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 Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#7
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
IMPRESSED…
 There are not many people that arrive earlier than me on a tournament… And
as we were starting this morning at 10am (yes, you read correctly, 10 in
the morning for a final), I thought that I would be the first one there at
9.15.
But no, the AAP man I told you about in one of my previous en brefs, Rhys
Haynes, was already ready and working away….
No wonder that agency is doing so well, with people as dedicated as him… |
ODDS AGAIN…
 Here I was last night, chatting away with Judi, one of the Press Liaison,
and about the fact that I would probably miss the last train. “Oh, maybe I
can give you a lift,” she proposed.
I was not going to refuse such a generous offer, I tell you, as it was
about 11.45 pm, and I still had to take a tram, then a hypothetical train.
But the weirdest thing is that the people she was staying with actually
lived in the same street as where I'm staying. I’m not kidding you. The SAME
STREET.
I’m blessed, I tell you… |
ALL THE SPACE…
Already in the first week, we didn’t have huge interest press wise, except
for the semis and finals, but the doubles competition doesn’t seem to have
fascinated my colleagues, neither written press, TV or even photographers,
apart from AAP whose journalist Rhys has been present at more or less all
sessions….
So feeling a bit lonely up there, but oh well, I can spread my stuff all
over the top, nobody is complaining. What a treat… |
BEN
WORKS SO HARD…
This has been a pretty hectic week, let me tell you. I have been training
my dad, Nick, James, Peter.
Oh well, they couldn’t all win, but at least,
my dad got a bronze, what ever that means, and my mum taught me how to
cheer “Peter”. Now, the Boss has got a gold something but I wish somebody
would explain what the heck is going on.
But would you believe it, after all that excitement, I was absolutely
cooked, and I fell asleep.
And that’s when my mum got interviewed. My big
chance to be on the box, and I missed it.
Oh well, not to worry, I’ll be back in New Delhi in 2010 anyway. They are
nothing without me, bless them… |
WHO ARE YOU???
I thought that I'd worked enough in a few places to be at least known by
the main players on the circuit.
Well, it would seem that we still have a lot to do, as after my second
interview with Canadian Shawn Delierre, as I told him to pass my regards
to his dad, Jean, the famous squash video maker, he said “Does he know you”,
and added candidly… “What’s your name”…
There we go, right back where I belong… It’s good to know I’m not doing
all this for nothing…!!!!!!!!! |
WHINGING AGAIN…
 Yes,
for somebody who very seldom criticizes anything, I’m really going for it…
But come on! We don’t even have free internet access. And I’m not talking
broadband or wireless here, no, basic, stupid, slow as death by fattening
death dial up! That’s a first ever in all the events I’ve been to.
And they are actually charging us 1 Aus$ per minute if we want to use the
phone/fax, which is roughly 20 times what a call from England to Australia
normally costs me.
 Not
to mention that the “info service” by internet is charged Aus$2,000 for
the duration of the event, so we had to use the fax to transfer the
information that was provided on hard copy only. You can imagine how much
per day I’ve been spending on fax bills…
Add to that broadband is not available in this building unless you booked
it pre-event for the modest sum of around Aus$2,000, and you understand
why I’m slightly frustrated…
And to crown it all, the people that are provided the communication system
are sponsors of the event!!!!!!! I feel that WE are the ones sponsoring
the sponsors…
|
CAN’T WIN…
 As
you darn well know, Mr Alex Gough, who just turned 35 in December 05, is
my best source of En Brefs… He doesn’t miss an occasion to stress that I
got something wrong in my quotes, but today, it would seem I was actually
too accurate…
“Don’t quote Evans literally, he doesn’t know what he is saying! He called
me “little man” yesterday….”
What am I going to do when he retires, that's what worries me… |
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES…
Waiting to see their daughter playing, Vicky Botwright's mum and dad were waiting patiently to get into the main
arena. As they had to wait for a pretty long time, they started to chat
with that Australian man, Bob Sheppard, who was also queuing with his
family, his wife Clay and girls Chelsea and Chloe.
