This is going to be a collection of thoughts (actually, it is mostly stuff I forgot to include previously.)
* A large number of the paid supervisory staff are people who are actually "event groupies", that is, they are people who go from event to event and don't have any permanent job. One girl has parents in Canada, but doesn't consider herself Canadian - she says she is a citizen of the world and has not had her own home since she got out of college. Many of these guys worked in Sydney, a couple even were in Atlanta. They work World Cups, Academy Awards, all sorts of things.
*I actually got a little taste of what the other hosts did on the night that I stood and watched Victoria Jackson. It was a blast directing spectators to their sections and answering their questions. (I do think that I wouldn't like standing every night, however. My knees were terribly stiff standing in the cold for an hour. My arthritis now has arthritis.) I also had a great time visiting with one of the security officers who has been taking special care of me in the booth. He checks in each night a couple of times to make sure we are all right.
*On one of the later nights, four burly guys from Boston (they sounded just like the car guys!) came into the IB to get recommendations on a cheap, but decent place to eat nearby. I suggested Crown Burger on the corner. We started talking and they told us that they had been spending the entire time sitting in a warehouse keeping an eye on medical supplies that had been brought into SLC, just in case of a large disaster. Everything about what they had was a big secret. They couldn't even tell us where the warehouse was. (We have a pretty good idea, though. Bob has a delivery service that started coming in one day with security clearance badges. They told him that they had to be accredited because they were storing emergency supplies.) These poor guys were four of nearly a hundred who had been sitting there for 10 days, just outside of the biggest party in the world. Someone had given the company 4 tickets to the Medals Plaza and they had been picked to attend. They just wanted to find some way to share as much as they could with the others. I gave them enough Olympic penlights for everyone, along with walking maps and anything else I could round up. They were delighted and gave me a special Haz-Mat pin that is pretty rare.
*Speaking of pins, I did pretty well, considering I didn't buy any. Besides the Steve Young special, I got the 6 shift and the 12 shift pins from SLOC, an Event Services pin from the ES stff, a "Charge pin from all the training sessions (with an incredible matching kazoo!), a white crystal logo pin with attached Visa pin (from Visitor Information Services), a copper Utah-shaped pin that says "I was touched" (from the Colorado masseuse), a couple of Jet Set Sports pins - one of the closing ceremonies and the other with the logo - (from a kid who was so relieved to get his cell phone back), a "Kids are #1" school pin (from 2 sisters that I taught at Murray - 2 of 5 sisters that I've had long term), a cast pin from the OMP that shows the Hoberman arch (traded with a "Child of Light"), a pretty silver and gold snowflake and a darling one with a quilt and a sewing machine from my sister, Karen. One that means a lot to me is a funny little counterfeit pin with a skier that was given to me by the Hispanic service worker after I gave him all the penlights. He was proud to be able to give me something back. I think I am going to put them all on my Roots Beret and keep it together.
*Saturday night, when I got to the tent, I found one of the security patrol who had come in to sit and eat his takeout from McDonald's. He was going to leave, but I made him stay. As we visited, I found out that he was the Police Chief of Berlin, Vermont. He said that he was an Army brat who was born in Kansas. I asked him where and he said, Ft. Riley, Kansas. I have never found anyone else who was born where I was! He was even born in the same hospital a couple of years later. We talked for half an hour or more before he had to go back to his post. He gave me his card and told me to come visit. Wow!
*When we were recruited, we were told that each night we would get a hot meal (and you know how that turned out) and snacks. The Support Operations hosts would bring boxes in to the IB at the beginning of the night, filled with granola bars, salt water taffy and mints, and some bags of an evil snack food called "Wahoos" (sort of like Fritos, but puffed up and light and artificially flavored). The assortment never varied. One of the granola bars was pretty good - cinnamon roll flavor with yogurt covering, but it was in an almost identical package to a terrible version that was fake banana. Not a nice surprise. Some nights, when the bands were so loud and awful, we had an assortment of folks in, asking for earplugs. I started telling them that we didn't have any, but the white pieces of commemorative salt water taffy from our snack boxes would do in a pinch.
*One night all I did was make cab and dinner reservations. It amazed me that the needs came in groups like that. I found out that many of the cab drivers didn't have English as a first language. No one else in the IB had a clue about what restaurants to recommend. Once they got past The Training Table, they were lost. Good grief, don't these people ever eat out? A funny couple, who were Russian, but had lived in Washington, D.C. for a while, wanted to know if I approved of their eating at Market Street Grill, which someone had recommended. I was a little wary about sending them for seafood (which is wonderful in the Maryland & D.C. area) in landlocked Utah, but they were determined. Unfortunately, MSG was booked until midnight, so I managed to get them in at P.F. Chang, which was closer. Then I arranged for the Olympic shuttle to pick them up in a reasonable period at the restaurant. Honestly, I am going to be a concierge in another life.
*The best thing about this whole experience has been the incredible people I have met. All the bus drivers, many of whom are retired, who volunteered from all over the country and were delighted to be here. The security personnel at the OMP - a boarder patrol officer from Tampa and the Police Chief of Berlin, Vermont, and the corrections officers from everywhere. They were all great guys spending their vacation time away from their families to be part of the party.
I loved: the feisty little lady from Connecticut who nearly jumped the nasty Russian journalists that were giving me a hard time, the sweet Scottish old darling who was a rabid curling fan and kept trying to sneak into the athletes area to congratulate the first British gold medalists in years, the dozens of folks from Colorado who couldn't miss something this close, the Dutch band, decked out in orange, who played "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and "La Cucaracha", the wacky Norweigans, with their Viking helmets and cowbells, the Swiss team members, wearing long silver coats that looked like dress robes from Hogwarts, all the retirees, who were good sports and a great time on public transportation, the sweet volunteers who patiently screened visitors to Temple Square and greeted everyone with a smile (even the anti-protestors - we heard that they took hot chocolate and donuts out to them. The recipients didn't know what to do!)
Almost everyone I had anything to do with was polite, warm, friendly, appreciative, happy or all of the above. (The biggest complaint was that some people couldn't believe that it was for real)
My favorite story is that a man from Visitor Information Services was helping a European who asked a bunch of questions, and , finally , leaned over and whispered, "Where can I see some Mormons?" The VIS guy leaned in and whispered back, "Be careful, they are all around you!"
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Flashback to 2002, The End
March 16, 2002:
It was a little hard to know exactly how this was all going to go, but tonight was just GREAT!! First, I decided that I definitely was sick of being alone, so I connected with a cute friend who lives near Cottonwood Mall and we rode together. She had to be there a little earlier than I did, but I figured it was worth it for the company. While she was puttering around I grabbed a snack and visited with some of the others. The food was about the same menu, but not for as many people, so the quality seemed to be a step up. I just got a tray of delicious nachos (imitation Cheese Whiz) and another Coke (I may never drink another!) and hung around. When they called me to come in, they offered the reward of a "hot meal ticket" (and we all know how well that went!) and an "attractive Special Event jacket" to wear for the night, that we could keep as a souvenir. The attractive jackets were black nylon with white topstitching, black mesh lining, Salt Lake 2002 on the back and a tasteful patch on the front that says "Olympic Medals Plaza Staff" - the only problem is that the jackets only came in size huge and huger! I was lucky and got one of the last huge ones. They were even enormous on the big guys. One of my friends, whose uniform was an extra, extra small, got one of the huger ones and we offered suggestions for her later use - the winner was to add poles and use it for a tent for her family.
I didn't know who I would be working with because I already knew that the other people in the IB wouldn't be returning. I quickly found out that the girl in charge of setting up all of the Info Booths was going to serve as my Team Leader and that they had just assigned another host to help out. Lucky me, I'm in there with two people who have never actually worked in an IB before. The TL was bragging to everyone about all the wonderful things that she had provided for us to use during the Olympics - especially the 4 inch binder full of "helpful" information. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we had used NONE of it. (Everything that we actually used we had to find ourselves - I ended up printing phone numbers and addresses to hand out for people to call the Lost and Found Center. The word got around and the other IBs started doing the same thing) She was very self satisfied, until people began coming in and asking real questions and she couldn't help them at all. Our helper, Ray the Info specialist, showed up and told us how surprised he was to be assigned there. He was a very nice older man, who was willing to do anything. However, he freely admitted that he didn't have a clue about anything that anyone might ask. (I later found out that he had come in several nights when he wasn't scheduled and had not come in when he was - not a good sign.) When he asked if we were really sure we needed him, I was ready to send him out where he had already worked, but my fearless Team Leader said, "We're glad for the help!" (That would have been true had he been help) Another nice little lady came in and offered to stay. She also got the spunky answer from the TL (I hate spunk!) On the pretense of getting a few replacement photos - I accidentally erased the first bunch on the new digital camera - I got her outside and told her on the sly that there wasn't going to be much to do and she might as well go where she could keep busy. She thanked me for the tip and went off and had a swell time.
