Fighting for Olympic tickets!

Hi everyone! I'm Lynette and this is my first blogpost on our KOMU blog. I'm an international student from Singapore and I also lived in Hong Kong, before coming to the states for college. So, I've had the advantage of being able to communicate in Chinese with the locals. And knowing Chinese is really helpful when it comes to ordering food and buying Olympic tickets!

Round 1:
As Ted has mentioned on the previous post, four of us left our hotel at 6am to line up for tickets. Danielle (another Mizzou student) and I went to the Workers' Stadium to get football tickets. We wanted to get tickets for Men's Football (soccer) preliminaries with Nigeria vs Argentina and Serbia vs USA.

As we arrived, we found out that probably about 1,000 people camped out here last night and were lining up in the plaza outside the stadium. We joined a line of about 200 people outside the plaza and thought our chances were pretty good.

We anxiously waited for the ticket office to open at 9am. However, the line did not move until about 9:30 or 10 and each time we only moved 10 steps forward.

As waiting in line was boring, people began to chat with each other. The people around us were very interested in Danielle and I. They asked a lot of questions about the United States, including things like the education system, culture and food. They were also very interested in our experiences in China, asking if we had visited the Great Wall and Forbidden City etc. They also mentioned Chinese officials should visit western countries more often, so that China can improve her systems and have better development in the future.

Another interesting part was all the rumors that spread around. Usually when people leave the ticket office, the crowds would run up to them and asked what tickets they bought and how many were left. Then, it turned into all sorts of rumors such as all women's tickets were gone, all men's were gone and all cheap tickets were gone. Different "sources" gave different answers and there weren't any ways to verify the information. But finally, the official word came down that all men's tickets were sold out.

Finally, around noon, they've cleared all the people waiting inside the plaza. The fences you see in the middle of the picture lead right into the ticket office. But here came the problem: without a line to follow, people just pushed and ran through the plaza, and dashed into the fences.

When it was our turn to run, the guards suddenly decided that it was too chaotic and attempted to restore order. They formed a chain surrounding us and we were trapped in the worst condition. People behind us were trying to push forward, while guards went into the crowds trying to form small groups of people. I felt like being in a sauna while I was trapped in the crowd. Everyone was sweating so bad and it was extremely stuffy.

So finally, after an hour or so, the guards managed to organize us into lines and let people into the fences. Then it took us another 15 minutes before they let us into the ticket office.
On the left: the crowd that we were trapped in
On the right: people lining up inside the fences in groups of tens


We finally got our tickets!! We got tickets for women's preliminaries on Aug 12, with Nigeria vs Brazil and Canada vs Sweden. Since we waited in line for so long, we decided to treat ourselves with the best tickets, which in fact wasn't too expensive. They cost 150 yuan each, which is about $20.

Round 2:
According to the schedule, the ticket sales would be spread out into four days. My next target, volleyball on Aug 13 or 15, would be on sale on July 27. But as I woke up this morning and read the newspaper, the officials thought the crowd was too big already and started to sell all remaining tickets early. (They finished selling tickets for events inside the Olympic Green at 3am) Therefore, I hurried to the volleyball venue - Capital Indoor Stadium.
The line seemed to be very long! It circled around the plaza and streched into a tunnel outside the stadium.


It took us quite some time to find the end of the line. But, probably with the experience from yesterday, the line moved quite quickly and smoothly. It was also spacious throughout the line.
It was quite sunny, so some local students folded hats with their newspaper.
These few local students were very interested in America and Hong Kong as well. We chatted during our wait and we got seats right next to each other.
I got tickets for both women's and men's volleyball. I would be able to see the home team, China, competing in men's volleyball. The wait today was about 3 hours and each ticket costs 80 yuan, about $11.

Day 25 - People Soup

Hey Everyone!

My alarm clock went off at 5:00AM this morning - not for work, but for a chance to buy Olympic tickets. The fourth phase of ticket selling began this morning at 9:00AM. The remaining 250,000 tickets for Beijing events went on sale Friday, and some are predicting they will be sold out the same day.

