind us who was explaining to her neighbour what was going on! There was a horrible crash and the Korean athlete was stretchered off in front of us. It was quite horrible and made me feel so much worse for the rest of the race. 

After this some new people came to sit next to John and he started explaining to them what goes on in a Points Race. I half listened and thought, 'he sounds quite like Matt Baker'. A while later John managed to sort of whisper to me, 'do you know who that is' and it turned out that it was indeed Matt Baker himself!! He said he was having a break from the Gymnastics where he'd spent most of his time. We cheered on together to the end of the race: 'don't let him catch you, lad', being our favourite Yorkshire phrase!! 

I was absolutely delighted that Cavendish got his silver medal. We got to see our second ceremony of the day featuring a Brit. What a great start to our Olympic experience!   

A funny thing about today was not knowing what else was going on all day at the Olympics and not knowing whether we were still ahead of China in the medal table! 

After the cycling we just had time to wander across the Olympic Park and get an ice cream before arriving at the Future Arena for the handball. We didn't know who would be playing but we had heard the atmosphere was great when Brazil were playing. We had... Croatia vs Tunisia. But I was still really pleased to be there and I think it's quite fun to learn about a sport while watching it be played live. It was interesting to see how the two referees worked and the rolling substitutions were fascinating to watch, especially when the goalie was subbed off when the team was attacking and then had to run back to his goal as the ball went up their end!

My limited match report: Tunisia made it much more interesting in the second half but couldn't overcome the deficit they created for themselves in the first half. 

Then it turned out there was a second match. And it was the next best thing to Brazil - it was Argentina vs Qatar which meant all the Brazilians in the audience were cheering crazily for Qatar!! I wonder if they've ever had so much support?! 

There were many chants of: O-lay, olay olay olah... Qatar... Qatar!! And plenty of booing for Argentina, although they had many of their own supporters so it made for an incredibly lovely atmosphere - quite different from our first two events. I was anxious when the anthems were sung before play, but fortunately the loudest and most raucous section of Brazilians next to us managed to shush the booing during the Argentinian anthem. 

So it has been such a brilliant day at the Olympics. I've loved it all and am home just before midnight. Quite incredible. Thanks Rio and Team GB! 

Arriving at the Olympics 2016

We are both very excited about starting the Olympic leg of our year, although sad it's the final stage. We are spending the day in Panama for flight reasons and then heading in to Rio on Sunday morning. 

We haven't seen all that much of the first week action - partly due to spending 4 days of it on the Inca Trek. We did excitedly manage to see some of the Opening Ceremony, the night before we started the trek, although it was a tricky start. We had heard the hotel we would be staying at didn't have televisions in the rooms. When we walked in though there was a big TV in the lobby, although it was pointed out that it was unplugged and indeed through a combination of gestures the lady behind the desk got the message across that it didn't work. 

Someone said that the sweet shop round the corner had a TV showing it so we lurked there for a little while until it just became weird! 

We then headed to the main square to peer in the restaurants and bars looking for one with a TV. In the corner of the square, rather hidden we found a small restaurant with a big TV whose lady was willing to switch from TLC to ESPN for us. We ordered a Sprite and a beer and she went out to buy them from somewhere else to serve to us! 

We got in a good hour of footage, making up our own interpretations of the dancing as our Spanish has not reached a level to understand what the commentators were saying. We saw the start of the countries coming out and then went to join the rest of our tour group for dinner - delightfully for us it turned out we had our own room with a tv so we could carry on watching! It was fun wondering what the name of our nation was in Portuguese to know when we would be coming out! 

While on the trek each of our group predicted how many medals their nation would have won when we were back in wifi land. We finished the trek and spent a few hours before catching the train in a lovely comfy restaurant and big sofas with a tv and four Olympics channels. It was just what my brain wanted to settle into in my body's exhausted state. 

From then on, we have caught bits of coverage on tv. We are quite up on how the South American countries are doing. We had watched quite a bit of the cycling time trial, with Chris Froome about a minute away from finishing when ESPN switched to watching Argentina in the volleyball! And can you guess who the biggest star is of the Olympics in Argentina? Well we feel it's Juan Martin Del Potro in the tennis, as seemingly every 10 minutes a banner has appeared on the screen telling us when his next match is!! Some of the South American countries seem big in to their handball so we have watched quite a lot of that which has been useful in learning what's going on before we are there watching it on Monday. 