And they chatted, and they chatted, about everything, well, you know how
men are like, and after about an hour of discussion, the Aussie mentioned
that they had a French lady staying with them, from SquashSite…
Well, Dave didn’t have to think twice to know who that one was…
Oh come on, what were the odds on that one!!!!
 |
|
BLOOD BET…
Forget Betfair, it’s all happening in the ref’s quarters it is…
Roy Gingell, Wales World Referee, told me that yesterday he was having a
chat with an Australian ref at the begining of the event, who was asking
him what that little book he was carrying around was.
“Well, it’s the rules about blood injuries actually,” replied Roy, “as
very often people don’t know what it’s all about, so I show them when it
occurs, and as I had my fair share of blood injuries, I find that quite
useful”.
“Oh”, replied the other ref, “we could have a bet on the first one who
gets a blood injury”. But it stayed at a talk level, nothing was actually
set.
Unfortunately for Roy, as a few minutes later, on a match he was referring,
Azlan Iskander got one of those on the forehand.
“Yes, but we didn’t bet officially”, retorted the Australian ref. “But
let’s do it for today”.
And guess what? Roy was refereeing Nick Matthew that day, who got a blood
injury, and won the bet…
Welsh men are sooo wicked, aren't they.... |
 GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER…
Yes,
I know it’s a different sport, bla bla bla, but still, players get
away with murder during doubles.
They are playing soooo many shots
that would cost them a definite stroke, and here, they get a simple
let.
And honestly, I’m not sure it’s doing the sport any good. We come to
see some scrappy shots, that maybe would be avoided if the spade of a
stroke was hanging above a few shocking blocks or misshits, for
example…
But I’m sure the top people are looking into it…
They are, aren’t they????? |
Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#6
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
A BETTER PHOTO…
 Well,
I’m not very good at taking pics, we established that a loooong time ago.
And yes, that one was definitely not my best achievement. So the lady came
to me and “complained”…
 So
here you go. A better picture of Nicole Ng, audio assistant (not a
volunteer, as I originally thought), who's been working day in day out
with the broadcast people.
One of the many people that make this event such an amazing one… |
GETTING BETTER…
 Guys, when you complain about things being not that great, to say the
least, you’ve got to report when it’s actually getting better…
Thanks to
Big Boss Jenny Turner, the lady I had a chat with after the “David’s Dad”
incident, things are really working much smoothly…
And in the press room, we’ve got a bunch of adorable people that help me
faxing some papers to Steve every day, as the service on internet is
costing AUS$ 2,000, which for a big organisation is nothing I guess, but
for a little site like us, is a lot of money…
 And even if the fax is
costing us quite a lot, it doesn’t get anywhere near that much!
Anyway, thanks to Jenny, Tammy and a bunch of other adorable press people,
I’ve been able to work in a bit less stressful conditions…
And boy do I love the Press Conferences! It’s so easy…
You have a
comfortable chair, the players are also pretty comfortable, and it’s so
convenient…
You see, getting better by the second….!
|
WHERE I’M NOT ALLOWED…
 As I told you, press is not allowed in a lot of places, including
viewing
galleries that players and broadcast people can go…
Hold on a minute, you may say. Broadcast is a bit like journalists, aren’t
they? Well, yes, but they have a blue pass, that allows them to go where
poor “written” press aren’t supposed to go…
Confused? Oh yes… |
 TEA AT WILL
Oh come on, did you really think that I was going to let a whole
tournament pass without talking about my tea addiction?
I don’t think so.
In the press room (the “small” one), the one in the Aquatic Centre, not
the huge one for all sports in the Exhibition Centre, near the Crown
Casino, we have a nice room with a few tables, and warm beverage all day
long.
You see, there are some REALLY nice things in these Games…
|
Pilley family - Steve, Heather, Sue |
Julie & Adrian Grant |
My Guardian Angels |
Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#5
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
FANTASTIC BROADCAST
I know, I’m repeating myself, but I’m really fascinated by the broadcast
coverage here. We have some great/gorgeous cameramen, we’ve got so many
cameras here there everywhere in the arena, you’ve got that “Australian
Open” feeling, you see the match, the faces, the coaches, the crowd, the
refs, everything and everybody.
And the quality of the image is astonishing, and so is the streaming. And
I’m sorry, but I just fell in love with the commentating style of Sarah
Fitz-Gerald partner in crime, Warren Boland, from the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation.
 The
man knows what he is talking about, he already covered the 2002
Commonwealth Games for New Zealand TV, and I just love the way he does it.
