Melican at the Paralympics: Part 2

I think most people would agree a kind of sad lull has fallen over the UK, in particular London, this week. The event everyone was moaning about and worrying about its impact actually had us all coming together and celebrating what it meant to be British. London 2012 – the Olympics and Paralympics.

A bit of a latecomer to the party, I attended the Paralympics just before it all finished, but I am so glad I did. What an experience.

As I blogged previously my first experience was at the Olympic Park at Stratford and all on offer there. However, my second visit was quite different.

On Saturday 8th September my boyfriend and I attended the Paralympics at the Excel Centre. Again, we were using day passes (allowing you access to various events if there are seats available). This time we were allowed to see Wheelchair Fencing, Boccia and Wheelchair Table Tennis.

We ended up seeing all three – with Boccia without a doubt definitely our favourite. We saw two games – one where GB were aiming for Bronze and the other where GB were aiming for Gold. The second was GB v Thailand and Thailand won. We all know by now how much I love Thailand so I told my boyfriend I would be happy whoever won. Pattaya Tadtong – who won – was so happy when he got Gold, it was very emotional to be there and an amazing experience.

It was funny though – the day was a real mixture of emotions and experiences. On the way to the Excel Centre we ended up going via the Royal Docks and really appreciated how beautiful London can be and how being from here you can really take it for granted. The Games Makers were as friendly and enthusiastic as ever, but unfortunately some staff in the Excel centre weren’t quite so cheerful!

When we went to watch Boccia the first time the seats were in an awful position so we moved and then one of the staff were fantastic and came to find us to say they’d spotted a better seat for us – what service! However, on going to watch the Wheelchair Table Tennis, one of the men’s attitude left a lot to be desired and just gave off a real air of not wanting to be there. He kept telling people very abruptly how they must not go past a certain seat and was getting people to get up and move to the very end of a row (for no reason there were loads of empty seats!) A real shame and the only one we experienced.

I also found the Excel didn’t have the same buzz about it as the Olympic Park – I guess understandable when you consider the size difference. Although once you were in the events themselves you could feel the atmosphere again. We even got to see a medal ceremony for the Boccia which was fantastic to watch and again had my emotions going!

After we’d finished at the Excel (after around 5 hours) we decided to try out the cable car from the Royal Docks to North Greenwich. I’d really recommend it actually. The ride itself only lasts around 5 minutes, but it’s priced pretty reasonably and even the huge queue we joined moved quickly. You get great views, particularly if you’re up there on a sunny day like we were.

We munched down some food and drink at the o2 and then made our way home – exhausted. Then it was off to bed that night ready for the excitement of the next day – the closing ceremony!

Melican at the Paralympics

Last weekend saw me doing something I was admittedly doubtful I would ever do. In the past I’d complained about it and was dubious as to how spectacular it would be. But I did it.

On Saturday I visited the Olympic Park.

Back when everyone was trying to get tickets to London2012 (you know when everyone complained and it was labelled a bit of a shambles as ‘nobody’ could get tickets, you didn’t even know what events you’d get etc…), my boyfriend asked me if I’d like to go. My response was pretty much ‘Do what you want, I’m not bothered’, so he went about applying for tickets (about £300 worth I believe).

What happened? He got nothing for the Olympics and then received two sets of day passes – one for the Olympic Park, during the Paralympics, and one for the Excel Centre, during the Paralympics. No set events tickets and those he did have were for the Paralympics. He also got closing ceremony tickets to the Paralympics he informed me with a smile on his face.

I didn’t feel much excitement - scrap that – any excitement at this news, I wasn’t fussed about the Olympics anyway, it was primarily being hosted in the ‘dump’ that is Stratford (sorry if you live there…and yes, I do realise I live in Essex and can’t really talk!...) Ashamed as I am to admit this, I also felt disappointment that what he’d go wasn’t even for the ‘proper’ Olympics, and in fact for the Paralympics. Yes I know, what an awful thing to say or think. But there, it’s out there, that was my honest reaction.

Fast forward to July and my thoughts on the Olympics and Paralympics were still somewhat Scrooge-like and my main concerns were the impact it was going to have on my journey to and from work and that I hoped it didn’t cause delays to my journey to the airport for my holiday in Thailand for my 30th!

As it was – as much as I hate to admit it – I thought London coped pretty well with this major event and the floods of tourists and additional people in and around the Olympics venues. I rarely experienced any delays or problems on my trains (no more than usual anyway!) and everything did seem to be ready on time and go to plan.

