A Ceremony of sorts

Hi All!

Matt and I wandered around Beijing last night. My goal was to see Tien'anmen Square and the National Theatre of Performing Arts lit up at night.

We arrived at the Tien'anmen West subway station at 7pm, and were greeted by thousands of people jam packed in the square, most of which facing the center. My first reaction was the time: 7pm. One hour and one week until the Opening Ceremonies, could it be for that? Matt finally tracked down an Olympic volunteer who spoke English. He told us something about the Chinese Flag and it being down. We put together "flag" and "down" and realized the nightly flag lowering ceremony was about to being, usually around 7:30pm. We had nothing to lose, and nowhere to be, so we watched the soldiers walk out from the Forbidden City, march across the eight lanes of traffic (which are stopped for the occassion) and mount the flag's platform. After about 2 minutes, the soldiers marched back into the Forbidden City with China's massive red and yellow flag. It was quite an experience!

With 20 minutes to go until 8pm, Matt and planned to race across to the official countdown clock. Instead, we talked to another Chinese student and found out August 1st marked a special date for the Chinese. Friday was "PLA Day," which accounted for the massive crowds. It was the 81st anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army, the official military branch of the Communist Party of China.

Now we only had a few minutes to pass through the security gates and crowds at Tien'anmen and get to the countdown clock hit 7 days: 00 hours: 00 minutes: 00 seconds until the Opening Ceremonies. It happened after we got there, people clapped and the lights across Tien'anmen Square lit up! No fireworks, but I hear they're saving it for next week!!!

With one final stop in mind, we walked an extra block east towards the National Theatre of Performing Arts. WOW...totally worth the visit. It was lit up with vibrant colors and crowds just stopped to look at the architecture of the building: it's a half-egg made of titanium and colored glass set in the middle of a lake. It's unbelievable.


Take Care,
Mark

Countdown to the Games...

Since my last blog post, I’ve been staying busy at BOCOG Training. It’s nice to see all the journalists finally arriving. The broadcast folks get here tomorrow, so that’s when my fun will begin.

Most of the athletes are here and have begun training in the National Indoor Stadium (NIS). As many of you know, Paul Hamm pulled out of the Olympics because his broken hand still isn’t healthy enough for him to compete.

As a result, Raj Bhavsar will take his place.

The group spends most the evenings in the Hou Hai (pronounced HO-hi) area, which is a manmade lake—the largest of three consecutive lakes lined with willow trees and surrounded by a maze of hutongs, shops, and cafes. The evening is a beautiful time to visit, since the courtyard stays lit through the evening.

Olympic tickets have also gone on sale here in China. Eric Durban, a Mizzou convergence major, decided to brave the massive “lines” for a chance at getting tickets. The Guardian, the New York Times of the UK, posted an article about their long wait in line. Unfortunately, after a full day of waiting they left with no tickets in hand. Here’s a picture of Eric, holding the sign, “Line Starts Here.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/gallery/2008/jul/24/olympics2008.china.beijing?picture=335958099


I trusted my dear friend, Sarah Orscheln, to buy us tickets on Beijing’s Craig’s list for the women’s gold medal football match. Sarah played soccer in college and stays up-to-date on any soccer news. She informed me that Abby Wambach recently broke her leg and will not be playing in the Olympic Games. Wambach is the U.S. Women’s leading scorer, and she broke her leg in a game in San Diego on July 16th.



I’m also including several photos that Sarah has taken during our trip. She is a convergence major at MU.

Sarah and I visited Wángfǔjǐng and the Night Market the other day. Wángfǔjǐng street, located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, is one of China's most famous shopping streets. Much of the road is off-limits to cars and other motor vehicles, which is nice for pedestrians. You can find anything from dog brain soup to fried starfish! Sarah and I decided we’re going to come back with a group of kids, so we can try all the crazy foods together.

Sarah

Waiting for Dwyer

It has been nearly two weeks since I first stepped foot into the Olympic Green Field Hockey Stadium venue. In that short span of time, I have learned quite a bit about field hockey. Growing up in the Midwest where football is king, I had no experience with the sport whatsoever. But thanks to the knowledge and patience of a Sports Information Specialist Andy and a Olympic News Service Reporter Fidz, I have expanded my sports knowledge and mind.