So we arrive in Rio on Sunday morning and are going to go in search of new tickets. The stadiums don't look very full, but we are not sure how easy (or expensive) it will be to buy them there. Even if we don't get any extra we are still excited by the events we will be seeing:

Monday night, midnight UK - handball

Tuesday,  6.30pm UK - basketball

Wednesday all afternoon/evening - women's golf

Thursday, 3pm - no tickets but planning to cheer on the Brownlees in the men's triathlon (we have our Yorkshire glad ready to wave!)

Friday, 1pm UK - canoe sprint

Saturday - same again for cheering on the women's triathlon (3pm) and then we have tickets for the athletics at night (midnight UK), hoping that Mo stays fit and shines in the 5000m. 

So as it stands, don't strain your eyes looking for us too closely in the crowds on the tv! 

Then we leave on Sunday getting back to the UK on Monday 22nd August. 

A Sporty Day

A small post and a photo-less one but just wished to make a quick note of the sporty day I had yesterday  - being something that doesn't often happen!!

A group of ladies at school have decided to run the race for life this year.  I did it 3 years ago with mamma and lizzie and really enjoyed it, and am excited to be giving it another go!  After school yesterday we went for our first run together.  There were 5 of us and I was really pleased with how I did.  We didn't all run together and I came in second with another teacher - 1 and a half miles in 17 minutes.

Then John and I drove home and drove to the swimming pool.  We have signed up to do a mini triathlon in June so have been having a go at the constituent parts.

After our swim, we went back to John's then we cycled down to the tennis courts and played tennis with John's family.  Then cycled on to their house, ate and watched the apprentice, then cycled back to John's.

Can you believe it?  I'm feeling tired just remembering it!

Flood - a spectator sport

Who would think you could have such an enjoyable time watching a flood?

19/8 Oh my goodness!  Blog update! I added some photos to a post last night in the usual way and had the usual pang of  'uhh, this is time comsuming, can't I click on several at once?'.  Then this morning I come to add these photos and it's a new system and I added them all at once!!!!  Yay!

Was walking into town with friends on Saturday and we thought the clouds weren't looking great, and then it started to rain and in a matter of moments, absolutely pour!!  We took shelter in the pub vestibule on the opposite side of the road.  Soon there were mini white water rapids going down the road and look at the gushingly over flowing gutters:

 Our dry retreat turned on us as water started leaking through the light fitting above.  It was all slightly hysterical!

Then came the ultimate form of entertainment.   We decided rain had lessened (probs about 20 mins later..) and we ventured out.  Just down the road from us was the bridge under the railway that had totally flooded up and so we started watching and it was addictive!!

 Not so funnly for them, one car hadn't made it through and was stopped at the end of the flood - car on the right.

 It was an amazingly entertaining time of cheering, clapping, gasps (check out the crazy cyclist!),  held breath, community spirit...

 It really made the afternoon!

Defoe Defies Defeat

This song (Vuvuzela Song) is the highlight for me of the World Cup so far (apart from the banners of course!).  I totally was laughing out loud first time I heard it and have listened to it so many times since - sometimes even on repeat!

(I originally found the song with lyrics (having been the song by a friend) on this website, but the embed code there didn't seem to work, so I found it on youtube instead)

So... we made it through the group - woop!  I got confirmation from SLT at lunchtime that the staff meeting was on after school - doom!  There was some earlier excitement in the day when we discovered the classes we would be having the following year - I'm Year 2 again phewff!

So, i headed to the staff meeting, somewhat late having been talking to a parent.  Our staff meetings rotate around each classroom, which I really like, otherwise I don't think I would have been in many classrooms!  So the teacher's classroom we were in yesterday, one of my friends, had got a live text loading up on the IWB behind the head.  That's a tense way to watch a match!  When I got there, it was already 1-0 to England!!!!  Go Defoe.  Have just changed the post title from the rather boring: World Cup 2010 end of Group Stage! - to this great newspaper headline from today.  I wonder if there are always so many fouls committed by England or if that is just the sort of thing that gets written in minute by minute reports...  certainly stressful each time one came up and it said free kick conceded and wondering where on the pitch the free kick was!