Our first problem was the case of the missing assisted listening devices. For the Olympics we had three cases containing 75 receivers with earpieces. In 17 days we checked out exactly ONE, and that one was returned with a complaint of poor sound. So now we are hosting the Paralympics, with deaf athletes, and we have no ALDs. Poor, dear Linda was put on the scent and managed to round them up two hours later after going through every tent and trailer on the OMP and get them to us exactly five minutes after we turned away the ONLY request of the night!
The TL seemed to need rest stops all the time. The minute she left, we had
people needing help. (Maybe they sized up the situation and waited till they saw she was gone!) Once, I had two biggies at the same time. I started helping two Japanese journalists who had left their camera on the media bus. I was on the phone to the media tent when Ray took one look at two deaf girls who had a problem and passed them off to me, too. It was hard to keep the hand gestures straight - hold on, I'm trying to talk to the bus dispatcher or hold on, I'll find out where the sign language translator is going to be. Ray was supportive.
I am so glad that I was able to spend all my time in my nice heated tent. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been climatized. The temperature the entire time has ranged from too cold to too #?*! cold. I was thinking about 2 years ago when I went to Region Drama during this same week and wore a light cotton knit dress with short sleeves and went bare legged in sandals! Here we are in our full uniforms and our attractive staff jackets and are still freezing.
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: First, another Olympic (or Paralympic) miracle - someone FINALLY turned in a Team 2002 glove, which was promptly identified and claimed. All we can figure is that people are keeping them for souvenirs, but who wants ONE glove? Second, we had a cute little pair of shades with chrome frames and fuschia lenses. I couldn't resist filling out the forms (I was the only one who wrote more than "glove" or "hat", anyway) by listing them as "rose-colored glasses". I hope there is someone in the L & F Center old enough to be amused.
This night was my real party. All the people who drove me nuts didn't show up and all my favorites were there. I think those of us who actually enjoyed the work appreciated each other. Since I had the Info Experts in the Booth, I decided that I could cruise and enjoy the show - and I DID! The security was extremely relaxed, no searches or hyper guards in the aisles, so I roamed around with some of the support operations girls and we had a blast. We watched the athletes come in with the flags, listened to the mucky-mucks congratulate themselves, saw the first set of fireworks and the cauldron extinguished. Patty LaBelle started performing and I got to hear the first number or two, then went back to the tent to check out how things were going. A few minutes later, Linda came in and wanted to know if I would go out to watch the rest of the concert and the big finale with her, so out we went. It was fantastic!! Fireworks shooting off buildings and Patty LaBelle out in the crowd, hugging the athletes and signing autographs for a long time. It was a special treat to be able to share it with Linda, who has turned out to be a wonderful friend. I am certain that we will stay in touch - we already have plans to get together with a few others for lunch.
One thing that they did for the closing ceremonies that was different from anything in the Olympics was they had confetti cannons that shot red, blue and green apostrophes - those little deals on the Paralympic logo. They were just thick in the air and on the ground afterward. It was really cool, but I saw a sad little Hispanic man standing looking up at the volume in the sky, holding a regular broom and dustpan, with the most forlorn face.
Leaving was harder than I expected. Even though I didn't know if I would be back at the end of the Olympics, there was still a chance. This time we knew that it was really over. The banners were dark, the Plaza was coming down and we weren't going to be called in again. I'll miss the activity, the challenge, the ridiculous things that happened every night and especially the incredible people I met. What a trip!
It was a little hard to know exactly how this was all going to go, but tonight was just GREAT!! First, I decided that I definitely was sick of being alone, so I connected with a cute friend who lives near Cottonwood Mall and we rode together. She had to be there a little earlier than I did, but I figured it was worth it for the company. While she was puttering around I grabbed a snack and visited with some of the others. The food was about the same menu, but not for as many people, so the quality seemed to be a step up. I just got a tray of delicious nachos (imitation Cheese Whiz) and another Coke (I may never drink another!) and hung around. When they called me to come in, they offered the reward of a "hot meal ticket" (and we all know how well that went!) and an "attractive Special Event jacket" to wear for the night, that we could keep as a souvenir. The attractive jackets were black nylon with white topstitching, black mesh lining, Salt Lake 2002 on the back and a tasteful patch on the front that says "Olympic Medals Plaza Staff" - the only problem is that the jackets only came in size huge and huger! I was lucky and got one of the last huge ones. They were even enormous on the big guys. One of my friends, whose uniform was an extra, extra small, got one of the huger ones and we offered suggestions for her later use - the winner was to add poles and use it for a tent for her family.
I didn't know who I would be working with because I already knew that the other people in the IB wouldn't be returning. I quickly found out that the girl in charge of setting up all of the Info Booths was going to serve as my Team Leader and that they had just assigned another host to help out. Lucky me, I'm in there with two people who have never actually worked in an IB before. The TL was bragging to everyone about all the wonderful things that she had provided for us to use during the Olympics - especially the 4 inch binder full of "helpful" information. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we had used NONE of it. (Everything that we actually used we had to find ourselves - I ended up printing phone numbers and addresses to hand out for people to call the Lost and Found Center. The word got around and the other IBs started doing the same thing) She was very self satisfied, until people began coming in and asking real questions and she couldn't help them at all. Our helper, Ray the Info specialist, showed up and told us how surprised he was to be assigned there. He was a very nice older man, who was willing to do anything. However, he freely admitted that he didn't have a clue about anything that anyone might ask. (I later found out that he had come in several nights when he wasn't scheduled and had not come in when he was - not a good sign.) When he asked if we were really sure we needed him, I was ready to send him out where he had already worked, but my fearless Team Leader said, "We're glad for the help!" (That would have been true had he been help) Another nice little lady came in and offered to stay. She also got the spunky answer from the TL (I hate spunk!) On the pretense of getting a few replacement photos - I accidentally erased the first bunch on the new digital camera - I got her outside and told her on the sly that there wasn't going to be much to do and she might as well go where she could keep busy. She thanked me for the tip and went off and had a swell time.
Our first problem was the case of the missing assisted listening devices. For the Olympics we had three cases containing 75 receivers with earpieces. In 17 days we checked out exactly ONE, and that one was returned with a complaint of poor sound. So now we are hosting the Paralympics, with deaf athletes, and we have no ALDs. Poor, dear Linda was put on the scent and managed to round them up two hours later after going through every tent and trailer on the OMP and get them to us exactly five minutes after we turned away the ONLY request of the night!
The TL seemed to need rest stops all the time. The minute she left, we had
people needing help. (Maybe they sized up the situation and waited till they saw she was gone!) Once, I had two biggies at the same time. I started helping two Japanese journalists who had left their camera on the media bus. I was on the phone to the media tent when Ray took one look at two deaf girls who had a problem and passed them off to me, too. It was hard to keep the hand gestures straight - hold on, I'm trying to talk to the bus dispatcher or hold on, I'll find out where the sign language translator is going to be. Ray was supportive.
I am so glad that I was able to spend all my time in my nice heated tent. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been climatized. The temperature the entire time has ranged from too cold to too #?*! cold. I was thinking about 2 years ago when I went to Region Drama during this same week and wore a light cotton knit dress with short sleeves and went bare legged in sandals! Here we are in our full uniforms and our attractive staff jackets and are still freezing.
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: First, another Olympic (or Paralympic) miracle - someone FINALLY turned in a Team 2002 glove, which was promptly identified and claimed. All we can figure is that people are keeping them for souvenirs, but who wants ONE glove? Second, we had a cute little pair of shades with chrome frames and fuschia lenses. I couldn't resist filling out the forms (I was the only one who wrote more than "glove" or "hat", anyway) by listing them as "rose-colored glasses". I hope there is someone in the L & F Center old enough to be amused.
