Observations from the Olympic Village
by Derek Brouchard-Hall
report filed September 2000, Sydney, Australia
The village is about 1 mile long and 1/2 mile wide.
It houses over 16,000 people, most in 4-8 bedroom
condos with two to a room. The complex is all brand
new, and the condos will be sold after the games to
the public. They will all have to be modified after
the games before anyone could move in: the garages
have been carpeted and painted to be another bedroom.
The kitchens have not been finished Ð they have only a
sink and a fridge. They all have at least one extra
bathroom installed for now Ð quite awkwardly in a
hallway typically. The furniture consists of single
beds (too short for anyone over 6 ft - and a lot of
Olympic athletes are over 6 ft), particle board bed
tables, dressers, and armoirs, and plastic lawn
furniture in the living room in front of the 13" TV.
It has all the warmth of Kmart home furnishings
department. Any open space between the condos have
been filled with trailers which houses each country's
delegation staff and operations. There are chain link
fences everywhere.
Regimen required to get to the track from our condo in
the village: Walk 4 minutes to bus stop. Wait up to
7 minutes for bus. Maybe get on next bus, maybe not Ð
often they are so crowded you can't put any more
people on them. If too crowded, wait several more
minutes. Take bus for 5 minutes. Exit bus and take 1
to 10 minutes to go through security check point for 3
minute walk to another bus stop. Wait up to 15
minutes for bus to depart. Take bus for 25-40
minutes, depending on traffic. Exit bus and go
through security check point for entrance to track.
All bags must be X-rayed, all bikes inspected. Walk 5
minutes to infield of track. If you are keeping
score, door to infield can take anywhere from an hour
to an hour and a half. The track is only 10
kilometers away.
I have been struck by how many athletes here are of
uncommon stature. Many exceed 6' 6", but a seemingly
greater number don't reach 5'. Unusual physicality,
of some kind, is a requisite for unusual athletic
achievement.
Women's gymnastics should be renamed girls gymnastics.
Most don't look old enough to cross a busy street
without an adult, to say nothing of carrying the
burden of Olympic glory.
I had lunch next to Goran Ivanisavic today.
Nutrition is not of particular importance in many
"sports." I say this based not on an analysis of the
physiological demands of said sports, but on an
analysis of what so many athletes are putting on their
food trays. The McDonalds booth is always very busy.
At 10:45 PM last night, I, along with anyone else who
dared try to sleep before 11PM, was woken by a
thunderous boom which shook our entire condo
significantly. The booms continued for 15 more
minutes. Yes, it was dress rehearsal for the Opening
Ceremonies Ð complete with a full run of the fireworks
show. Our condo has a beautiful view of the Olympic
Park where the show was being performed Ð so it was
great fun. BUT IT IS ALMOST 11PM AND I NEED TO WAKE
AT 6AM FOR TRACK TRAINING! Let there be no doubt
whose Olympics these really are, because they are not
the athletes'.
I am hoping to trade some USA clothing for that from
another country. I really want Burkina Faso.
All conversation ceases at our dining table when a
beautiful woman walks by. We don't say much at meals.
The riding in and around Sydney is worse than bad.
Imagine doing all your training on El Camino Real in
the Bay Area, or Route 1 in the Boston area. The ride
of choice has become the shoulder of the main highway
in town Ð unlike in the US, this is legal.
When I look out upon all the people here from every
corner of the globe, I realize that we are all united
by one thing: We are all, in some way, sponsored by
Adidas.
There is a free video arcade in the village. It is
absolutely packed all day.
There is a free library in the village. I don't know
where it is and I haven't met anyone yet who knows
either.
Planned diet for September 20, the day after we finish
competing: Breakfast: nothing but chocolate frosted
donuts. Lunch: nothing but Big Macs and Hot Apple
Pies. Dinner: nothing, food slows alcohol absorption.
(Just kidding, I'll probably have a little pizza for
dinner.)
An armed security force accompanies us to and from all
official training and racing. Israel is the only
other country that has such security.
Our official team apparel from the USOC, unlike all
other countries, only says our country name in very
small type which couldn't be read from more than 10
feet. Whether this is for modesty or safety, I am not
sure.
Since being named to the Olympic team, I would guess
that I have done over 50 media interviews. The
following towns have run stories on me along the theme
of "hometown boy goes to Sydney": Palo Alto, CA;
Norton, MA; Burlington, VT; Boston, MA; Colorado
Springs, CO; Trenton, NJ; Redlands, CA. Milk it baby.
The media is everywhere, but easily avoided unless you
are a big name athlete. If you want to be a media
darling, all you have to do is hang out where the
media is Ð in certain zones of the village and event
cites. If not, don't. I don't.
The Opening Ceremonies are tonight. It has been
estimated that it will take 7 hours of time for the
athletes Ð up to half of that standing or walking.
Why would anyone march if their competition is within
a week of that ordeal? We will be skipping that. But
don't expect us to try to go to bed early Ð remember,
the fireworks begin at 10:45 PM.
My family (Roberta, my parents, my Aunt Gerry) arrived
today. I managed to get them tickets to the Opening
Ceremonies, so they will be there tonight. Though I
have not seen Roberta in weeks and she will only be
about 500 meters away this evening, it will be
impossible to meet up with her Ð too many chain link
fences.
Three days to competitionÉ..pressure builds.
More later ...