Some friends and I planned out or attack the night before. We left at 6AM from the hotel and caught the subway. We split up from there: two of us hoping to get beach volleyball tickets and the other two looking for football tickets. Ashley and I headed to the venue site for beach volleyball. It took an hour just to find the place. Once we did, we had to go through several security checkpoints just to get to the line. The crowd was huge...so long we couldn't see the end. For all we knew, it wrapped around the stadium. We learned that there were six ticket offices corresponding to the six chutes that people were gathering in. We were ushered into one of the chutes and began "the wait". Not surprisingly, it was the most humid day yet in Beijing. People were all around invading all personal space. Standing became tiring and we sat down - first brushing away street trash and then putting down a piece of paper to sit on. It was HOT. I was sticky from the humidity and the enormous number of people trapped in the heat. Many times throughout the wait I seriously thought about leaving, but we had come so far and stayed so long we HAD to see it through. Making matters worse, there wasn't a breeze.

We didn't move for more than an hour which gave me the opportunity to do a lot of thinking and observing. Two women started fighting over something intense and the police had to break it up. One man had tucked his shirt into his underwear - a fashion no-no and - I'm sure - an uncomfortable decision for the day. By 1:00PM, five hours later, we got to the front of the line. (Nothing compared to the two days some people waited for opening ceremony tickets, but it was still tough.) Here's the kicker: each chute corresponded to a specific box office which sold tickets for specific dates. We wanted tickets for the 17th, 18th or 19th, but the booth we were directed to was only selling the 13th-15th! We tried moving over to the correct booth, but weren't allowed. We bought the tickets for the 14th and hoped for the best. It turns out, we will be okay and will be able to make the event! The other group grabbed women's football (soccer) tickets, so we are going to that event, too! The morning was a true test of patience. We passed, but a retest probably wouldn't yield the same results.

Check out the video - notice how the novelty wears off as the hours melt by.

Ted

BOCOG Training

During the past week, we’ve spent most of our time at BOCOG Training, which we are required to keep confidential. However, they released our schedules, and I will be a flash quotes reporter for the Olympic News Service. I’ll also be working alongside BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, taking quotes from the athletes as they’re interviewed.

The Beijing News came one day to training to interview some of the volunteers. Ted and I were interviewed from our group. Here’s a link to the article, even though it’s written in Chinese.

http://www.thebeijingnews.com/news/olympic/2008/07-23/039@072024.htm


And the final members of the U.S. women's gymnastics team have been named...

• Chellsie Memmel
  
• Samantha Peszek
  
• Alicia Sacramone
  
• Bridget Sloan
• Shawn Johnson
  
• Nastia Liukin
  

(Three alternates were chosen: Jana Bieger, Ivana Hong and Corrie Lothrop.)

Day 24 - Schedules Released!

Hey Everyone!

We completed another day of training today. We finished the day with another team-building game. This time, it was a ping pong balancing relay race. The Chinese students were really competitive and the Americans joked that the reason why the winning team came out on top was because they only had one American on the team to slow them down.

We also got our work schedule for the Olympic Games. I'm scheduled to work in the Broadcast Mixed Zone. Basically, I'll be grabbing quotes from athletes as they come off the field. After coming off the floor, they have to walk to the broadcast area (a row of partitioned spaces in the arena - see picture) and walk by all the television companies. This is the opportunity for the tv stations to grab the athletes for one-on-one interviews. Then, the athletes will go down to the Press Mixed Zone (where newspaper and other ONS reporters will get the chance to talk with athletes). I'll be working with the NBC team. The reporter for NBC NewsChannel is the main anchor at the NBC station I interned two summers ago. Small world! Anyway, our team is on rotation shifts and we will work alternating days. The last few work days (17-20), we will be working every day. Looking forward to focusing in on our tasks!

Ted

"Yeah, that's the ticket"

Friday morning at 9 marked the time when domestic tickets could be purchased for the Olympic Games. A news release said that around 250,000 tickets would be available. Thinking that I might have a shot to score some gold medal baseball tickets at face value (150 RMB or a little over 20 dollars), I thought I would take a chance.

Along with KOMU's Mark Welsh, Trinity Nelson and three others, we packed our bags for an overnight stay. After making a quick stop at the Wal-Mart Super Center to purchase stuff to sleep on, we made our journey to the ticket office located south of the Olympic Green. Some wanted swimming tickets, some handball, some track and field and others gymnastics. At Wal-Mart we recieved the news that only diving, baseball and one other sport would be available on Friday morning. Upon arrival, I felt optimistic about my shot at getting tickets to baseball... then I saw the masses.

It's tough to explain with both words and pictures the amount of people we saw. Mark joking said over a million, Trinity claimed 75,000 and I said I thought somewhere between 25,000-30,000. In lines that snaked back and forth, people played cards, drank beer, ate dinner and chatted with friends. People were sitting on lawn chairs, laying on yoga mats and sleeping on newspaper. The lines appeared endless.