He doesn’t impose you a “verbal diarrhoea” like we very often have, we
have pauses, silences. Wonderful. We can appreciate the match, instead of
being constantly drowned by very often non relevant information.
And he makes you share the match as it happens, living each rally, each
decision, and assisted with Sarah technical and human extraordinary
knowledge of Squash, we have a perfect combination.
Oh please, can we have more of that?????
 |
INTERLUDE…
Somebody in the Sound Dpt has got a great sense of humour, let me tell
you. Every time the court attendants are called to sweep the floor, we
hear some lovely tunes, including “ the Freedom, the Freak, c’est chic, and the Pink Panther one.
Which has got an advantage: often of the players is taking that
opportunity to have a little discussion with the ref, but the incongruity
of the music just make them smile and diffuses the tension….
What a good idea, guys…
The culprits are a company called Great Big Events, and I must say
that I’ve been impressed by their music choice, not too loud,
perfect balance to get you in the mood of the event…
 |
IT’S A TOUGH JOB…
Guys, I told you that the badge thing here is slightly on the
ludicrous side, but it reached the culminating point yesterday
when, after the David/Lee match, I tried and get a quote/photo
from David’s parentd, Silvia, John and their daughter Kelly.
Not only I was prevented to do so, but I was actually physically
prevented to do so and that didn’t go well, let me tell you….
Anyway, got the quote, got the pic, and after that, had a little
word with the Press Lady in charge, who promised me that from now
on, a little bit of common sense/logic was going to be applied….
I hope so, because getting to do my job is starting to be pretty
heavy, I’m telling you… |
HARRY IS FINE…
When I saw the W/O on the James Willstrop/Harry Leitch match, I was quite
worried, I must say. And as I don’t have any way or means to get in
contact with the players/coaches, I didn’t have a clue of what happened to
the lovely Scot lad who is about to play doubles with John White.
But I caught up with him eventually, and it was just a little problem on
his leg that needed a bit of rest. And as the doubles doesn’t start before
Wednesday, I’m sure he’ll be fine by then |
SCOTTISH ANALYSIS
 If the mountain doesn’t come to you, then go to the mountain. There is a
saying that sounds roughly like that, doesn’t it? Oh well, you know what I
mean…. As I have no way of communicating with ANYBODY on this tournament,
I’m very grateful when fate sends me a little help…
As I was watching/working the John/David match, a charming man sat next to
me up there in the Gods. His laptop open, I could see that he was videoing
the match. And he had a funny accent. Must be Australian, I thought.
Wrong again. Andy Kerr is Scottish, actually the Assistant Coach for
Scotland, and what he was doing was recording to be able to analyse the
encounter later with the Tall Man.
Well, maybe John will be able to understand how or why he let that one
slip and hopefully learn from it…
|
TOSS OF A COIN…
 I
was surprised to see Paul Carter and David Pearson, the England coaches,
assisting the English players when they were playing against each other,
as they normally never do.
“We had a meeting before the event, and it was decided that for this event
only, we would coach the players, because it can be a disadvantage
sometimes to leave without any support”.
And how was it decided who coached who? “Well, toss of a coin really. For
example, I coached Nick against Peter, but if Lee had won, I would have
coach Peter, and Paul would have helped Lee, it was the toss of a coin
really”…
And I personally think that it is a very good thing to offer the players
some help, even when they belong to the same country, and as long as the
coaches are kept equally shared between the players, I really think that
it’s maybe something England Squash should perpetuate… |
JUST KEEP QUIET WILL YOU…
As a ref, you have good days, and you have not so good days. And
the marker during Peter/Nick semi final didn’t have the best
moment of his life….
First, he called one of Peter’s pick ups not up, immediately
corrected by the Ref, then a few seconds later, got the score
wrong, then called one of Nick’s shot “out”, corrected by Peter
who gave back the ball to his opponent instantly.
And with the smile, Peter just looked in his direction, with a big
smile, and the index finger on his mouth…
Come on, I’m sure you don’t get it right every time either… |
Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#4
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
 FAMILY
SUPPORT
As I was taking a few pictures of the draw boards, a charming lady
approached me, asking if I was Framboise, from SquashSite. Well,
it just happens that Alison Waters’ mum, Robin, is of Australian
origin, although she’s been living in England for 30 years.