This past week I have had the opportunity to watch some of the best field hockey players in the entire world. I have had the opportunity to interview coaches, chat with players, meet journalist and stand toe-to-toe with future colleagues. It has been quite a learning experience. I have learned who the best players are, who is favored to win, who has a tradition of winning and who could potentially play the role of spoilers.

I can tell you that Luciana Aymar from Argentina is one of the greatest female athletes of the generation. She plays a sport that gets little attention in North America, but when she laces up those bright pink shoes and grabs a stick, she is something else. I can also tell you that on the men's side, Teun de Nooijer is the best player I have seen in field hockey. I can tell you that fellow Dutchman Guus Vogels is one of the best goal keepers in the world, Australia's Melanie Wells is a great interview and Argentina's coach Gabriel Minadeo speaks Spanglish.

I haven't seen it all... yet. I am still anxious as ever to watch a real game and not just a training game. I am anxious to interview more athletes. I am anxious to see who will win, who will lose, great scores, great saves and totally embrace the sport of field hockey. I cannot lie, I am also anxious to see Australia's Jamie Dwyer play. Most regard him as the greatest hockey player in the world. He scores a lot of goals and has won countless awards and trophies, but there is another reason why I am so eager to watch and interview him. He is the best. According to sources at least, he is better at his job than anybody else is at his. What a thing to strive for.

Day 32 [7 Days To Go] - Green Nightlife

Hey Everyone!

Overnight, Laura and I went onto the Olympic Green to get some snapshots of the area at night. It was pretty spooky because there was hardly anyone on the subway and the Green was pretty much empty...but we got some wonderful shots! Below is some of the stuff I shot!

Ted

Day 31 [8 Days to Go] - Box to Go

Hey Everyone!

I was waiting for a 'lost in translation moment'. I had been waiting for one talking with local Chinese and keeping my eyes pealed for poorly translated signs. Tonight, we went to a dumpling restaurant along subway line 10. It was a hike to get there, but a friend had been earlier and said it was really good. The menu had every dumpling you could imagine, and you could get them dyed different colors if you wanted to as well. At 1 yuan a piece, we went dumpling crazy and ordered 60! Unfortunately, the server only brought out 42 dumplings - but it was plenty for dinner.

My friend Aja was hoping to take two batches back to a friend at Renmin so we got the menu out again and told the server. We added the important phrase: "Box to go". She didn't understand. We kept repeating the phrase: "Box to go"- this time using hand motions depicting an imaginary box. She seemed to understand and we went about finishing our dinner.

The extra dumplings arrived...on a plate. We all sighed and I told the lady again, "Can we have a box to go?" She seemed to be saying it was on its way, so we waited. It was 10 minutes before I got up and grabbed a box from the stack I had seen across the room. We piled the dumplings into the box and got up to leave. The server seemed alarmed and we immediately thought maybe we had to pay for the box (you have to pay for bags at the grocery store). We handed her money, but she didn't accept it. She made us sit, but we weren't sure why were being held against our will. She pulled out a menu, turned it to the back page and pointed to something in Chinese. We all immediately thought we had ordered something by accident, but we had already paid and everything was accounted for. The server then cleared the table and placed a single dish in the middle. It looked like squares of...something drenched in syrup.

"Ba-su-doo-go" she said. It took a second, but soon we realized the grave communication error that had just taken place. We laughed so hard people at other tables started looking at us. The server must have realized what was going on because she was smiling too and a group of them had shown up to watch. The English phrase "Box to Go" sounds a lot like the fried potato with sugar dessert titled "Ba-su-doo-go". We couldn't stop laughing as we left and it was the funniest thing that's happened in China since I arrived.

There's something to be said about going out and truly experiencing the trials and tribulations of an authentic restaurant where no one knows English. This was one of those times.

Ted

Box to go vs. "Basudoogoo"

Day 30 [9 Days To Go] - Food for Thought

Hey Everyone!

Back to work today! We opted out of taking the new line 8 to the Olympic Green because people said it was more of a headache than a convenience. Security at the Olympic Green was on HIGH alert today! We scanned our credentials into a terminal that had a camera attached to it. Our bags went through medal detectors and we were frisked. Everyone was very nice about the whole experience! To get into the NIS, there was another set of security measures we had to go through. As a helicopter circled overhead, I realized how tight security has become. The grounds have changed, too. There's a mores sense of urgency and professionalism. It's been really neat to see how the city and venues have started coming together. Every day there is something small added - an Olympic poster here, a new podium there. I just saw an article on CNN about how the Chinese are trying to curb pollution by implementing more restrictions on traffic and power plants. The past few days the pollution hasn't been too bad. It's actually been cool outside! I did notice the week before that I had a constant sore throat - maybe from particulates in the air? The rain really helps to keep the skies clear and I hope we get a good wash right before the Opening Ceremonies!