We exited the train station and thought we would beat the mob, but we were wrong. Some of us joked that arriving 14 hours before the ticket office opened would guarantee us tickets saying "we wouldn't need to be there more than a few hours before 9." The truth is we needed to be there much earlier. After talking with some of the people in line, I found out people had been there since noon... on Wednesday.

So it's a little depressing not to get Olympic tickets, but it was quite an experience to see the energy of the Beijing Olympics. For three niche sports, the people of Beijing skipped work, sat out in the sun and waited and waited and waited. I would love to see baseball at the Olympics as this year marks its final go, but I honestly think I am not as deserving of them as some people here who are willing to fight the weather, potential line jumpers, screaming kids and boredom.

People once called me a little crazy sitting outside Best Buy for Black Friday. If I am crazy for waiting a couple of hours for three dollar DVDs, are these people crazy? I don't think so. They have waited seven years for these games. What's another 48 hours.

Day 23 - A Major Headache...

...Literally.

Hey Everyone!

Last night was probably the worst night I've had in Beijing.  For some reason, I just couldn't get to sleep.  I've been having headaches the past two days, but this morning, I was aching all over.  I almost didn't get out of bed.  I'm not sure if it's the way I'm sleeping, lack of sleep or stress (most possible case), but it hit me hard.  I got ready and dragged along to work this morning.  I felt okay during work.  We participated in two emergency evacuation sequences which involved the entire volunteer staff - I'd estimate about 1,000 of us - going up to the highest seats in the stadium.  We were then released and had to walk to an exit.  I'm guessing this is to see how the traffic flow works during a mass exodus.  It was interesting.

Ying Yao, the ONS manager, took us on a tour of the Olympic Green in the afternoon.  We got to see the north side lake.  As we were leaving the area, music began to play and water started shooting out of the lake.  Our shock turned to amazement as we realized it was the hourly water show.  Cameras immediately whipped out.  We also saw the IT building in charge of computer operations.  Appropriately enough, it was shaped like computer chips.  At night, green lines run down the side of the building like the Matrix.  Tease for photos to come?

A scavenger hunt was next on the agenda.  We met with a whole bunch of ONS people and photo assistants.  It was the first time the Americans worked with the Chinese on a team-building activity.  We had to run around the stadium and find weird items like how many lockers were in the Press Workroom.  It was fun working with our Chinese counterparts.  The winning team (not me) was instructed to get up in front of all 200 of us and give a brief speech on how they felt about winning.  It was hilarious and touching at the same time.  Matt and Danielle, both from our group, seemed awkward and we all got a good laugh out of that.  One Chinese girl said it was a miracle the team won because she does not have a lot of confidence and she will remember this day forever.

I left work with a headache and ate in the bistro downstairs.  Right now, I feel bad, but I think sleeping will help because I feel really tired.  Hopefully tomorrow, the headache will be gone.

Take a look at the buses we have to take to get on the Olympic Green.  NO personal space.  Also, here's a sample of the Olympic Green water show.

Ted

Day 22 - Editing

Hey Everyone!

Training was pushed back to 2:00PM Tuesday.  It was nice to wake up leisurely.  We again ate in the courtyard I got some french toast - again, just a bit different.  I think the toast was deep fried and it was served sans syrup.  The new subway line 10 opened recently which takes us directly to the Olympic Green.  Line 8, which actually takes us into the Olympic Green, won't open until the 25th.  Training was normal, basically. We listened to another lecture about flash quotes and did a mock flash quote interview.  It's the stereotypical scene - a bunch of us in a big huddle shouting out questions to the incoming athlete.  The "athlete" (Sally) would play out different scenarios: an athlete that didn't talk much or an athlete who talked too fast.  We had to cope with the situation as it developed.

The evening was spent editing a promo for KOMU.  I've been working on a one-minute piece that will go on our blog - and maybe on television - as the games get closer.  I estimate it took about 30 hours from start to finish.  I'm pretty happy with the result and can't wait to show you guys soon!

Ted

Time to Tri(athlon) Something New

Hi everyone! I'm official!!!

I started my training today at the Triathlon (tri) venue. It is located an hour north of Beijing, in the middle of nowhere! Honestly though, it's really nice to be in the mountains, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The tri venue is built on the side of the Ming Reservoir, although I found out the reservoir is to hold water for the defunct "Nine Dragons Amusement/Water Park." The tri offices (a.k.a trailers) are mixed in between the merry-go-round, lazy river and ticket offices for the old amusement park.

