It’s All Over?

I woke up Sunday and thought just that. The London 2012 Olympics had come to an end. All that pain, sweat and hard work by athletes from around the world was done just like that. I think if you asked any of us that went to some of the events, the whole Olympic experience is something we’ll never forget. I’d like to thank everyone that’s taken the time to view the blog, I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

The last thing I’d like to leave you with is this: If you ever have to chance to go to the Olympics, DO IT!!! Heck, start saving for the winter games in Sochi, Russia, as they’re right around the corner or Rio in 2016 if warm weather is more your thing.

Thanks again!

RD

The End.

Sarah Huffman [9:00 AM, Tallahassee, FL]

Unfortunately another Olympic Games has come to an end. It’s sad to think we have to wait another four years before we get to experience the magic again (unless you’re counting down to the Winter games which are only 18 months away!) London 2012 will always hold a special place in my heart. I know the city received some grief before the games began, no one was sure if they could pull off this international event. But they really did, and they made sure to do everything in true British fashion. Not only was it a success for London, but for the Americans who topped the medal count blowing China out of the water in the last couple of days! I’m so happy to have been able to share my experiences with you. I’ve definitely become an Olympics junkie, so who knows maybe you’ll see me in Rio in 2016! 

Cheers! 

Anna Hyatt [9:48 AM, Galveston, TX] The time has come for me to sign off from these fantastic Olympic Games. I traveled home right at the end, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to fly out of Heathrow Airport! The airport was full of Olympic souvenirs, signs, and fans all making the long trek back to their homes. Attending the 2012 Olympic Games was a dream come true; I’m sure one day I will bore my future grandkids with stories from the Games. It was truly incredible to see so many people from so many countries come together for one united goal. Attending the events, I was inspired by the good nature of the fans and the general spirit of everyone there. Everyone was enjoying themselves and having a fantastic time, it really was special to see. Now, I’m back to Texas with way too many souvenirs and not enough time to tell everyone how wonderful it was! I just have to figure out how to display my tickets now! Thank you for listening, and for being part of the London 2012 Olympic Games! Until Rio, Cheers!
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Anna Hyatt [9:48 AM, Galveston, TX]

The time has come for me to sign off from these fantastic Olympic Games. I traveled home right at the end, and I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to fly out of Heathrow Airport! The airport was full of Olympic souvenirs, signs, and fans all making the long trek back to their homes. Attending the 2012 Olympic Games was a dream come true; I’m sure one day I will bore my future grandkids with stories from the Games. It was truly incredible to see so many people from so many countries come together for one united goal. Attending the events, I was inspired by the good nature of the fans and the general spirit of everyone there. Everyone was enjoying themselves and having a fantastic time, it really was special to see.

Now, I’m back to Texas with way too many souvenirs and not enough time to tell everyone how wonderful it was! I just have to figure out how to display my tickets now! Thank you for listening, and for being part of the London 2012 Olympic Games!

Until Rio, Cheers!

Lousia Blenman [recorded August 8, 2012]

FSU’s own Gonzalo Barroilhet competed in the Decathlon, representing Chile.  I could hardly believe how amazing our seats were for the morning events, with the 5000m start and the Decathlon long jump occurring right in front of us.

In fact, Alberto Salazar came to ask us if we minded if he sat in the empty seat in front of us.  Alberto Salazar!  He is the coach for Mo Farah (GB gold medal winner in the 10,000m and finalist in the 5000m) and Galen Rupp (US silver medalist in the 10,000m and finalist in the 5000m).  I have to admit, I was a little star struck.
 
It was also fantastic to have such a great view of ‘Gonzo’ as he competed in the long jump and the shot put as part of the decathlon competition.  After he finished his last event, as he chatted with his coach and supporters, he humored me with the Seminole Chop!

Park Life…Park Life

British Airways sponsors a huge, two-sided ‘telly’, which is situated right in the middle of the park.  People who are in the park but not at an event can sit in the park and watch events as they occur.  While nothing is like seeing an event live, it is pretty amazing to hear the roar of the crowd from the track stadium with a slight delay after watching an amazing feat on the big screen.  We were very lucky to be in the park on Britain’s most successful Olympic day since 1908.  The track events were the talk of the town:  Jess Ennis won the heptathlon, Greg Rutherford became the first British long jump champion in over 100 years, and Mo Farah was the first British man ever to win the 10,000 meters.