I spent the day at work looking up research for the male gymnasts. I will be working for most of the male competitions and compiled a database of all the athletes from the different countries. It took awhile, but I think it will help in the long run.

I thought it would be fun to show you how we are eating at the NIS...not your normal food court. Also included is a panorama of the Olympic Green Common Domain a week before the Games. You can see the Today Show set is really making progress and they already have the jib (crane) assembled. The stereo system has been running on the grounds and you can hear the famous "We Are Ready" song playing. More people have arrived on the Green and many are taking this "calm before the storm" as an opportunity to take pictures with the Bird's Nest and other venues. Can't wait until the Olympic spirit fills the grounds!

Ted

Day 29 [9 Days To Go] - The Saddle Cantina

Hey Everyone!

I spent the day catching up with more odds and ends. Today was my second day off. I met a Chinese friend for lunch today and we ate at a new restaurant right near our hotel. There's always new and exciting places to eat!

In the evening, all of the gymnastics ONS volunteers traveled by subway to The Saddle Cantina, a Mexican restaurant across town. The small, two-story restaurant looked like hacienda in Mexico. Strings of white lights strung across the outdoor porch and Mexican music played to add to the ambiance. It was a nice change from the bustling streets of Beijing. Sally, our international manager, invited us out to the restaurant for drinks: first round on ONS! It was a lot of fun to hang out with everyone outside of work. I got to talk with all the managers and the Chinese students who have been helping us at NIS.

Here's a picture of me, Sarah and Sally!

Didn't party too much cause I have to go to work!

Ted

First for the first time

I am going to take a break from the Beijing talk for just a minute to tell of something that happened today that has never happened before. First I must tell the backstory. Twenty two years ago today my grandfather's only daughter gave him the birthday gift of a lifetime. On July 30, 1986 at the age of 55, my grandpa welcomed twins grandsons into the world.

For 21 years I have had to listen to my older brother (all five minutes older) brag on how he was older than me. This year however, for the first time ever I celebrated my birthday before him. Thanks to the help of being 13 hours ahead of North America's Central Standard Time, I was 22 before my brother was. While it might not have been the Big 2-1 or even Sweet Sixteen, my 22nd birthday will be a momorable one as I was the first this year.

Happy Birthday Brian and Grandpa Dale.

Hockey Anyone?

Today I continued my training at the Olympic Green Field Hockey Stadium. While it has been the same old same old every day, last Saturday I got the opportunity to actually play hockey on the field. Our Olympic News Service Reporter Fidz and our Sports Information Specialist Andy taught the field hockey crew how to actually play. It's like most sports, watching from the grandstands is much easier than actually playing.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Today was the nicest weather we've had for the entire trip. I'm actually staring out my window at BLUE SKIES!!!

I left the hotel this morning at 7:30 and couldn't believe the breeze was so...cold? I can't speak for those who work at the Olympic Green, but the Triathlon venue was stunning. No smog to dim the bright green mountains and no oppressive heat to fry the pavement...it was perfect! I checked the weather on INFO2008 and it said it was clear skies, low humidity and a temperature in the low 70's with a cool breeze.

I forgot my camera at the hotel this morning and wanted to kick myself for it. Today would've been the best day to get a panorama of my venue. I really wish I could share the sight with you. We've been training for almost two weeks, but none of us realized how stunning the mountains are with the Great Wall in the background. I hope I get another chance to see it so I could share it with you.

I have another 5 days off. I plan on walking the perimeter of the Olympic Green to get some pictures of the venues. It'll be good exercise and will hopefully give me a good view of what Beijing has been up to the past 7 years!

I finally got tickets for the Bird's nest!!! Jason, a Missourian photographer, and I each decided to spend the $90 US dollars on tickets to the Men's Track and Field finals on August 23rd. It's the most anticipated event of the games because world records are always broken. I was so excited last night when our order was confirmed that I had trouble going to sleep! I was a little groggy at work, but it was well worth it!