Meeting finished about half term.  I went to get my home things and finished watching the match live on iplayer in his classroom - complete with the cheesy football snacks and flashing hat - thoughtfully sweated in by a boy in my class who I'd let wear it at lunchtime!  Tense stuff but good result!  And amazing peculiar heading dive from Terry.

Match over, we went for an epic report reading session, checking for errors before handing them in.  Think we left about 7.30 in the end.  I had fairly lost it by that point and was in a serious giggle fest state.  Seemingly every other comment on the reports was sending me into hysterics.  For one of the only times in my life, I was really fancying a drink - an alcoholic one!  So back home we went to the pub for food and watched the Germany v Ghana match. 

Walking back from the pub it seemed a good idea to try copy the jogger in front of us and try climb onto the bridge!!

So we play Germany on Sunday...  Not sure what that'll be like, but for this day at least it was Good Times all round for me :-)

World Cup 2010

I do love big sporting events.  Apart from Formula 1 I can take or leave regular season long following, but when Wimbledon or the Olympics comes round - I love being in that all consuming zone!

I think Euro 2000 was the first time I used a wall chart and filled it in - love that :-)  Am sad that I wasn't aware enough of Euro 96 in England.  And I definitely don't remember Italia 90 as some my age claim.  Owen's wonder goal and Beckham's sending off at France '98 are probably my clearest first memories.  You can read some of my 2002 recollections on the Les Mis post?!  Also that year for the quarter final against Brazil it was my AS year.  School opened early (Japan/South Korea) on that Friday morning and set up TVs for different parts of the school to watch in. It was awesome, though smaller crowd than was expecting initially, until of course Ronaldihno!  That year it was close/on top of the Queen's jubilee so the whole country was going pretty flag crazy.  I was really happy Mum was happy/keen to go along with it and we had to keep changing from Union Jack to St George's on the car!  By Germany 2006 I had got my large St George's flag and was very happy to be draped in it after my last second year exam and watch England's first match in the JCR coated in it!  Getting it out for this year I discovered the champagne (or cava) stains on it!  And of course the heart ache sticks in the mind.  I felt flat and physically kinda ill after going out on penalties in... how mighty strange, I can't work out if it was 2004 or 2006?  Have just looked it up on Wikipedia and it appears we went out in the quarter finals on penalties to portugal in both of them... so maybe not quite so strange I can't remember!  Anway, we watched in our friends' garage round the corner.  It was mighty strange lying down to bed after and feeling empty.  I can still hear the tube trains going past while my windows were open and | was listening to 606.

And so... onto this year!  car flag was bought at Easter.  Lizzie and I somewhat embarrassedly but also kinda excitedly bought a two pack at Halfords and split it.  After a lot of deliberation about when to put it on the car, I somewhat failed and shut it in the car door all weekend and after Lizzie explained (through laughter) my mistake, I turned it round but was so afraid it was going to snap off going down the A34 that I took it off when I got to school!!!

Watched the first match at a friends on Friday night.  Good times and we made our World Cup predictions.  I decided I didn't want to miss out on the family fun for England's first match the next day so home I popped.  I was highly surprised a family watching hadn't been planned but we managed to persuade the grandparents to come round and they showed up on fine form.  Here we are all decked out in our supporting finery:

Flashing (no less) England flag hat.  Grandma with homemade flag.  Grandpa (unsurprisingly not dressed England-wise) but holding the nibbles they'd brought, complete with England colour napkins!

Sister even had real white football socks on!  My 12 year old innocent face, kinda confused by the banner!

Match time!  And within 5 minutes, Gerard had scored!!!  I tend to think, though try to ignore, the worry that thinks I have anticipated greatly, will actually be a big anticlimax, and couldn't believe we actually scored this early!!!

aside, i have been doing a load of blog posts this evening: Photos of the Year Week 18, Rocky-horror-show-with-attitude and a little update to quick-bite, and it's just gone 6pm now and I realise I have totally missed Neighbours as I have been sitting in the garden - totally shocked with myself, but admittedly kinda proud of the blogging!

On our feet at the goal!