 

Photo by Louisa Blenmau (From London)

Olympic Hoops: Spain v Russia

Photo by Louisa Blenmau (From London)

Our first event was the basketball, where we saw an amazing game between Russia and Spain.  The game promised to be exciting, with big-time NBA players like the Pau Gasol (Lakers), Marc Gasol (Grizzlies), Jose Calderon (Raptors) and Serge Ibaka (Thunder) on the Spanish side, and Alexey Shved (Timberwolves), Timofey Mozgov (Nuggets) and Andrei Kirilenko (Timberwolves) playing for the Russians.  I must admit, we were in the nosebleed section, so the only players I could identify were the huge, bearded Gasol brothers, and even then I couldn’t tell which was which!

 

Photo by Louisa Blenmau (From London)

The Spanish dominated the game from the beginning, with two point leads for most of the first half.  The Russians kept chipping away at the lead, and as you can tell from the scoreboard, their three-point shooting made the difference in the end.  With just 5.3 seconds left to go, Russia took the lead for the first time, and sealed their victory. 

 

Photo by Louisa Blenmau (From London) 

FSU International Programs

Sarah Huffman [2:48 PM, Tallahassee]

So many people have asked me how I had this amazing opportunity to attend the Olympics! I couldn’t have done it without FSU International Programs. I participated in the Global Sports Management program. We were enrolled in two courses and were able to see a number of sporting events and venues, along with the Olympics! Earlier in the summer we attended rounds of Wimbledon and the British Open. We also toured a number of stadiums and arenas. The neat thing about studying abroad is that they really emphasize that the city is your classroom. That was clearly displayed as we only had a number of days where we actually held class in a classroom. Most of our learning was based off of things we were seeing or doing. Personally, I learn much more with these techniques than I ever would in a lecture class. 

The study center in London was a unique place to live. FSU owns about four buildings that house student flats, offices, classrooms, computer labs, lounges and a library. It is in the heart of central London, our tube stop was located in Zone 1. The farther away from the center of the city the higher the zone number is, all the way up to Zone 5, so you can see we were really right in the middle. The building is a very historical building, it is older than our country! This also means it lacks a few modern amenities, including air conditioning and elevators, but that added a lot of fun memories to the experience. I can’t recommend these programs to enough people. FSU has been a leader in study abroad programs for over 50 years. About 1% of college students across the board study abroad, at FSU one out of four students studies abroad. They feature four full-time locations and over twenty part-time locations. If you have the slightest interest check out their website for more information! Or even better stop by their offices in University Center A, suite 5500 on campus. 

http://international.fsu.edu/

Seeing is believing!

I was fortunate enough to have a tour of the park as it was being built, thanks to my colleagues at the FSU London Study Centre, who arranged a group tour back in March 2011.  You can see from the picture that it was hard to believe the adamant assertions that they were ahead of schedule with all of the building plans. 

Photo by Louisa Blenmau (From London)

My husband grew up about 3 miles from the park, so there was no way we were not coming to these games.  The patriotic buzz about London is so amazing, especially considering the English propensity for self-deprecation and understatement.  As local residents, our family was able to get tickets for us to visit the park even without an event ticket.  We hopped on the W15 bus for the short ride to the back entrance of the park, where we were met with many friendly attendants and no waiting lines. 

We had been waiting for this moment since July 6, 2005 - the day London was chosen to host 2012.  Our first entrance into the completed Olympic Park certainly did not dissapoint.  It was magnificent.

Photo by Louisa Blenmau (From London)

Do You Have It? (Raymond Daly, 2:18 PM EST)

Hello All! Think I’ve finally beaten the jet lag from getting back from London, and I’m back to deliver some insight. I thought this time, I’d change the format a little bit and allow you to learn about one of our ‘Nole athletes via video. I found a cool YouTube video of Chilean decathlete and current ‘Nole Gonzalo Barroilhet that I think you’ll enjoy, take a look! 

Belgian Power! (Raymond Daly, 11:04 EST)

Anyone get a chance to watch the Borlee twins, Kevin and Jonathan on Saturday? The former ‘Noles put on a show in their qualifying heats for the 400m dash, with Jonathan setting the Belgian national record at 44.43 seconds, which happened to be previously held by Kevin. 

Both Borlee’s were members of the FSU track and field team in 2009, with Jonathan leaving to become a professional after winning the 400m in the NCAA Outdoor Championship that year. 

After successfully qualifying for the 400m finals last night, both brothers will try to bring home a medal tonight, make sure to tune in and cheer them on! 

You can follow the both of them and their sister, Olivia on Twitter at @BorleeOffical.