This night was my real party. All the people who drove me nuts didn't show up and all my favorites were there. I think those of us who actually enjoyed the work appreciated each other. Since I had the Info Experts in the Booth, I decided that I could cruise and enjoy the show - and I DID! The security was extremely relaxed, no searches or hyper guards in the aisles, so I roamed around with some of the support operations girls and we had a blast. We watched the athletes come in with the flags, listened to the mucky-mucks congratulate themselves, saw the first set of fireworks and the cauldron extinguished. Patty LaBelle started performing and I got to hear the first number or two, then went back to the tent to check out how things were going. A few minutes later, Linda came in and wanted to know if I would go out to watch the rest of the concert and the big finale with her, so out we went. It was fantastic!! Fireworks shooting off buildings and Patty LaBelle out in the crowd, hugging the athletes and signing autographs for a long time. It was a special treat to be able to share it with Linda, who has turned out to be a wonderful friend. I am certain that we will stay in touch - we already have plans to get together with a few others for lunch.
One thing that they did for the closing ceremonies that was different from anything in the Olympics was they had confetti cannons that shot red, blue and green apostrophes - those little deals on the Paralympic logo. They were just thick in the air and on the ground afterward. It was really cool, but I saw a sad little Hispanic man standing looking up at the volume in the sky, holding a regular broom and dustpan, with the most forlorn face.
Leaving was harder than I expected. Even though I didn't know if I would be back at the end of the Olympics, there was still a chance. This time we knew that it was really over. The banners were dark, the Plaza was coming down and we weren't going to be called in again. I'll miss the activity, the challenge, the ridiculous things that happened every night and especially the incredible people I met. What a trip!
Flashback to 2002, Day 13
February 24, 2002:
This is going to be a strange day. After working late last night, we are supposed to show up at 8:00, but we arranged with Linda to check in around 9:30. It still isn't enough - I feel like I never left.
Then there is that whole business about the "riot". I'm not surprised that the disturbance happened after the N'SYNC concert - it was a strange group. I'm just hoping that Mayor Rocky (the squirrel) gets a better sense of the fun to be had with with the "party atmosphere" on the streets with alcohol and kids.
I realized last night that this experience is a lot like going to camp. You are put into a compressed situation where you quickly find who you like and don't and you make great friends that you know you will never see again. Everyone has started taking pictures of each other and exchanging phone numbers and addresses. Some are even getting autographs - is that Junior High or what?
I am impressed with Martina McBride already. After all the posturing we have had the past few days from some of these groups, she is a refreshing change. She was doing her sound check, as usual, when we came in and when she saw all the staff stopping to listen, she invited us in and played 4-5 songs just for us. She even posed for pictures. What a gal!
Lately the IB has become an impromptu mothers room. We've had to clear a table for diaper changes and furnish a chair in the warmest corner for nursing. I guess no one thought we would have that many babies, since they require tickets for everyone, even babes in arms. At least they have been attended and we have not had to provide sitting service.
A group who haven't gotten much attention have been the workers that handle the trash pickup and maintenance around the plaza. I've gotten to be friendly with many of them and they seem delighted to get some appreciation. One sweet Hispanic man has been in several days to pick up a few penlights - they are handed out each night at the gate, but they run out after an hour or two. We've been grabbing a boxful of them to keep for those who missed out and come in to ask for them. He has felt sorry for little kids who come too late and can't get them, so he picks up a bunch to give to them. Today we don't have the usual high school cheerleaders to dispense them (I have a variety of cheerleader stories that I've declined to share), so we have a big bag to keep and don't think there will be all that much of a crowd. When he came in, I handed him the whole bag and told him to take them home and pass them around the neighborhood - I'm guessing that those kids haven't had much contact with the Olympic Spirit. He just lit up and said he was going to take them to the school near his home. We had one or two come later for lights and I didn't even feel guilty.
The schedule today is different - the concert starts at 11:45 and goes an hour or so, then they are going to show the hockey game until the medals are presented there, then they will give the two remaining medals here. Usually, no one can leave and reenter, but today, after considerable discussion and question, the news finally reached us that reentry was going to be allowed, since they couldn't expect everyone to be thrilled to sit and watch the hockey game the whole time. About half left to wander the square while the hockey fans enjoyed the big screen. It was very quiet for an hour or so, but I had the most pleasant time, playing host to the oldest Olympic volunteer. She is a teeny Italian lady, Ida Brunatti, who worked 9-11 hour days working in the media center. She was in charge of checking accreditation and guarding the gates. She told me that if someone tried to get in without the proper pass, "I'd just stand in the way and not let them get by ME!" Oh, she is 91. What a pistol. She and her son told me a ton of great stories about working with the media. Bob Costas greeted her by name and hugged her everh day. The only thing I was jealous of, though, is their food situation. They got
to choose between McDonald's (which I don't especially love, but which would have been at least edible), the International cafeteria, where they had food for all the foreign journalists, and a real steakhouse, where they could use the same food coupons to get steak or lobster and crab and just pay a few extra bucks. What a rip!I got to see the first medals ceremony and today I saw the last. The Team USA bobsled guys were so excited to get their medals. Again, the crowd went wild for them, but still cheered louder for the Germans who won.
LOST AND FOUND OF THE DAY: A lady called to check to see if someone had turned in her $20,000 diamond necklace. You just want to ask why anyone would wear something like that to a sporting event or street festival!
My favorite spectator today is the lady from back east who commented positively on all the hosts and then asked, "You are all so cheerful. Are you all on Valium?"
At the end of the shift, we cleaned up quickly - only about 6 or 7 items, compared to nearly a hundred the night before - and started to go to the staff tent. I found an envelope on the floor containing two tickets to the closing ceremonies! I had them in my hand. I decided that someone was going to be sick, so I started to take them to the tent to check. The supervisor from last night, the one who wasn't consulted, came running back, looking for his tickets. I said, "Aren't you glad you were nice to me?"
I have a feeling that tomorrow will feel like the day after New Year's Day. The decorations will have to come down and everything will be dull.
This is going to be a strange day. After working late last night, we are supposed to show up at 8:00, but we arranged with Linda to check in around 9:30. It still isn't enough - I feel like I never left.
Then there is that whole business about the "riot". I'm not surprised that the disturbance happened after the N'SYNC concert - it was a strange group. I'm just hoping that Mayor Rocky (the squirrel) gets a better sense of the fun to be had with with the "party atmosphere" on the streets with alcohol and kids.
I realized last night that this experience is a lot like going to camp. You are put into a compressed situation where you quickly find who you like and don't and you make great friends that you know you will never see again. Everyone has started taking pictures of each other and exchanging phone numbers and addresses. Some are even getting autographs - is that Junior High or what?
I am impressed with Martina McBride already. After all the posturing we have had the past few days from some of these groups, she is a refreshing change. She was doing her sound check, as usual, when we came in and when she saw all the staff stopping to listen, she invited us in and played 4-5 songs just for us. She even posed for pictures. What a gal!
Lately the IB has become an impromptu mothers room. We've had to clear a table for diaper changes and furnish a chair in the warmest corner for nursing. I guess no one thought we would have that many babies, since they require tickets for everyone, even babes in arms. At least they have been attended and we have not had to provide sitting service.
A group who haven't gotten much attention have been the workers that handle the trash pickup and maintenance around the plaza. I've gotten to be friendly with many of them and they seem delighted to get some appreciation. One sweet Hispanic man has been in several days to pick up a few penlights - they are handed out each night at the gate, but they run out after an hour or two. We've been grabbing a boxful of them to keep for those who missed out and come in to ask for them. He has felt sorry for little kids who come too late and can't get them, so he picks up a bunch to give to them. Today we don't have the usual high school cheerleaders to dispense them (I have a variety of cheerleader stories that I've declined to share), so we have a big bag to keep and don't think there will be all that much of a crowd. When he came in, I handed him the whole bag and told him to take them home and pass them around the neighborhood - I'm guessing that those kids haven't had much contact with the Olympic Spirit. He just lit up and said he was going to take them to the school near his home. We had one or two come later for lights and I didn't even feel guilty.