I came back from Thailand super relaxed, if a little depressed at being back in boring Britain and not in a stunning tropical island setting, and realised pretty soon we were due to go to the Paralympics. The only thing this filled me with was dread – ever since I got back from holiday my time has been filled with eating and drinking out constantly and not getting enough sleep. My boyfriend informed me we had some sort of plans on Saturday evening (which turned out to be a great birthday surprise) so we need an early start so we could see things at the Paralympics and get back home in time. Great – less sleep, again.

One saviour in all this was information from my Olympics-obsessed boss that although we had ‘day passes’ this did actually allow you access into events. Finally a little flicker of interest started to appear. Hm maybe I might in some way enjoy this?

Waking up at 730am on Saturday I did not feel this way. I just wanted to stay in bed and couldn’t be bothered to make the journey to Stratford (which is only a 5 minute bus ride and a 20 minutes train ride away). Off we went – my boyfriend dressed in suitable GB attire, me wearing a blue and white striped top (and a red ring on my finger – in a poor attempt to wear red, white and blue).

Unfortunately the day we went was so miserable weather-wise, the sky was grey and everything looked dark. Not ideal for Little Miss Sun-worshipper me! I always think wherever you go, when you visit places, they always look better in the sun. My words to my boyfriend as we walked out of the station and down the avenue towards the entrance were something along the lines of “Seriously though if you were a tourist or from abroad and you were met with this wouldn’t you be a bit unimpressed and think what a sh**hole?” He was not impressed.

My lack of enthusiasm continued as we queued to get through security and I had my arms crossed (to keep me warm honestly!) and I yawned non-stop. Unexpectedly friendly and enthusiastic staff did start to melt my ice maiden mood somewhat, but I felt no excitement at getting in and walking through the entrance. What was wrong with me??

We walked around the Olympic Park – past some of the now well-known sites – the aquatics centre, the velodrome, the hideous Orbit (sorry but I just don’t get it, as I said to my boyfriend “If I asked someone to design an iconic structure for a such an important historic event and I got that I’d be fuming!”), McDonalds(!) and more I was impressed at the size of the park itself but nothing more. My boyfriend accused me of being a ‘typical Brit’ for being miserable and not getting into the spirit.

Then we walked towards the Copper Box and saw that there were seats available for Goalball and we decided to go in and give it a go…

That is when I changed.

First off – day passes – are such a good idea. On first impression you may have thought – like me – that these were simply to get you into the main Olympic Park area and give you a chance to walk round and take a few photos, just to say ‘I was there’. But the whole idea of day passes is to give you a chance to go into the Olympic Park and yes walk round and see things/purchase Olympics merchandise, but then also have access to a select number of events. On the day we went we had a choice of Goalball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair tennis and Football. These involve 4 venues within the park – the Copper Box, Basketball Arena, Eton Manor and Riverbank Arena. Outside each venue is ticker displaying information and if there are ‘day pass’ seats available. To be honest I actually found this way of attending much better – I don’t think I’d be too keen on staying in one place for one event only.

Anyway, so back to Goalball. This involves participants with vision impairment, which varies between players so everyone has to wear dark shaded glasses to ensure they are all at the same level of sight (or lack of) to make things fair. There are 3 people on each team – we were lucky and got to see GB vs Sweden (we drew!) and the aim is to get a goal from throwing the ball from one end of the pitch to the other into the goal, players block the ball with their body and can only tell where it is by the sound of the rubber ball hitting the floor and the bells within it. Because of this you have to silent – the whole arena in which it’s played has to be silent during play.

I’m not sure if it’s the amazing skill of the players, the fact you’re at a historic event, or the way the whole buzz and chatter completely stops when that whistle blows, but this game is spellbinding. You just can’t take your eyes off what’s playing in front of you. I loved it.

After Goalball, we then walked round the park a bit more and headed over to the Basketball Arena. This was very busy, but we still managed to find a seat and saw the second half of a men’s game between Turkey and Italy. And then to our delight realised a GB match was coming up – Ladies GB against Ladies Brazil. Again the atmosphere was great, although I must admit the American-theme on things (which I know is part of basketball) did start to grate on me a little – the ‘host’ getting people to dance on camera, ‘play the bongos’ and use the ‘clapometer’. Don’t get me wrong for families and tourists it’d be great, but after a few times, it just got on my nerves!