As you can see, the field of play (FOP) is still being built, but is almost done. It's going to be amazing when they finally get there. The blue mesh that you see is astro-turf (per se) it's the transition between the water and the cycling and the cycling and the running parts of the race. It's fun to walk on!

I was given preliminary access to the INFO2008 intranet. It is a private network for journalists that has our flashquotes, athlete biography, medal counts, and anything else you'd need as a journalist. The system was initially built for the 1996 Atlanta games, and has been updated every year since.

I'm off again for the next week. The triathlon specialist is busy this week and can't meet with us to teach us about the sport. To the right is the Mixed Zone at my venue. I'll be a Flash Quotes Reporter (FQR) during the triathlon on August 19 and 20. Now, I have to find something to do until next week!

Mark

Day 21 - Three Weeks

Hey Everyone!

Today, we had the day off.  This schedule we're on is totally throwing my body off balance.  We have random weekdays off but work the whole weekend.  We are scheduled to work tomorrow, but not until 2 in the afternoon.  Today was spent catching up on emails and working on small projects I haven't had time for during the week.  There's a courtyard bistro behind our hotel that we recently discovered.  It has American food - something we all have been craving.  The french fries are great, but a little greasy.  I've noticed this with a lot of the Americanized food here: there is still a Chinese twist.  It tastes just a bit different.  Nevertheless, it's a nice break from the normal Chinese cuisine.

Correction: I guess Brian Williams and Bob Costas will NOT be broadcasting from this tower!!  The Broadcasting Tower is for views of the Olympic Green.  According to the Today Show guy I met, Nightly News will broadcast from the BICC on the other side of the Bird's Nest.  I took a trip over there but couldn't find exactly where it was.  That's my next mission!

Ted

Day 20 - Balancing Act

Hey Everyone!

Training again!  Unfortunately, due to BOCOG guidelines, we aren't and won't be allowed to go into detail on what we are doing at the NIS.  We continued training and met some Chinese student volunteers.  Lunch was interesting - a different catering service took over and we received tv dinner-like trays full of different Chinese dishes separated in small compartments.  In the afternoon, we ran a simulation to see how the athletes will come through the mixed zone and if there were any traffic issues to deal with.  Success!

In the evening, we went to see The Chinese Acrobats - a must-see attraction if you're in Asia. The acrobats are strong physically and spiritually which helps to focus on the Chinese philosophy of inner strength.  Sarah did a great job describing the sights of the night.  It was truly amazing.  The show started with laser light show that produced 3-D images throughout the space of the theatre - too cool.  Throughout the night, it was one act after another of amazing feats including balancing acts, diving through hoops and body-bending extremes.  Riding a bike is simple enough, but the Chinese acrobats took it a step...ten steps...further.  Assistants would bring out strange apparatuses and you were thinking "What are they going to do with that?"  They pushed it to the max with everything.  A part of me was nervous because everything they did could have turned into a disaster if gone wrong, but I'm sure they spend hours and hours practicing.  I walked out of the theatre excited but also stressed...it was intense watching them!  They pulled it off very well, though.  So glad I went!

Ted

Chaoyang Theater Acrobatics World

Tonight I attended the most incredible show I’ve ever seen in my life! Chaoyang Theater, located in Beijing, focuses on acrobatic performances. It was designated as the Tourist Performance Site by the Beijing government. After the late 1980s, Chaoyang Theater underwent a period of adjustments, adding singing and dancing into their performances. I literally couldn’t believe my eyes! There were contortionists, gymnasts, and people with the most incredible balancing skills. I was amazed at what the human body can actually achieve. I’ll try to get some video posted soon because words cannot even describe what my eyes saw. If you are ever in China, you cannot miss out on this show!

Sarah

Checking out some of the venues

As Sunday marked one of our last free days before the games begin, I decided I would take the 50 minute subway route through three transfer stations to the Wukesong Baseball Field. I couldn't get super close so as for the field conditions, I have no opinion. The venue itself however doesn't look like much. While I was delighted to finally see something that resembles baseball in China (I haven't seen anything at all), I was a little let down on the venue itself. Athletics has the super cool Birds Nest and the Water Cube and Worker's Stadium, but Wukesong Baseball field looks like a high school field on steroids. I guess I can see why the Beijing Games will mark baseball's last hurray at the Olympics.