The schedule today is different - the concert starts at 11:45 and goes an hour or so, then they are going to show the hockey game until the medals are presented there, then they will give the two remaining medals here. Usually, no one can leave and reenter, but today, after considerable discussion and question, the news finally reached us that reentry was going to be allowed, since they couldn't expect everyone to be thrilled to sit and watch the hockey game the whole time. About half left to wander the square while the hockey fans enjoyed the big screen. It was very quiet for an hour or so, but I had the most pleasant time, playing host to the oldest Olympic volunteer. She is a teeny Italian lady, Ida Brunatti, who worked 9-11 hour days working in the media center. She was in charge of checking accreditation and guarding the gates. She told me that if someone tried to get in without the proper pass, "I'd just stand in the way and not let them get by ME!" Oh, she is 91. What a pistol. She and her son told me a ton of great stories about working with the media. Bob Costas greeted her by name and hugged her everh day. The only thing I was jealous of, though, is their food situation. They got
to choose between McDonald's (which I don't especially love, but which would have been at least edible), the International cafeteria, where they had food for all the foreign journalists, and a real steakhouse, where they could use the same food coupons to get steak or lobster and crab and just pay a few extra bucks. What a rip!I got to see the first medals ceremony and today I saw the last. The Team USA bobsled guys were so excited to get their medals. Again, the crowd went wild for them, but still cheered louder for the Germans who won.
LOST AND FOUND OF THE DAY: A lady called to check to see if someone had turned in her $20,000 diamond necklace. You just want to ask why anyone would wear something like that to a sporting event or street festival!
My favorite spectator today is the lady from back east who commented positively on all the hosts and then asked, "You are all so cheerful. Are you all on Valium?"
At the end of the shift, we cleaned up quickly - only about 6 or 7 items, compared to nearly a hundred the night before - and started to go to the staff tent. I found an envelope on the floor containing two tickets to the closing ceremonies! I had them in my hand. I decided that someone was going to be sick, so I started to take them to the tent to check. The supervisor from last night, the one who wasn't consulted, came running back, looking for his tickets. I said, "Aren't you glad you were nice to me?"
I have a feeling that tomorrow will feel like the day after New Year's Day. The decorations will have to come down and everything will be dull.
Flashback to 2002, Day 12
February 23, 2002:
Tonight is a night that we have been dreading for a week. After seeing how different crowds appear for each group, we knew that N'SYNC would have a mob of young kids, who might not be accompanied by adults. We were right. This bunch were just out of control. Running, screaming, you name it. The worst predictor might have been the two arrests that were made just outside of our check-in gate at the beginning of the shift. Then I had to wait for 10 minutes while they called "I'll get back to you" to clear me, since I wasn't scheduled for today. She finally called back and told them to tell me that she would clear it this time, but I would have to be sure to call her the next time - WHAT? I have one more shift, that I AM scheduled for! We were hopping all night. When we had our briefing in the staff tent, they were extremely firm about the security precautions. We weren't going to be able to switch tickets for sections and gave us all these other tough instructions. Beside that, N'SYNC were being a pain and demanded all these other conditions. We couldn't even walk through the floor area, like we had done EVERY other night to get to the booth, because they were doing a sound check. We had to walk all the way around the grandstands. Like we cared what they sounded like (and could walk on to the floor from the other side, anyway! I was not impressed with their self importance)
We had people coming in with all sorts of goofy problems. All along, if someone realized that they had left some valuables back at the security tent, we've been pretty accomodating to accompany them to retrieve their items. One of us had to go for them to be able to reenter the OMP. I usually sent one of the guys, because they weren't usually doing anything, anyway. Tonight it was just the three of us girls, so I volunteered to go to get some Olympic seatcushions for a man who said his wife was going to kill him for leaving her Opening Ceremony souvenirs. He was tall and walked at a run, anyway, and dragged me clear down to UNION STATION! By the time we got back I was nearly dead. I got into the tent and could tell that there was something wrong. There was a man sitting at the end of the table, filling out an Incident Report. Not good. While I was gone, this man had come in with his kids, his blind wife with a seeing-eye dog, his brother-in-law, his two kids and his wife in a wheelchair. They had paid $150 EACH for the tickets. (Can you believe it?) The first family had been seated all right, but when they tried to get the wheelchair placed, somebody had refused to allow it in the area for some reason. Who knows? Anyway, when the man came into the IB to try to get some help, he got one of the other women, and she is a very nice person who always follows the rules. Not what was needed in this case. When she timidly asked a host if something could be done, he said he would ask a supervisor, left for a minute, came back and said his boss wouldn't do anything, she said OK and told him there was nothing that could be done. He tried a couple of other hosts and didn't get much encouragement, so he told his brother-in-law and family that they wouldn't be able to get in and sent the four of them home, with the children in tears. He had just come in to fill out the complaint form. I nearly had a fit. The supervisor in question has become a pal and I knew that he would never send anyone away like that. Linda came in about then and I told her a little about the incident and asked her to look into it. She told the disgruntled spectator to call the family and see if they would come back. They had gotten to Sandy and were too upset to return. Linda started checking and talked to the supervisor - the host had never talked to him! After some major negotiations we were able to arrange tickets to Sunday's concert for them all. I gave them the IB phone number to call so that I could get them in without incident. What a mess.
One of the Team Leaders came in and said that as near as he could see, everyone had gone nuts. There were a couple of other Team Leaders who had been sent home for disappearing and being unavailable for hours at a time - one had his whole family there
as volunteers and the whole bunch of them came late so they wouldn't be assigned to a location, then would park themselves at gates near the stage every night and just watch the show. Luckily, those kind were a tiny minority. Almost all of the hosts were dependable and hard working, going where they were needed and doing the crummiest assignments with little or no complaint. We would joke about how cold or tired or annoyed we were, then greet all the spectators with a smile. There were few unpleasant incidents.
A posh woman and her daughter from California rushed in in a "panic". They had to have the Day 16 pin and the tent was out, so they wanted to go to the Superstore. I thought, why not, and said I'd run them over. (I haven't been able to get there and was glad for the chance) We had to stand in line for a minute and when we got in, it looked like locusts had been there. Almost all the racks were picked over and the only pins that were left were the Torch Relay pins that were sold in grocery stores. Rushing back to get in for the medals ceremony, I ran into Steve Young, literally, who was leaving after his nightly appearance. I finally had my brush with greatness!
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: After predicting for a week that we would have 1200 purple scrunchies, we ended with more than double our previous high total of lost items (no purple scrunchies, however). My favorite was the man's wedding band - you have to wonder what, exactly, he was doing with it off his finger.
I hope I don't offend any of you N'SYNC fans, but they were a huge disappointment. After all their star demands, they only managed to perform for about 35 minutes. (Did they run through all their songs and quit?) The fireworks were over at 9:30 - the earliest on any other show was 10:00. Then we spent until after 11:00 filling out forms and sealing up single gloves, etc. And we had 7 or 8 extra support operations people come in to help, too. I guess it could have been worse - it could have been raining...
