|
||||
  
 
 |
At the heart of the Olympic media experience By
John Newbold With an estimated television audience over 3.5 billion people in over 160 countries the 2002 Olympic Winter Games is less than two weeks away. Although I may not get to see the events on television. I am going to be right in the middle of all the media frenzy working for the International Sports Broadcasting Television as a Broadcast Assistant in Salt Lake City. I'm working at the Main Media Center, formerly known as the Salt Palace. I started Jan. 2 not knowing really what to expect. I was very curious about why I was to be in Salt Lake a whole month before the Games were to begin. It has been very hard to leave my pregnant wife, my home, my job and my Playstation 2 to be in Salt Lake. When I arrived, I found out very quickly that I was going to be working really hard the next two months . There are 15 broadcast assistants, also known as runners, which I work with. Most are college-age students. They're from places as far away as Australia and as close as Provo. Mainly we have been preparing for the Winter Games by getting the Main Media Center set up with whatever the 160 countries' broadcasters need. We have made and delivered coat racks, counted out meal tickets for each venue, built shelves that will store merchandise, moving boxes that store televisions, and right now we are in the process of handing out uniforms to all the employees of ISB. Starting next week we will be at the airport greeting broadcasters from around the world and helping them get around Salt Lake. I have been working 10 to 12 hours a day seven days a week. That gives me enough time to sleep, eat, talk to my wife at night, recover from the aches and pains of the day, and get ready for the next day of work. Sometimes the job seems like it isn't worth it and I should just quit and go back to Logan where I am comfortable with my wife. But sometimes as I'm able to take a break and go outside and see all of the Olympic banners and pictures I remember the theme for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics, which states "Light the Fire Within". I'm then able to remember all of the different personalities and people I have come in contact with so far. I realize I'm learning and growing from them and that is what the Olympics are all about is to develop respect and tolerance for others and to work together to become better people. When I have that attitude I'm able to keep on working to make this Winter Olympics the best one ever.
|
Archived Months:
January
1999 January
2000 January
2001 |
||