After basketball (and grabbing some lunch) we headed off for another walk and after viewing the Park Live area we walked to Eton Manor for the tennis. Yes the lunch was expensive, but it tasted great and to be fair it’s no different to any other event or festival food and drink. Conscious of time, we didn’t sit in a particular court for long to watch the tennis, but instead poked our heads in on a few games to experience it at least. Unfortunately the football had no seats left and we had to leave the park in order to get back in time for my surprise. However, we’d been there for over 6 hours at this point so felt we’d ‘got our money’s worth’ and seen quite a lot.

I left the park feeling happy, impressed and inspired. In fact, I would even go so far to say I think we’re the lucky ones with our Paralympics tickets. I’m sure the Olympics were an indescribable experience don’t get me wrong – but what we got to see was something even more special and I’m glad the Paralympics have proven to be such a big hit for the Games.

I’m now looking forward to our next visit – a very pleasant surprise. Oh didn’t I mention? We’ve got another day pass for the Excel Centre this Saturday – where I believe we can see Boccia, wheelchair table tennis and wheelchair fencing. And then on Sunday evening we’re off to the closing ceremony – which is currently said to feature the likes of Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z. I am so excited! I have a feeling it’s all going to be very moving too, so am hoping I don’t get all tearful!!

My view on London2012 – to be continued…

Giving men the red card

So, when I asked recently for ideas of what people would like to see from my blog, what was the overwhelming response from men? Football, of course.

Growing up with a Dad who wasn’t really all that fussed about football, I had always also managed to date men who weren’t too bothered about the sport either. A lucky escape I felt. However, on meeting my current boyfriend – and after six years of being together – I have had to face the experience of being with a football fanatic. A die hard Hammers fan since he was old enough to understand the game, my boyfriend had been to most of the team’s home games and a lot of away games too. He was a season ticket holder and has numerous kits and West Ham merchandise.

In fact, when we first met one another I decided to make a real effort and actually bought a West Ham shirt and went to a few games (some of which were even all the way in Manchester!) Since then and various circumstances changing, my boyfriend actually no longer has a season ticket (wait for all the hate mail from that one, I promise it wasn’t just down to me that he got rid of it).

I guess in that sense I have once again been lucky as I’m with someone who understands the importance of different aspects in life and isn’t so obsessed with football that he would refuse to give up his season ticket for instance. Of course though there are lot of men out there who are like that and often put the sport first.

What is it about this game that takes men in such a firm grasp and holds their attention for so long? You know what men are like if you try to get them to concentrate on plans you have, but yet if they are faced with anything featuring their favourite team they can concentrate for hours on end.

Opinions are another thing, talk to a man about something that happened at work or a story you read on your commute and you might get a few grunts in response. You find out a new player is being signed or a football match is on and the referee makes a questionable decision, well just sit back and watch what happens then. Oh how the opinions flow…If you come across the so-called ‘glory hunters’ then just watch the sparks fly – people in London who support teams like Liverpool, or Chelsea fans who have never actually been to a game, oh dear…

Admittedly when I went to some actual games I did get caught up in the spirit and enjoyed it, but watching a match on television bores me to death. What is this fascination with a few men kicking a ball around a field? After all realistically that’s what this is.

Don’t even get me started on how much they get paid; it infuriates me when you see people who do jobs that actually make a real difference to the world getting paid a pittance. Yet you see a well-dressed, over-gelled hairstyled young man who can kick a ball and likes to sleep around and that warrants a ridiculously high salary to keep them stocked up with sports cars, endless champagne and designer clobber.

If you’ve ever been to a game you’ll know the transformation men go through when watching their team play – even the most mild mannered non-swearer will turn into a foul mouthed angry yob-like individual. The words that come out of my boyfriend’s mouth when he’s at a match (and that’s just when I’m there) are disgusting. Now, I’m not a pure mouthed angel, don’t get me wrong, but some of the things people say – and often in front of young children – are awful.

I know of some men who want silence when they’re watching a game, or those that have to watch all the pre match and post match analysis and then do their own commentary as well. Not only do some of us ladies lose our man every Saturday to a game, we then have to deal with them switching on the TV later on in the evening to rewatch it all on Match of the Day!