Tonight is a night that we have been dreading for a week. After seeing how different crowds appear for each group, we knew that N'SYNC would have a mob of young kids, who might not be accompanied by adults. We were right. This bunch were just out of control. Running, screaming, you name it. The worst predictor might have been the two arrests that were made just outside of our check-in gate at the beginning of the shift. Then I had to wait for 10 minutes while they called "I'll get back to you" to clear me, since I wasn't scheduled for today. She finally called back and told them to tell me that she would clear it this time, but I would have to be sure to call her the next time - WHAT? I have one more shift, that I AM scheduled for! We were hopping all night. When we had our briefing in the staff tent, they were extremely firm about the security precautions. We weren't going to be able to switch tickets for sections and gave us all these other tough instructions. Beside that, N'SYNC were being a pain and demanded all these other conditions. We couldn't even walk through the floor area, like we had done EVERY other night to get to the booth, because they were doing a sound check. We had to walk all the way around the grandstands. Like we cared what they sounded like (and could walk on to the floor from the other side, anyway! I was not impressed with their self importance)
We had people coming in with all sorts of goofy problems. All along, if someone realized that they had left some valuables back at the security tent, we've been pretty accomodating to accompany them to retrieve their items. One of us had to go for them to be able to reenter the OMP. I usually sent one of the guys, because they weren't usually doing anything, anyway. Tonight it was just the three of us girls, so I volunteered to go to get some Olympic seatcushions for a man who said his wife was going to kill him for leaving her Opening Ceremony souvenirs. He was tall and walked at a run, anyway, and dragged me clear down to UNION STATION! By the time we got back I was nearly dead. I got into the tent and could tell that there was something wrong. There was a man sitting at the end of the table, filling out an Incident Report. Not good. While I was gone, this man had come in with his kids, his blind wife with a seeing-eye dog, his brother-in-law, his two kids and his wife in a wheelchair. They had paid $150 EACH for the tickets. (Can you believe it?) The first family had been seated all right, but when they tried to get the wheelchair placed, somebody had refused to allow it in the area for some reason. Who knows? Anyway, when the man came into the IB to try to get some help, he got one of the other women, and she is a very nice person who always follows the rules. Not what was needed in this case. When she timidly asked a host if something could be done, he said he would ask a supervisor, left for a minute, came back and said his boss wouldn't do anything, she said OK and told him there was nothing that could be done. He tried a couple of other hosts and didn't get much encouragement, so he told his brother-in-law and family that they wouldn't be able to get in and sent the four of them home, with the children in tears. He had just come in to fill out the complaint form. I nearly had a fit. The supervisor in question has become a pal and I knew that he would never send anyone away like that. Linda came in about then and I told her a little about the incident and asked her to look into it. She told the disgruntled spectator to call the family and see if they would come back. They had gotten to Sandy and were too upset to return. Linda started checking and talked to the supervisor - the host had never talked to him! After some major negotiations we were able to arrange tickets to Sunday's concert for them all. I gave them the IB phone number to call so that I could get them in without incident. What a mess.
One of the Team Leaders came in and said that as near as he could see, everyone had gone nuts. There were a couple of other Team Leaders who had been sent home for disappearing and being unavailable for hours at a time - one had his whole family there
as volunteers and the whole bunch of them came late so they wouldn't be assigned to a location, then would park themselves at gates near the stage every night and just watch the show. Luckily, those kind were a tiny minority. Almost all of the hosts were dependable and hard working, going where they were needed and doing the crummiest assignments with little or no complaint. We would joke about how cold or tired or annoyed we were, then greet all the spectators with a smile. There were few unpleasant incidents.
A posh woman and her daughter from California rushed in in a "panic". They had to have the Day 16 pin and the tent was out, so they wanted to go to the Superstore. I thought, why not, and said I'd run them over. (I haven't been able to get there and was glad for the chance) We had to stand in line for a minute and when we got in, it looked like locusts had been there. Almost all the racks were picked over and the only pins that were left were the Torch Relay pins that were sold in grocery stores. Rushing back to get in for the medals ceremony, I ran into Steve Young, literally, who was leaving after his nightly appearance. I finally had my brush with greatness!
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: After predicting for a week that we would have 1200 purple scrunchies, we ended with more than double our previous high total of lost items (no purple scrunchies, however). My favorite was the man's wedding band - you have to wonder what, exactly, he was doing with it off his finger.
I hope I don't offend any of you N'SYNC fans, but they were a huge disappointment. After all their star demands, they only managed to perform for about 35 minutes. (Did they run through all their songs and quit?) The fireworks were over at 9:30 - the earliest on any other show was 10:00. Then we spent until after 11:00 filling out forms and sealing up single gloves, etc. And we had 7 or 8 extra support operations people come in to help, too. I guess it could have been worse - it could have been raining...
Flashback to 2002, Day 11
February 22, 2002:
Along with the confirmation that our uniforms were finally ours, we received instructions to receive other assorted goodies as a benefit for our service.
I decided that it would be better to get down to pick up my "retention package" before everyone else was done with their assignments, so Paddy and I took the long trek, again, to the SLOC Distribution Center on 25th South and 38th West. After hiking around the huge building (it wasn't clear by the signage that the "retention entrance" was on the WEST side) I entered and was given a big white bag. In it were a coupon for a Big Mac Value Meal, a variety of pamphlets on spectacular offers ( Team 2002 jewelry from O.C. Tanner, Olympic coin sets and Dale of Norway sweaters), a folder with a "Diploma", thanking me for my contribution, signed by Jacques Rogge and Big Mitt, and, here's the shocker, a gorgeous copper medal with Art Deco motif and the logo (about 1 1/2" x 3") and a nifty Pulsar stainless watch with a tiny 2002 logo on a deep blue face. What a surprise! I ran and had the watch sized. I've been thinking I needed a new silver toned watch. Yippee!
I found my male cohort sitting up in the stands before the gates opened, watching the hockey game on the big screens. I walked up to talk to him and told him that I would be glad to work Saturday, since I had friends from Logan who had tickets and wanted to be there when they were. (Aren't any of you coming?) OK, I lied, but it seemed like the only way that he wouldn't treat me like a sucker for WANTING to be there another night. And I decided not to get rid of him unpleasantly. He was so thrilled to be done that he was downright cheerful all night and hit the road with barely a goodbye. Oh, well, life will be much easier for the last two days.
Tonight the band is the Goo Goo Dolls. A cameraman I talked to in the staff tent said that at least it was warm and the band was pretty mellow. I don't know what he was on - the "music" was so awful and annoying that it made my fingernails hurt! Someone said that they were glad that they threw in some of their softer numbers.
I wanted to take advantage of the fact that there were 4 of us in the IB, so I went out and watched most of Victoria Jackson and all of the medals ceremonies. Even though we didn't win any medals, it is exciting to see those athletes celebrating. The Croatian girl who has won 4 and the Dutch skater with a bunch (I won't even try to spell either one) were both there and acted as if it were their first. After they get their medals and flowers, almost all of them throw the bouquets into the crowd. Someone brought one into the booth - they are just gorgeous. About 2 dozen yellow roses in a tight bunch. The ribbons are cool, too. They are specially made with the crystal logo woven in.
My favorite Victoria Jackson joke - She said she would do her best impression, so she took a blonde wig from her pocket, hung it over the mike on the mike stand and said, "Calista Flockhart".
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: (tie) The $5 bill turned in by a young couple and the two $20 bills turned in by another young couple. (It's possible that the owners didn't need the cash as much as either couple, from the looks of them)
I'm not sure what the explaination is, but the large majority of athletes who have come in for help are German. They don't seem to have chaperones or advisors, like the others. It has been fun to talk with them - they generally speak English very well. We had one woman hockey player ask to use the phone - I teased her a little and said that she couldn't call home. She laughed and said she wouldn't. After she was finished, we asked her if she was able to meet with the Chancellor of Germany when he was here. She huffed a little and said that he doesn't think about them at all when they are home, but makes a big show of greeting them somewhere else. The women's hockey team doesn't get much support or respect. They train, but only have about three competitions a year. She said, "We were only 6th, here, but we are growing." I expect they will.
A couple with Olympic leather jackets and tons of pins came in to get warm. I noticed from their accreditation badges that they were massage therapists at the Village. I jokingly asked if they would extend their services to volunteers. Next thing I know, I am getting a wonderful 15 minute neckrub. What a treat. They were from Colorado and so nice and appreciative of all we have done here. I said that since they were neighbors, they already knew that Utahns weren't scary, but I was glad that many other people were pleasantly surprised. I believe that those from other countries didn't realize that everyone in Utah knows or is related to a former missionary from almost every country and has pleasant feelings about that place. Times that by the number of returned missionaries that everybody knows and there are a lot of Utahns who feel connected to a lot of countries. Not to mention the fact that we are all immigrants from other places. I know I cheer for Japan or Italy or Chile or Sweden or Norway or Brazil or Belgium and especially Britain. I hope that the one thing that all these athletes and officials take home is that the people of Utah embraced the world.
Along with the confirmation that our uniforms were finally ours, we received instructions to receive other assorted goodies as a benefit for our service.