“I was only too happy to come and spend a bit of time home while
Alison is playing for the Team and in the doubles. She is so
thrilled to be here, she is enjoying it immensely.”
 And
as it happens, it’s Alison’s birthday today, she is 22. I tried to
sing “Happy Birthday” to her while she was practicing with her
mixed doubles partner Adrian Grant, but she didn’t seem to
appreciate my singing that much…
Trying to please a woman is a bit tricky sometimes. I start to
feel for you guys…
|
THANKS LINDA
 I told you about the fact I’m not allowed to speak with the players
apart from behind a barrier, which is a real pain.
Linda Elriani didn’t know about that rule, so after her match against
Rachael, she was talking behind the scenes with Assistant Coach Paul
Carter, and when she finished, she called me on.
“I can’t Linda, I’m not allowed to get to you, you’ve got to come to the barrier.”
“Oh for crying out loud,” she retorted. “What are you going to do, attack
me???”
And she went all the way back to me, passed the fatidic barrier, and
talked to me as if I was a human being, not the Enemy number 1. And that
was the first time of the week I felt human again.
Thanks gorgeous… |
ROYALTY WAITS…
Nothing can interrupt a game of squash, not even a royal visit…
During the fantastic encounter between Tania Bailey and Nicol David,
Prince Edward came round to try and catch a glimpse of the squash.
But as we were at the end of the second game, with game ball for one, then
for the other, His Royal Highness had the courtesy to wait in the wings,
like everybody else…
Rules are rules… |
SO HONEST
 It happens all the time, players correcting markers' calls, and giving back
the ball to their opponent.
Well, the last one to show superb sportsmanship was Natalie Grinham in her
match against Madeline Perry.
Natalie was up 1/0, and was struggling to
close out the second (a 20 minutes game), got eventually to 8/6 game ball.
The marker called Madeline’s shot out, and Natalie corrected the call,
saying that she wasn’t sure….
She lost the next rally, and the next, but still clinched the game (and
match a bit later).
Conclusion? Honesty pays… |
WAITING IN LINE
You may not know that here, we have two sessions per day. And people have
got to queue to get in. And you’ve got no seating allocated until the
semi-finals, so it’s first
come first served rule. So squash fans come very early to try and get a
good spot.
“It’s not much fun, you’ve got to stay in the queue for about an hour and
a half if you want to have a good seat. And don’t even think about going
to the toilets! By the time you come back, you’ve got to go all the way
back at the end of the queue!” told me a gentleman in line.
So if you come to the venue, try and come with a friend, that way, at
least, you’ll be able to keep each other’s space…
|
SHAHID INJURED BUT WILLING
The trimmed Pakistani injured himself during the last COAS tournament in
Islamabad, lunging for the ball in
the quarter-final.
Since, he hasn’t been able to really play at his best, Jamshed Gul, Pakistan National Coach
told me.
 “Shahid has been training very hard for the past seven weeks, he has lost
a lot of weight, and his fitness, which was always his weakness, has
improved accordingly. He feels better, he wants to train, he wants to run.
Even last night, at 11pm, he said to me that, as he couldn’t play squash,
he would go and run. And he did….” |
 18-Mar:
COMMUNICATION? OUPS…
Sorry, if yesterday I complained about the security clearance
issues, today, I’m having a whinge at the communication set up.
Let me explain. When I arrived, I was told at the main Press
centre that we had wireless in all venues. Guess what, we don’t.
So I had to go all the way back there (not really close to where I
work 18 hours per day at the moment) to get my money back, as they
didn’t want to do it by phone.
Then, when I tried to get on the Internet here (from my laptop, as
they have computers already set up on the net, no good to me
really), it was not explained that I needed my own dial up set up
to be able to connect. Nobody was able to help! So I spent a long
time and stress to finally understand that I needed to get on AOL
(my provider in the UK) to get online…
It’s only when I got back to the Main Press Centre to get
reimbursed that I was told that they actually sold a local dial-up
system, but nobody had been informed at the Aquatic Sport Centre…
Doh! |
Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#3
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
BEN IN MELBOURNE…
 Guys, I give up.
I tried to get away from the UK, hoping to be here incognito, as they say,
but I had only just put a foot off the plane, and what do I see????