Take Care,

Mark

Day 28 [10 Days To Go] - Authentic China

Hey Everyone!

The second shift of volunteers worked today which meant I had the day off. I had been waiting for a day where I could just catch up with odds and ends. I spent the day writing emails and taking care of "housekeeping" jobs like laundry. I hand-washed my uniform (in the sink) because some people said it would not be a good idea to take it to the cleaners.

In the evening, I went out with Lynette and some of the Chinese volunteers from the NIS. We left the main street in front of our university and traveled down some backstreets. It felt like I was in a different part of China. Vendors were selling fruit on the streets and kids were playing in parks. We ate at a restaurant called "2.2". Ordering family-style, we ate tofu, chicken and a fish soup that I wasn't too thrilled about. It all came to about 25 yuan a piece - that's about $3! I talked with the Chinese students about all sorts of things like what they thought of Barack Obama and their opinion of the food at NIS. They all liked Obama and were interested to see what my opinions were. The food at the NIS didn't sit well with them. They said it was pretty bad, and I would have to agree. Hearing them say the food wasn't good made me feel a little better. It was another dive into Chinese culture and cuisine!

Ted

Day 27 [11 Days To Go] - Sniffing

Hey Everyone!

Instead of heading to a church Sunday, I worked again. I can't describe how weird it feels to never have off on the weekend. Our work schedule has us working weekends. We have a day of work and then a day off. We are all on our new set of work rotations so now I work one day and then have two days off. We returned to work after the lockdown to find an army of dogs outside the NIS. They had gone inside and smelled all of our lockers the day before. The day consisted of a lecture in the morning and flash quote simulations in the afternoon. Our supervisors pretended to be famous athletes and tried to trip us up with mixed zone scenarios. We took quotes and asked questions and then went through the procedure to get them into the computer system.

Many people have asked whether China will be ready for the Olympics and whether they can pull it off. Within the past few weeks, it's been interesting to see how the city has transformed itself. Security has increased. Police officers at the entrance gate to Renmin (the university where we are housed) have begun requiring ID to get inside. Posters and placards are everywhere in the city promoting the Games. For me, the atmosphere is electric with anticipation of things to come. Everyone can see the Games in the distance, and it's almost too hard to wait. City volunteers are everywhere - in the subway helping people get to their destinations and on the city streets giving out Olympic information.

I see the volunteers in the blue uniform almost everywhere I go. We are an army of workers all with the same goal. Every time I wear my credentials, people stare. It's a great conversation starter and the Chinese are always fascinated to see an Olympic worker. I feel like everyone in the city is proud that Beijing is hosting the Games. On the flip side, the government has set up places around the city, mainly in parks away from the venues, where people can come and freely protest. Many are saying it's a way the government is showing it's not-so-strict control.

Here's video of "We Are Ready", a theme song of the preparation for the Olympic Games. (marking the 1 year countdown) It can be heard everywhere...and is a bit cheesy. Almost everyone you meet has said this phrase. I believe the hard work and dedication to the Games will make Beijing 2008 a complete success!

Ted

Day 26 - Melody

Hey Everyone!

We were off again due to a lockdown at the NIS. It was a scheduled day off to give security a chance to close off the venue to sweep through the entire building. A couple of friends and I took the opportunity to go to the YaShow Market - similar to the Pearl Market where you can buy knockoff brand clothing, purses and souvenirs. Later, we stopped to eat lunch at Subway which tasted exactly like back home.

One of the staff members from the University who is here with us set up a social event in the evening. At 7PM, we headed to Melody, a karaoke bar close to our campus.

Karaoke is extremely popular here in China. KTV, a big karaoke chain, is all over China. The inside of Melody was ultra-modern decked out with bright lights and marble floors. The rooms were amazing. Each was equipped with two wall-mounted plasma screen TVs and a "stage" area. There was a good sound system on the wall and it even had a disco ball. A computer in the corner had a database of hundreds of songs from which you could choose. Once selected, the music started to play and the words appeared on the screens.

I don't think the music videos to the songs were legal to use, so instead, random shots of the countryside or farm animals were the backdrop for the lyrics.

It was especially random to hear an Usher song and watch a sequence of shots of a llama on the TV. Microphones were passed around. A bunch of people also ordered drinks and food to liven up the party. By the end of the night, we were all singing our hearts out and having a blast.

Ted

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.