I decided that it would be better to get down to pick up my "retention package" before everyone else was done with their assignments, so Paddy and I took the long trek, again, to the SLOC Distribution Center on 25th South and 38th West. After hiking around the huge building (it wasn't clear by the signage that the "retention entrance" was on the WEST side) I entered and was given a big white bag. In it were a coupon for a Big Mac Value Meal, a variety of pamphlets on spectacular offers ( Team 2002 jewelry from O.C. Tanner, Olympic coin sets and Dale of Norway sweaters), a folder with a "Diploma", thanking me for my contribution, signed by Jacques Rogge and Big Mitt, and, here's the shocker, a gorgeous copper medal with Art Deco motif and the logo (about 1 1/2" x 3") and a nifty Pulsar stainless watch with a tiny 2002 logo on a deep blue face. What a surprise! I ran and had the watch sized. I've been thinking I needed a new silver toned watch. Yippee!
I found my male cohort sitting up in the stands before the gates opened, watching the hockey game on the big screens. I walked up to talk to him and told him that I would be glad to work Saturday, since I had friends from Logan who had tickets and wanted to be there when they were. (Aren't any of you coming?) OK, I lied, but it seemed like the only way that he wouldn't treat me like a sucker for WANTING to be there another night. And I decided not to get rid of him unpleasantly. He was so thrilled to be done that he was downright cheerful all night and hit the road with barely a goodbye. Oh, well, life will be much easier for the last two days.
Tonight the band is the Goo Goo Dolls. A cameraman I talked to in the staff tent said that at least it was warm and the band was pretty mellow. I don't know what he was on - the "music" was so awful and annoying that it made my fingernails hurt! Someone said that they were glad that they threw in some of their softer numbers.
I wanted to take advantage of the fact that there were 4 of us in the IB, so I went out and watched most of Victoria Jackson and all of the medals ceremonies. Even though we didn't win any medals, it is exciting to see those athletes celebrating. The Croatian girl who has won 4 and the Dutch skater with a bunch (I won't even try to spell either one) were both there and acted as if it were their first. After they get their medals and flowers, almost all of them throw the bouquets into the crowd. Someone brought one into the booth - they are just gorgeous. About 2 dozen yellow roses in a tight bunch. The ribbons are cool, too. They are specially made with the crystal logo woven in.
My favorite Victoria Jackson joke - She said she would do her best impression, so she took a blonde wig from her pocket, hung it over the mike on the mike stand and said, "Calista Flockhart".
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: (tie) The $5 bill turned in by a young couple and the two $20 bills turned in by another young couple. (It's possible that the owners didn't need the cash as much as either couple, from the looks of them)
I'm not sure what the explaination is, but the large majority of athletes who have come in for help are German. They don't seem to have chaperones or advisors, like the others. It has been fun to talk with them - they generally speak English very well. We had one woman hockey player ask to use the phone - I teased her a little and said that she couldn't call home. She laughed and said she wouldn't. After she was finished, we asked her if she was able to meet with the Chancellor of Germany when he was here. She huffed a little and said that he doesn't think about them at all when they are home, but makes a big show of greeting them somewhere else. The women's hockey team doesn't get much support or respect. They train, but only have about three competitions a year. She said, "We were only 6th, here, but we are growing." I expect they will.
A couple with Olympic leather jackets and tons of pins came in to get warm. I noticed from their accreditation badges that they were massage therapists at the Village. I jokingly asked if they would extend their services to volunteers. Next thing I know, I am getting a wonderful 15 minute neckrub. What a treat. They were from Colorado and so nice and appreciative of all we have done here. I said that since they were neighbors, they already knew that Utahns weren't scary, but I was glad that many other people were pleasantly surprised. I believe that those from other countries didn't realize that everyone in Utah knows or is related to a former missionary from almost every country and has pleasant feelings about that place. Times that by the number of returned missionaries that everybody knows and there are a lot of Utahns who feel connected to a lot of countries. Not to mention the fact that we are all immigrants from other places. I know I cheer for Japan or Italy or Chile or Sweden or Norway or Brazil or Belgium and especially Britain. I hope that the one thing that all these athletes and officials take home is that the people of Utah embraced the world.
Flashback to 2002, Day 10
February 21, 2002:
Tonight it is starting to feel like things are winding down a little. Some of the venues finished up today and we are seeing a lot more athletes who are out of training and ready to party. When I check in at the staff tent everyday I get a stamp in a playbook to show how many shifts I have worked. Today I got my 11 shift stamp (counting the Dress Rehearsal the Thursday before the Opening Ceremonies), so I am official. I get to keep the outfit - I told someone last week that they would have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers - which is lucky, since I shortened the sleeves after the first day. I had to cut off almost 7 inches! I don't know who they measured for length, maybe the orangutan from those Clint Eastwood movies.
LOST AND FOUND MESS OF THE DAY (maybe the whole olympics!):
Yesterday, when I was off, was the cold, rainy day. I got to the IB and started to pack the box for the L & F center and it was disgusting. There were a record number of items and they were all WET!!! One huge snowboard glove weighed about 5 pounds and had an inch of water in the bottom of the bag. Apparently they debated leaving things out overnight to dry, but were worried about things disappearing. I can't imagine anyone coming back for any of that stuff, except for an umbrella or two. I'm guessing the center will start smelling of mildew soon.
This was a pretty quiet night. I even got to sneak out to watch the "Land of Enchantment" parade. (Doesn't it sound more like Disneyland all the time? Especially with the "Welcome to the Games announcements" constantly over the loudspeakers. I can understand Jean Claude Killy being used, but still can't figure out what Alex Trebek has to do with the Olympics!)
The news about the Russian whining and threatening to "take their ball and go home" is especially funny. Everything I have had to do with any Russians so far has been a royal pain. From the first day, with the lost journalist, to the angry videotaper, I can't say I've been glad to see any of them. One day I had two other journalists storm into the tent, come over to the table, lean over and wave their tickets right in my face. One was yelling, with an overwhelming accent, "Media Place, Media Place!" and the other one, same accent, "Russian Interpreter, Russian Interpreter!!" Honestly, what a way to get help. I, for once, couldn't get a word in. We finally calmed them down a bit and herded them out to their area. (All I could think of were the sterotypical KGB agents-pretending to be coaches or media - in all of the movies during the Cold War.) Maybe it's just the journalists - I haven't had any Russian athletes to deal with, but, no wonder they think no one likes them.
We have Victoria Jackson emceeing now. She seems to be the biggest hit of the four. The concert, however, was one of the most annoying yet, Alanis Morissette. Several people complained about her seeming to be drunk or high and she kept swigging from a gigantic glass. Impressive.
I got to talk someone who has been backstage every night. His opinion of each of the bands was interesting. He said that he had always been a fan of Dave Matthews, but no more. The band was so obnoxious (and high) that they were awful to work with, probably the worst. Creed were especially self-important - they insisted on increased security - to protect them from us, I guess. Please... Everyone's favorite remains Bare Naked Ladies. They were the most down to earth - they got out and shmoozed with the little people - and they did, by far, the best concert. Who'd have guessed?
I was supposed to have Saturday off, but I think I will go in so that the guy in the booth will stay home. He has already announced that he won't come in on Sunday and my supervisor said she would appreciate not having to deal with him if I'm gone. He obviously doesn't want to be there and does everything begrudgingly and his attitude is so condescending and sharp that we all are happier when he leaves (which he does often. Last night during the shift, he went shopping at the Superstore!) Now that we are approaching the end, I want to take advantage of the time that is left.
Tonight it is starting to feel like things are winding down a little. Some of the venues finished up today and we are seeing a lot more athletes who are out of training and ready to party. When I check in at the staff tent everyday I get a stamp in a playbook to show how many shifts I have worked. Today I got my 11 shift stamp (counting the Dress Rehearsal the Thursday before the Opening Ceremonies), so I am official. I get to keep the outfit - I told someone last week that they would have to pry it out of my cold, dead fingers - which is lucky, since I shortened the sleeves after the first day. I had to cut off almost 7 inches! I don't know who they measured for length, maybe the orangutan from those Clint Eastwood movies.
