Sunday 5 August 2012

Athletics at the Olympics!


I have just got back from a weekend of excitement, nerves, fear and just plain awesomeness!

A few weeks back I had entered a blogging competition with Coca Cola to win 2 tickets to the Olympics and knowing it was my dads dream to go and after failing to get hold of tickets I decided to enter!
Unfortunately as the winners were chosen, my name wasn't on the list, but seeing the fabulous entries, I was please for the ladies that won and didn't think anything of it and put it to the back of my mind.

It was only Friday morning that I got a rather desperate but exciting sounding message from Karen, asking me to call her that I discovered one of the winners had to pull out at short notice and I was chosen as runner up to receive the prize! 2 Tickets, travel, food and accommodation in a hotel in Canary Wharf! I was absolutely blown over and to hear my dad on the phone when I told him was the best feeling in the world, I could hear his smile beaming down the handset and I knew that this was going to be a dream come true for him.

We set of on our journey to London,  little unsure of what to expect. I had a major case of butterflies and it was lovely being on the same train as Karen and her husband as we had some fantastic chats and could get excited for what was to come!

When we arrived in Stratford and headed over to the hotel we booked in and omgosh.... the hotel had one of the best views I have ever had in a hotel. The view span was the full size of the room and we even had a dining room and a Jacuzzi bath (which came in handy after the many miles we had to walk later in the evening!)

Then was time to go find the other guys and head to Strada where we had a delicious meal and great company! By the time we finished we were full of yummy desert and ready for the Athletics!

After jazzing up in my Union Jack tinsel (my pound shop bargain ;) ) which got me many many compliments that night! we went to find the Coca Cola Beatbox which was amazing! 
  We learnt about how the music was put together very cleverly using the sounds from athletes, like the squeak from shoes, tennis balls, heart beats and breathing. I was very impressed and it was interactive so it's great for everyone to get involved!

The walk back to the stadium was the killer for me, you just don't realise the sheer scale of the site and I had to physically push myself on knowing i could flomp in my chair when we got there!

Our seats were absolutely incredible! If you had asked me if I wanted to change and I could have sat anywhere, I wouldn't have chosen different! We had the flame to the left of us so we could see perfectly but not too close that we couldn't get pictures.

We saw all the race finishes perfectly too as we were on the corner and luckily my lens meant my dodgy old eyes could keep up!

Summing up my evening, to go to see an Olympic event, itself is  lifetime experience but to see your team come away with THREE Gold medals?! I tell you there were plenty of tears flowing in our seats! The atmosphere was wild, people were friendly and caring, different cultures coming together and cheering all the athletes on, not just their own team, it was pure spirit. Humanity can be beautiful.

I would just like to thank Karen and Coca Cola for giving me this wonderful life experience, something my dad and I will never ever forget.

3 comments:

  1. WOW Laura!! This sounded amazing & it was fab to relive it through your amazing photos!! Am SO pleased you and your dad had a good time! You deserved it!! :) x x

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  2. What a lovely, lovely post.

    I was dreading the Olympics, convinced we'd embarrass ourselves in some way on a global stage (tube strikes, bad administration, Boris!) but I think the event has been amazing for us as a nation and has really shown the rest of the world what it means to be British.

    I'm stoked that someone as lovely as yourself got to experience it first hand and give your Dad a lovely surprise too.

    Now, fancy going to Rio in 2016?! Bet it'll be one heck of a party! x

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  3. What lovley memoiries you will have to share with rocket and lovley menories you made wirh your dad x

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