So, sorry guys, but I just don’t get this obsession. Who knows maybe this is a gender thing and your football fantasy is the equivalent to our clothes purchasing pleasures. All I know is the most interesting football match I’ve ever seen was one back in my Uni days in the student union pub after many a glass of wine…well I had to get through it somehow!

NFL - the story of cheerleaders, chilli dogs, Bud, a streaker and a squirrel

Yesterday saw me travel up to Wembley Stadium - despite local roadworks and TfL's efforts to stop us - to attend the NFL.

Not exactly the biggest sports fan, I decided to buy my boyfriend tickets for his birthday, as it's something he's always wanted to go to. I was warned how long it can be dragged out, but decided to go, to enjoy this new experience and spend the day with my other half.

I was not expecting what I got. I almost felt like I was in America, bar the cold weather! We arrived about 90 minutes before the gate even opened as I needed to pick up our tickets at the box office (Ticketmaster and Wembley really need to work better helping customers in these instances, was not impressed). Also after surprising my boyfriend with the news of his early present we read online about the 'Tailgate' and thought we should check it out.

On arrival to Wembley I was shocked at how busy it was already. However the atmosphere was great - couples, families, young friends, die-hard fans, Americans, people in fancy dress and those in full on American football kits. It was great.

We decided to purchase a program and foam hand to get into the sprit of things, neither were too extortionate. Then on collecting our tickets we went to get into the 'Tailgate'. In America I understand this is where people get together before a game, open up the back of their vans, have BBQs and crack open the beers. Clearly this was not quite what Wembley laid on, but what they did was still good.

You could get free foam hats (yes we embarrassingly wore those) and NFL wristbands. There were areas for each team, memorabilia tents to view, an inflatable bear (for the Chicago Bears) and a pirate ship with dancing pirates (for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers). On top of that was a mini football field which had music acts, sports experts and cheerleaders all performing on it. People there for the day like us were throwing mini footballs to one another, there was endless Bud, a DJ booth and tons of food stalls. I sampled my first cheesedog (in good old British style the chilli dogs had run out - don't worry we got one later!)

After spending I guess about an hour or more in there we headed off to the stadium itself and to find our seats. Purchasing some more refreshments - of course - we walked down to our seats. I was very pleasantly surprised, let's get this straight, I booked them about 10 days or so before the event. I'd been worrying as I knew they were corner seats. No need for me to have worried. We were in the first tier, had a great view of the Bucaneers touchdown area and of the playing field overall.

Add to that, on our seats were a flag each and a big card to hold up during the National Anthems (to help create flags in the crowd throughout the singing). I was impressed, we all know I love my freebies!

Pre match entertainment were the cheerleaders, a couple of tracks performed by the GooGoo Dolls - complete with fireworks - and the National Anthems (Katherine Jenkins, as per, did ours). Then each team came on, the Bucs were the 'home' team so they came out one by one - out of a skull and crossbones and to a cannon firing for each player! Oh and of course we can't forget the pirate and bear mascots. (The pirate kept me entertained for ages trying to wind up Wembley security).

My poor boyfriend attempted to educate me on the rules. I kind of got some of them... So the game begins, the first half (yes 30 minutes) took around 90 minutes to complete. For those of you who wonder why and also wonder why I haven't offered much commentary on actual play. Well it's because the game stops and starts constantly, they have to decide next moves and god help you when the home team do something positive (it doesn't even need to be a touchdown and let's be fair the Bucs didn't have many good points throughout). Positive moves by the Bucs resulted in cheerleader routines on field and people running the field with giant Bucaneers flags. It is so funny and entertaining though.

Big highlights for me though were the fact that for quite some time in the first quarter a squirrel was running riot on the pitch. Seriously. On occasion he tried his luck just behind players but soon ran, he managed a 'touchdown' or two of his own too! Also the guy in the crowd who made it onto the pitch and gave quite a few security men the runaround and high-fived some of the players before getting caught.

In the end we worked out the game started at 6pm and ended at around 920pm. For a one hour game that is something I find very funny. However to someone like me who isn't a sports fanatic, it kept me entertained! I was more interested in the constant breaks and funny behaviour than watching the game itself.

My view of NFL? It is sooo American throughout and felt a bit more a fun day out for all, almost circus-like at times, than an actual sports game. It's all about the event overall, rather than just attending a sports match I suppose. For me that was a winning mix though and provided a fun day out and a new experience. Whether my body appreciated all that junk food, Bud and hanging around in the cold for so long, is another matter...