LOST AND FOUND MESS OF THE DAY (maybe the whole olympics!):
Yesterday, when I was off, was the cold, rainy day. I got to the IB and started to pack the box for the L & F center and it was disgusting. There were a record number of items and they were all WET!!! One huge snowboard glove weighed about 5 pounds and had an inch of water in the bottom of the bag. Apparently they debated leaving things out overnight to dry, but were worried about things disappearing. I can't imagine anyone coming back for any of that stuff, except for an umbrella or two. I'm guessing the center will start smelling of mildew soon.
This was a pretty quiet night. I even got to sneak out to watch the "Land of Enchantment" parade. (Doesn't it sound more like Disneyland all the time? Especially with the "Welcome to the Games announcements" constantly over the loudspeakers. I can understand Jean Claude Killy being used, but still can't figure out what Alex Trebek has to do with the Olympics!)
The news about the Russian whining and threatening to "take their ball and go home" is especially funny. Everything I have had to do with any Russians so far has been a royal pain. From the first day, with the lost journalist, to the angry videotaper, I can't say I've been glad to see any of them. One day I had two other journalists storm into the tent, come over to the table, lean over and wave their tickets right in my face. One was yelling, with an overwhelming accent, "Media Place, Media Place!" and the other one, same accent, "Russian Interpreter, Russian Interpreter!!" Honestly, what a way to get help. I, for once, couldn't get a word in. We finally calmed them down a bit and herded them out to their area. (All I could think of were the sterotypical KGB agents-pretending to be coaches or media - in all of the movies during the Cold War.) Maybe it's just the journalists - I haven't had any Russian athletes to deal with, but, no wonder they think no one likes them.
We have Victoria Jackson emceeing now. She seems to be the biggest hit of the four. The concert, however, was one of the most annoying yet, Alanis Morissette. Several people complained about her seeming to be drunk or high and she kept swigging from a gigantic glass. Impressive.
I got to talk someone who has been backstage every night. His opinion of each of the bands was interesting. He said that he had always been a fan of Dave Matthews, but no more. The band was so obnoxious (and high) that they were awful to work with, probably the worst. Creed were especially self-important - they insisted on increased security - to protect them from us, I guess. Please... Everyone's favorite remains Bare Naked Ladies. They were the most down to earth - they got out and shmoozed with the little people - and they did, by far, the best concert. Who'd have guessed?
I was supposed to have Saturday off, but I think I will go in so that the guy in the booth will stay home. He has already announced that he won't come in on Sunday and my supervisor said she would appreciate not having to deal with him if I'm gone. He obviously doesn't want to be there and does everything begrudgingly and his attitude is so condescending and sharp that we all are happier when he leaves (which he does often. Last night during the shift, he went shopping at the Superstore!) Now that we are approaching the end, I want to take advantage of the time that is left.
Flashback to 2002, Day 9
February 19, 2002:
There have been several days that have been a little harder to find much to write about that have been newsworthy. Tonight was the kind of night that I expected when I first found out that I would be at the OMP. This will be a long one. Here goes...
First, on the way around the stage area to get to the IB, I ran into this media specialist that I had spent the last training day with, who was a sharp retiree that I ended up sitting with at lunch, so we had visited for quite a while. He spotted me, waved and yelled, "Hey, it's the Info Babe." Funny.
Then, just after I got into the IB, a young host came in to bring a ticket that he had found on the ground. He actually came in mostly to tell me about an incident that had happened the night before. He carpools with another volunteer who speaks Russian and is hosting a Russian journalist that speaks no English. The journalist had been in the media section and had taped the medals ceremony, but had kept taping into the concert, which is a BIG no-no, so the security had confiscated the tape. The Russian had no idea that he wasn't supposed to film any of the band, since he didn't understand the announcements, and he was hysterical that all his work here was on the lost tape. The kid wanted to know if I could help get it back. (I don't know why they always end up with me.) Before I could get his name the phone rang and when I went to answer it, he had gone. I didn't know how to find him. I answered the phone and it was a panicky girl who had mistakenly come in our staff entrance and left a gold watch and special pin at security there when she was sent around to her SL Square entrance. I told her to call back in 30 minutes and set off to check for the jewelry. I went straight to the tent, found the stuff, stuck it in my pocket and zipped it up, and headed to the Event Services trailer to find someone to talk to about the missing tape. On the way, I ran into the Media guy from before, so I asked him who I ought to see. He thought I might as well check with the head of the venue. I wasn't sure, since everytime I have asked something of her she has said, "I'll get back to you" and hasn't. But, miracle of miracles, she was in the trailer. I told her the story and she said, "I'll check into it and get back to you." At least it was a variation. I walked out of the trailer and ran into a security officer who wanted to know who could help him with a problem. He had a girl with him who had accidentally left her jewelry.... I unzipped my pocket and handed her the watch and pin. Done with that at least.
I had just returned to the IB when Linda dropped in to unlock the cupboards, so I asked her about the tape and she said that we needed to know WHO took the tape, whether it was security or Event Services. (Remember, I couldn't get in touch with the host?) I said I'd try to check and put out the word to my friends who are Team Leaders that I had to get an unidentified, young, blond, male host in to talk to me ASAP.
Next, a ticket-taker came in with a Japanese couple who had extremely limited English. At some of the mountain venues they throw small balls out to the crowd that are good for two tickets to the OMP and these folks had caught one. Somehow they found out what it was for, but had no clue what to do with it. The balls can't be used as entry, but have to be exchanged for tickets at the ticket window at the Delta Center (oh, sorry, the Salt Lake Ice Center). Well, no one at the gate could make that clear and they wanted one of us to take care of them. Having had extensive experience in speaking broken English/Japanese I volunteered and waved them out to follow me. We had to hurry, so I rushed them through the gates and security, over to the window, got the tickets and looked at them - they were in the best section, right in front of the stage. While we walked I talked to the wife a little and found out that her brother was a cross country skiier that they came to see. She thought SLC and the temple grounds were beautiful. I told her I had lots of friends in Japan. She stopped and pulled a gorgeous hanky out of her pocket and wanted me to have it. I was delighted - I just love Japanese hankies and have several. She was so cute and appreciative of the help. As I escorted them through all the gates and the crowd and got closer and closer to the front, his eyes got bigger and bigger. He finally spotted the sign with his section, stopped short and said, "Ah, SPECIAL place!" I said, "VERY special!" They got to the area, bowed, shook my hand several times, hugged me, and finally happily took their places. I loved it. This will probably be my favorite memory.
When I got back to the IB I told the others that they might as well head off to eat. (Now we have a woman from Visitor Information Services who is more helpful than all the men combined) They had just left when a young guy came in with a couple of tickets and told me that he had brought them in by mistake and wondered if I would take them out to the gate and meet his friends there who needed the tickets. Since something like that happens several times a night, I said, sure and took the tickets. Suddenly, a burly security officer came barging in and started yelling at the kid. He was hostile and angry and told the kid to take the tickets, go to his seat and shut up *#!, etc., or he would kick him out, entirely. I just stood there with my mouth open and couldn't believe that he was so nasty and rude. They both left. Several people from the central management team of the OMP - the big bosses - started gathering in my tent. Since I had already talked to a couple of people about the Russian tape, I figured that they had been told to come in. I mentioned to the head of security the situation with the tickets and said that I thought the officer was excessive, so he went out to talk to him. Turns out the kid was scalping the tix through the fence and got caught. So he was trying to dupe me into helping him. Now I'm wondering how many of the others were doing the same.
More bosses start turning up. I ask them if they were down to get the tape mess cleaned up. No one knows anything about it. So I tell them - I figure that the more who know, the likelier it is we will get something done. They are interested, but don't seem thrilled that I've presented them with another problem. Turns out that they are gathering at the IB because they have to take disciplinary action against a couple of others in charge and I'm honored because they have no where else to meet in private. Real private - I'm there! One of the Team Leaders has manipulated things to get the easiest jobs every night and another big boss has taken advantage and sneaked people in to the OMP. They both got the boot. At least I'm on good terms with all of them!
There is a major buzz that is different. My Team Leader for the night ran in and said that Donald Rumsfeld was coming in. He and I ran down to watch the gate and here he breezes in, if it is possible to breeze with a dozen Secret Service agents, Mitt Romney and Mike Leavitt and who knows who all else. Things are just hopping and the other two girls in the booth missed it all for nasty Vegetable Lasagne. Boy, were they ticked!