Also on a baseball note, it's too bad the US National team wasn't looking for at least a few more right handed pitchers. The crop to pick from this season was pretty weak according to a Baseball America podcast. The team included one college player in San Diego State's Stephen Strasburg passing on Missouri's Kyle Gibson. Currently the team has one open spot so the chance to see another Mizzou athlete in Beijing is still a possibility.

I also took some time to check out the basketball arena. It looks as if it has bamboo around it. Pretty interesting looking. I tried to get as close as I could to the venue, but guards and a fence kept me from getting closer. From what I have heard from many of the locals, they are anticipating the first game USA plays against China. It should be interesting. I believe it is August 10.

Day 19 - Transportation Woes

Hey Everyone!

The weekend started with more training at the NIS where we spent the day going over more procedures and protocol for flash quotes (FQ).  Later in the afternoon, Doreen, one of our Olympic supervisors, took us around the Olympic Green. I was magnetically pulled towards the Today Show set again and got to talk with an NBC freelance employee who was setting up the studio.  Mark, from Hong Kong, gave us a quick tour of the set and told us to come back when they air and bring signs.  We think Matt, Meredith and Al will start broadcasting the eve of the Opening Ceremonies, 

but I think a lot of us are going to try and get down there the Monday after due to our work schedule.  To the right, is the newly unveiled Line 10 - one of the lines Mark said just opened up.  It's calm and peaceful...for now.

In addition to giving us access to our venues, our accreditation gets us free metro and bus transportation around the city.  We decided to check it out and found the Beijing transportation system does not like us.  The bus ride back from the Olympic Green was like being at a crowded party unable to move.  It was hot and the smells on the bus were extremely strong.  One of my friends had to get off the bus because the driver wasn't the smoothest stick shift operator.  But we didn't have to pay - if it's truly worth it.  Using the metro is a different story.  Usually, you get a one-pass card to use.  With our accreditation, you have to show it to the ticket booth and they will give you a card for free.  

However, recently, they've been waving us to just go through the corral.  The problem is, the person at the corral ushers us back to the ticket counter.  One worker was so exasperated, she took off my accreditation pass and pointed with it to the ticket counter.  An argument between the woman and the ticket officer ensued and ended with the upset woman sheepishly saying "sorry" as she let us through.  I'm sure as the Games get closer, public transportation will become more interesting.  It will be neat to see how the city accommodates the people.

To the right: some musicians were putting on a show on the metro as we were coming home from dinner.

Ted

Let's get this party started!

In the last week, I have noticed a great transformation in this city! When we arrived on July 2, Beijing was still sorting out the final kinks before spectators arrived for the Olympic Games. In the last 7 days, this city has really started acting like the host of this summer's Olympic Games.

At 2pm yesterday (Saturday), three new subway lines FINALLY opened. The original open dates were set for 6-8 months ago. The Suzhoujie station is only a 5 minute walk from our hotel, which can get us to any point in the city for 2RMB (30 cents). I used to rely on taxis or the bus to get me to the other closest subway station--15 minutes away. As Ted mentioned earlier this week, our Olympic accreditation passes allow us to travel the subway for free, a welcomed perk :). The three new lines include the Olympic line (it runs under the Olympic Green), the airport line (fast-speed train from downtown Beijing to terminal 2 and 3) and our commuter line. In the past two years, Beijing went from two subway lines to 7 (with two more opening....???)
The city has also put up billboards and signs in the middle of its' highways with the Olympic logos and "One World, One Dream" slogan. Tourists are obviously here for one reason, but Beijing wants to remind its people that they must be on the best behavior too! Recently, the Chinese government published rules for its people to stand in lines (my favorite) and drive better. Better...I thought safer would've been a better word :)
(Photo Courtesy Larry Powell)

Similar to past games, Beijing designated one lane in every direction, on every major highway as an "Olympic Lane" to transport any dignitaries, athletes or volunteers to and from the Games quicker. The lanes were painted last weekend with the Olympic Rings. I tried taking pictures while we were in our bus, but the pictures didn't turn out.

Today is the day all Beijingers haven't been looking forward to--the start to more regulations on their mobility. Today is July 19, which means that all odd-numbered cars (determined by the last digit on their license plate) can drive. Tomorrow, July 20, all even-numbered cars can drive. MSNBC reports there are 3.3 million cars on Beijing's roads, and removing half each day will cut down on emissions, but more importantly traffic!

As I glance out my window, the sky is slightly hazy with a few clouds. Yesterday, we had bright Carolina-blue skies with big fluffy clouds--made it feel like home!

Have a great weekend,

Mark