The mad French woman waving her camera at me again…
Oh for crying out loud…
What do you think…
China????? |
MOTHER IS IN TOWN…
As I was coming from the outside courts, I passed Tania Bailey with a baby
in her arms, accompanied by a dark-haired young lady.
I didn’t
pay much attention really, until I was way into the main court. That’s
when the penny dropped, and that I realised that I just passed Cassie
Jackman.
"My husband is from Melbourne, so we came here and spent three weeks over
here, and I just pop by to say hello to the girls.
"When I saw the Opening
Ceremony, it felt a bit weird, but no, Framboise, no regrets whatsoever…"
Oh I can understand that. Just a look at that baby, and nothing else
matters, does it… |
BROADCAST OUT OF THIS WORLD…
Well, not only do we have Sarah Fitz-Gerald as a commentator, it doesn’t come
much better than that, but the quality of the images, the number of cameras,
on top of the editing, is just astonishing.
To the point that we had a volunteer, once again all the way up there,
who spent the whole session looking at the screen instead of the real
thing!
That is quite an achievement, don’t you think???
 |
REINFORCMENTS
HAVE ARRIVED…
 Let me tell you guys, I’ve never been so happy to see Steve Line’s famous
forehead behind the front glass in my life!
As you know, taking photos around here has been a real pain, so I more or
less gave up on the whole idea. So, when I saw that Mr Photo had arrived
at last, I was jumping up and down…
He is also restricted to some very precise areas, but at least, he is
allowed near the court!
Thank GOD Line has arrived… |
VOLUNTEER OF THE TOURNAMENT
What would such an event be without the great support of the army of
volunteers that came from all over Australia to help out….
 And today, at the top of the tribune, we had a gem of a guy, Bill, who
doesn’t know much about squash, but who couldn’t do enough to try and help
me out. I say me, because I was more or less on my own up there…
I lost a pen? He got me a new one. I needed to have the lineup for tomorrow. He went all the way down to the press room to find that one out
for me. And on his way back, even brought me a cup of tea.
I love Australians… |
Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#2
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
SARAH GOES BLOND…
 I nearly didn’t recognise her, but Star
Sarah Fitz-Gerald has cut her hair
and got much blonder, which I must say, suits her particularly well.
The lady is working for the official broadcasters here, and doesn’t stop from
the first ball being hit to the last…
That’s where squash training comes in handy you see, that allows you to stay
on top all day… |
JAMES WAS
IMPRESSED
 The
Opening Ceremony was the most spectacular event I’ve ever been involved in… The lead
into it, we were all in the Rod Laver Arena prior to the opening, we had a
few guys on the mic that were explaining to us what was going to happen, and
that started to build up a certain atmosphere…
Then England led the ¼ mile march from the Rod Laver Arena to the Cricket
ground, we were all talking to each other, the anticipation was growing.
We got there, waited for about 10 minutes, the anticipation was building
up, we were peeping at the Arena, and the walking in, well, I just lost
it. The euphoria of the cheer, and we didn’t have the loudest cheers, but
that was loud enough… Then the ceremony went like a flash….
Out of this world, really…
 |
REFERENCE… AGAIN…!
In the Press room today, where I only know a bunch of journalists from
Pakistan, as nobody else from the usual suspects seemed to have found their
way to Melbourne, I was making myself a cup of tea, when a charming young
Australian, Rhys, started to tell me that he was working for an Australian
Wire company, and that as he didn’t know anything about squash, he went
through Google and found us.
“It’s been extremely helpful”, said Rhys, “I didn’t know much about
squash, but thanks to your site, I’ve been learning for the past few
weeks, so thanks very much…”
Happy to serve, Rhys, only too happy to serve…
 |
OUPS…
 As
I mentioned, I’m staying with friends outside of Melbourne, so
every day, I take the 112 tram that takes me from the Melbourne
Aquatic Centre to Flinders Street station.
And yesterday, I had to wait for a little while, when suddenly an
Australian, intrigued by my accreditation, started a conversation,
telling me how he just had a meeting with the Authorities, and how
angry he was, because he realised that parents were allowed to
give alcohol to their children, even under age.
Don’t ask.
Anyway, he went on a lovely monologue, explaining how great
Australia was, that he would never live anywhere else, that he had
been to Europe, and that it was not too bad, but that there was a
country that he would never go back to, France, where people were
stuffed up, and he went on, and on, and realising at last that I
didn’t move or say anything, added a “you’re not French, are you?”.
