The Olympic Trials Day One:


Where to begin? This is the biggest and most incredible event that I have had the pleasure to be a part of. As with most large events there were a lot of things that didn't work as planned, there were plans that changed, and changed again, and again. All this goes on behind the scenes though and the fans and the athletes don't notice. Everyone is working so that the meet runs smoothly and that the athletes have the best opportunity to preform at their best. There were some frustrated volunteers and a few heated words but everyone adjusted and moved on so the job got done. There will be a debriefing tonight and we will adjust some more and things will be better tomorrow and even better on Sunday. That's the way these things go and those that plan and work on these huge events know that and it all works out. I've been volunteering for events for about 20 years now and I'm getting used to it. It's a tremendous amount of work to coordinate something this big and the people that do it work incredibly hard and have unbelievable patients. I'm in awe of the organizers and what they have done. For those of you who didn't get a chance to attend today you should make an effort to attend at lease one day before the trials are over. The Festival is like a mixture of the Eugene Celebration, the County Fair, and Art in the Vineyard. The shuttle buses seemed to be working well getting people to and from the event. There was lot's for the kids to do from Nintendo Wi games to climbing a tree with ropes and harnesses. The volunteers were everywhere and very helpful. The medical staff were quick to respond to people who were in need. It seemed that allergies were a problem for many as was the heat. As the captain of the basket crew I was very busy all day but it seemed that everyone was having a great time. I was to busy to get up to dinner on time though and I'll make sure tomorrow that I make time to eat lunch. I heard that the food catered for the volunteers was great. It's getting late and I'm tired. I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how day two went.


Joseph Calbreath