Grandma has excelled herself and brought along Beat the Referee cards for people to hold up, handmade of course! We decided to deal them out for ease of access and had great fun remembering to hold them up at the appropriate time.  They genuinely did add something to the viewing experience!

Mum got 'NO MORE PRANKS - YANKS' - she must have been holding that up after their equaliser - ultimate humiliation - poor Rob Green!  Her hands did get a little tired holding up COME ON ENGLAND most of the time!

Sadly Grampy spent more time with his OH HEAVENS! (so appropriate for his pessimist streak!) up than I did with YOU'RE A STAR!

I love my family.  This may seem a mighty strange way to spend an evening, but for me, I just loved it.  And am so grateful for all involved for appearing to love it too.  Love that sense of coming together for shared enjoyment.  I've talked a lot about my loner tendencies, but I can't help enjoy the shared enjoyment lots!  Thank you and LOVE YOU!  and am not even thinking about the disappointment of the draw now :-)

have just texted grandparents to tell them I appreciate it.

The pressing question at the moment is... what will happen for next week's England match at 3pm on Wednesday.  Staff meeting night!  ??????

Sport Relief

Totally loved to today, it's why I want to be a teacher, and I had to record a quote from a child.  I haven't been doing very well at recording cute sayings.  To be honest they haven't been 10 a penny.

Todays: 'Miss Greig, I ache all over'.

The day started well with me waking up early and excited to dress into my Sarah Outen outfit.  Although it makes me feel more of a loner I think i will have to go and take a photo of myself to prove my attire (oops - had a shower before remembering about the photos again)!  Had a meeting with my mentor before and at the beginning of school which went much nicer than I was expecting and set me into a good mood.

Then it was assembly over the road which I got to partake in :-) 5 teachers took part in a sporting challenge.  I was asked as I was sitting down while the children were coming in.  I admit I was a little nervous but definitely excited - this is something I had been waiting for my whole (even though limited!) teaching career - getting up in front of all the kids and making a fool of myself for their enjoyment (inspired but the stars in their eyes events at my secondary school which were highlights of the year - thanks teachers!).  I didn't know what I'd have to do but fortunately I was given the task of trying to catch a ball in a hoop type thing and I amazed myself by managing it twice!!!  When the children were asked how many times we had done it I showed up 10 fingers so that's what they shouted out.  When asked how many the others (football keepy uppies, so glad I didn't have to do those!) had done a boy in my class answered four.  He told me afterwards that he said that so that I would win.  I was delighted with his maths and quick thinking and support of me!

After a mega improvised maths lesson and a surprisingly relaxed lunchtime, it was time to get psyched with our class for the mile.

woah woah woah - rereading this morning and can't believe I forgot to write about the highlight of the day - tough though that is as there were so many great moments!  It was actually one of the highlights of my year.  Am going again to copy from an email to Sarah - still so surprised I didn't write about this.

they were going out for lunchtime and somehow (im hazy about who said what) but it ended up with me going out to the playground with my half blade to row in a sunken rowing boat they have in the playground.  i was absolutely amazed, taken aback and delighted, that by the time it took me to pick up my blade and head out there, that half my class were in the boat excitedly waiting for me - one of my top moments this year.  i stopped to take a photo and then got in and pretended to row - apologies that i sat the wrong way.  kids swarmed round and it was such fun!!!!   they were yelling are we in Mauritius yet!!!!

back to the original post: 

I showed them on mapmyrun.com where we'd be going and talked about ways to encourage each other (a very little bit of pshe that I was fairly proud of!).  Then over to the juniors to start.  It drizzled most of the time but it didn't dampen spirits and they did a great job at running.  Twice round the route was a mile but I had kids doing 10 laps.  I went round twice and then a break before doing a third a little while later.  I also entertained myself with some Scottish Dancing with mine at the start/finish line.

The children didn't seem to get bored but in the end all the classes headed back over.  The children were exhausted and all moaning about sore feet.  We sat and had a quiet time talking about how it went and we watched a sport relief video about a girl in India which I was impressed they engaged in.  It was while we were talking then, that the little boy got up and walked all the way round the classroom to come and tell me the above line.  Bless him, I had to giggle!

And this evening has finished off with fun and board games at a colleague's house - can't get much better!  For a week that has felt like it has had a few lows I'm in a pretty good mood now :-)