“Yep” was my reply.
Stuffed up, moi? |
Melbourne
EN BREF Issue#1
Everything you never knew you needed to know about the Commonwealth
Games ... |
NATALIE’S DAY…
 This was really the lady’s day today… Just
married 10 days ago, 25 today, and giving only one point away to her
opponent Chantelle Day, from the Cayman Islands.
Sitting
quietly with new husband Tommy Berden, Natalie had the calm of pure
happiness that comes from being loved.
And last night's opening ceremony
added to the happiness factor.
“I don’t know how to describe it”, said the Australian, “it’s such an
overwhelming feeling.
"Especially for Amelia, it was her first time, she
was so exited, so happy, she kept on saying hello to everybody, it was so
funny… And the roar when Australia came on stage, it was amazing.
"In
Manchester, most of the crowd was quite naturally supporting England,
whereas here, it was all for us…”
And what about Tommy, who had a few months away from the courts due to a
very serious injury to his thumb.
 “I’m ok, I’m slowly getting back into things. I started playing again one
week before getting married, and I can still beat her, so I’m happy… No,
seriously, I’m going to play for the Europeans, and probably nothing until
the new season in September/October. “
But let’s get to it, what we all want to know, how was the wedding?
“The day was beautiful, we did it to celebrate with our friends and family
what we already have, as we have been living together for 6 years (“almost
seven”, cuts in Tommy), yes, almost seven years. So nothing has really
changed since.
"It was hard to find a break in our schedule, already to get
married, and also for the honeymoon, but we eventually found it, and we are
going to go on honeymoon probably in May, after the Europeans, to the
Caribbean.”
Well, I know love when I see it, and trust me, those two are a picture
perfect representation of it…
Many happy returns, guys, toutes mes felicitations… |
FISH TRAIN…
As I was strolling around the venues today, coming from Flinders
Station (that’s the station that brings most of the commuters to the
city I believe) to the Cricket Ground, I passed in front of the
mighty Rod Laver Arena, crossed a
tiny bridge over the Yarra river, and
was met by a very surprising sight, a sort of train on the water, with fish
representing the participating countries, along with some posters
describing each fish…
Then I walked along the river bank. I never saw so many restaurants
in my life in one place.
People smiling, relaxed, promenade boats,
kids playing in the fountain, joggers and cyclists all over the
place, a nice tan for most people, and a few people like me, their
accreditation around the neck (that gives us free transport, bless
them), enjoying the sight of it all…
I do love Melbourne…
 |
CHEERS MATE…
Here I was, on my second day on Aussie soil, and chatting happily
with squash players that I do not have the occasion to meet
normally, and along came David Pearson, national coach for England.
“Hi, Fram, God, you look soooo much better than yesterday, you were
not at your best I tell you…”
Well, I didn’t have any sleep for 36 hours, and I was still walking,
sorry, zombying around, and that’s the thanks you get for still
working instead of snoring away…
Talk about sweet talks…
|
HELEN, MEDICAL VOLUNTEER…
As usual, a huge organisation like the Commonwealth Games can only
be viable with the help of thousands of dedicated personnel, who
give up time and holidays to come and help run the event.
 And
Helen Joseph, who is here as the coordinator for medical
attention, knows about big events, as she was part of the Olympic
Games when they came to Sydney in 2000.
“I was on the VCC,
the Venue Communication Section, I never done anything like that
before, and I had the best time of my life, the buzz that you
experience cannot be described, and unless you are part of it, you
cannot explain it”.
The lady has several hats on, dental nurse, Sport Medical
therapist, Nurse, Allied Health Assistant and above all, “I’m a mum, three boys, all involved in
soccer”.
“My boys are playing at a high level in their sport, and like them,
I want to be part of it too. I want to meet the other athletes,
because I respect them so much, I know their dedication, how tough
it is, the training, the competition, they literally put their life
on hold. And also, I admire all of those that support and nurse
them, coaches, parents, they are such an important part of the
evolution of the athlete. They are all just great.”
Like I said, thousands of volunteers, all with a different story,
motivation, dream. But at the end of the day, they are making the
event possible… May they be thanked…
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