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: We had two bags turned in by the police that had just been left sitting somewhere. They had gone over them and had them sniffed by the bomb dogs and said that they were OK. One, a canvas tote bag, had a food carton in it. We didn't think we would send that to the L & F center, the food,anyway, but it was all claimed before we had to worry about it. The other one was a black handbag with odds and ends, but the only identification was a checkbook. At the end of the night a pretty girl came in to claim it. I got her name, so I knew it was hers, and asked her how she lost it. She said that she got sick of carrying it, so she took out everything valuable, credit cards, phone, etc., and left it on the ground. I pointed out that the police weren't letting anything sit unattended for safety reasons and that I was surprised it hadn't been blown up. She hadn't thought of that.
The host finally came back to ask about the tape. He didn't know who had taken it, so I got his name and the name of the other, Russian speaking host, told him to get some details and get back to us. I hope they get it straightened out tomorrow on my night off.
Towards the end of the night we had a posh socialite, "I'm from L.A.", in a full length mink and an expensive designer outfit park in the booth for about an hour. She wanted addresses and directions to every country party house that she could go to. I worked with her for a long time, then handed her off to the others. None of us could make much progress - she just wasn't processing information. I couldn't smell alcohol, but guessed she might have been high. She really needed more party!
Sorry this is so long. I'll save the rest for later.
There have been several days that have been a little harder to find much to write about that have been newsworthy. Tonight was the kind of night that I expected when I first found out that I would be at the OMP. This will be a long one. Here goes...
First, on the way around the stage area to get to the IB, I ran into this media specialist that I had spent the last training day with, who was a sharp retiree that I ended up sitting with at lunch, so we had visited for quite a while. He spotted me, waved and yelled, "Hey, it's the Info Babe." Funny.
Then, just after I got into the IB, a young host came in to bring a ticket that he had found on the ground. He actually came in mostly to tell me about an incident that had happened the night before. He carpools with another volunteer who speaks Russian and is hosting a Russian journalist that speaks no English. The journalist had been in the media section and had taped the medals ceremony, but had kept taping into the concert, which is a BIG no-no, so the security had confiscated the tape. The Russian had no idea that he wasn't supposed to film any of the band, since he didn't understand the announcements, and he was hysterical that all his work here was on the lost tape. The kid wanted to know if I could help get it back. (I don't know why they always end up with me.) Before I could get his name the phone rang and when I went to answer it, he had gone. I didn't know how to find him. I answered the phone and it was a panicky girl who had mistakenly come in our staff entrance and left a gold watch and special pin at security there when she was sent around to her SL Square entrance. I told her to call back in 30 minutes and set off to check for the jewelry. I went straight to the tent, found the stuff, stuck it in my pocket and zipped it up, and headed to the Event Services trailer to find someone to talk to about the missing tape. On the way, I ran into the Media guy from before, so I asked him who I ought to see. He thought I might as well check with the head of the venue. I wasn't sure, since everytime I have asked something of her she has said, "I'll get back to you" and hasn't. But, miracle of miracles, she was in the trailer. I told her the story and she said, "I'll check into it and get back to you." At least it was a variation. I walked out of the trailer and ran into a security officer who wanted to know who could help him with a problem. He had a girl with him who had accidentally left her jewelry.... I unzipped my pocket and handed her the watch and pin. Done with that at least.
I had just returned to the IB when Linda dropped in to unlock the cupboards, so I asked her about the tape and she said that we needed to know WHO took the tape, whether it was security or Event Services. (Remember, I couldn't get in touch with the host?) I said I'd try to check and put out the word to my friends who are Team Leaders that I had to get an unidentified, young, blond, male host in to talk to me ASAP.
Next, a ticket-taker came in with a Japanese couple who had extremely limited English. At some of the mountain venues they throw small balls out to the crowd that are good for two tickets to the OMP and these folks had caught one. Somehow they found out what it was for, but had no clue what to do with it. The balls can't be used as entry, but have to be exchanged for tickets at the ticket window at the Delta Center (oh, sorry, the Salt Lake Ice Center). Well, no one at the gate could make that clear and they wanted one of us to take care of them. Having had extensive experience in speaking broken English/Japanese I volunteered and waved them out to follow me. We had to hurry, so I rushed them through the gates and security, over to the window, got the tickets and looked at them - they were in the best section, right in front of the stage. While we walked I talked to the wife a little and found out that her brother was a cross country skiier that they came to see. She thought SLC and the temple grounds were beautiful. I told her I had lots of friends in Japan. She stopped and pulled a gorgeous hanky out of her pocket and wanted me to have it. I was delighted - I just love Japanese hankies and have several. She was so cute and appreciative of the help. As I escorted them through all the gates and the crowd and got closer and closer to the front, his eyes got bigger and bigger. He finally spotted the sign with his section, stopped short and said, "Ah, SPECIAL place!" I said, "VERY special!" They got to the area, bowed, shook my hand several times, hugged me, and finally happily took their places. I loved it. This will probably be my favorite memory.
When I got back to the IB I told the others that they might as well head off to eat. (Now we have a woman from Visitor Information Services who is more helpful than all the men combined) They had just left when a young guy came in with a couple of tickets and told me that he had brought them in by mistake and wondered if I would take them out to the gate and meet his friends there who needed the tickets. Since something like that happens several times a night, I said, sure and took the tickets. Suddenly, a burly security officer came barging in and started yelling at the kid. He was hostile and angry and told the kid to take the tickets, go to his seat and shut up *#!, etc., or he would kick him out, entirely. I just stood there with my mouth open and couldn't believe that he was so nasty and rude. They both left. Several people from the central management team of the OMP - the big bosses - started gathering in my tent. Since I had already talked to a couple of people about the Russian tape, I figured that they had been told to come in. I mentioned to the head of security the situation with the tickets and said that I thought the officer was excessive, so he went out to talk to him. Turns out the kid was scalping the tix through the fence and got caught. So he was trying to dupe me into helping him. Now I'm wondering how many of the others were doing the same.
More bosses start turning up. I ask them if they were down to get the tape mess cleaned up. No one knows anything about it. So I tell them - I figure that the more who know, the likelier it is we will get something done. They are interested, but don't seem thrilled that I've presented them with another problem. Turns out that they are gathering at the IB because they have to take disciplinary action against a couple of others in charge and I'm honored because they have no where else to meet in private. Real private - I'm there! One of the Team Leaders has manipulated things to get the easiest jobs every night and another big boss has taken advantage and sneaked people in to the OMP. They both got the boot. At least I'm on good terms with all of them!
There is a major buzz that is different. My Team Leader for the night ran in and said that Donald Rumsfeld was coming in. He and I ran down to watch the gate and here he breezes in, if it is possible to breeze with a dozen Secret Service agents, Mitt Romney and Mike Leavitt and who knows who all else. Things are just hopping and the other two girls in the booth missed it all for nasty Vegetable Lasagne. Boy, were they ticked!
LOST AND FOUND OF THE NIGHT: We had two bags turned in by the police that had just been left sitting somewhere. They had gone over them and had them sniffed by the bomb dogs and said that they were OK. One, a canvas tote bag, had a food carton in it. We didn't think we would send that to the L & F center, the food,anyway, but it was all claimed before we had to worry about it. The other one was a black handbag with odds and ends, but the only identification was a checkbook. At the end of the night a pretty girl came in to claim it. I got her name, so I knew it was hers, and asked her how she lost it. She said that she got sick of carrying it, so she took out everything valuable, credit cards, phone, etc., and left it on the ground. I pointed out that the police weren't letting anything sit unattended for safety reasons and that I was surprised it hadn't been blown up. She hadn't thought of that.
The host finally came back to ask about the tape. He didn't know who had taken it, so I got his name and the name of the other, Russian speaking host, told him to get some details and get back to us. I hope they get it straightened out tomorrow on my night off.
Towards the end of the night we had a posh socialite, "I'm from L.A.", in a full length mink and an expensive designer outfit park in the booth for about an hour. She wanted addresses and directions to every country party house that she could go to. I worked with her for a long time, then handed her off to the others. None of us could make much progress - she just wasn't processing information. I couldn't smell alcohol, but guessed she might have been high. She really needed more party!
Sorry this is so long. I'll save the rest for later.
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