From Walpole to London: A Peek Inside the International Broadcast Centre

Wednesday started off like the past couple days, heading to the International Broadcast Centre for breakfast in the morning then to the Olympic Stadium to work on the early track and field action from the broadcast compound.

Following the completion of today's morning session, me and my friend Patrick, who is an intern from St. Joseph's, headed to the IBC to take advantage of some of the free amenities the venue has to offer. Not only is the IBC the main place for television networks to work from, it has many perks for those using the building as well. Among the free facilities are a gym, massage area, newsstand (where papers from across the world can be picked up), and dinning area. As both of us run collegiate cross country and track, Patrick and I went to the gym to fit in a run before getting back to the track for the evening session. Its been hard to keep up training while working 15-plus hours a day, but my motivation is higher than ever after seeing the world's best take to the track.

The evening session went off without a hitch, logging footage for the decathlon high jump and hurdle track events. A near perfect night for competition was capped off by four finals in the venue.

A couple interesting/funny points from the past few days that I thought I would pass along:

I've noted a couple times how enthusiastic and proud fans are when attending events in the Olympic Park, adorned with flags from head to toe. More and more I keep seeing fans with unique ways of displaying their allegiance: yesterday I saw a few Britons in flag pajama onesies -- like the ones toddlers wear! These ones had the Union Flag adorned on both sides. Definitely drew a chuckle from my friends and I!

Walking through the Park, there are numerous food and drink stands everywhere. Some concession workers walk through the Park selling cold sodas, while others have mini kegs of beer on their backs. Seems like there is always a line for these guys!

In the track media center every morning, new programs are printed that provide all the information one could need to cover the action. For a track geek like myself, these programs, which detail athlete backgrounds, past results, future events, etc., are incredibly insightful. But nothing beats the 385-page Athletics Statistics Book that is produced by both LOCOG and the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Comparable to a complete Olympic track encyclopedia, the thick book provides recaps of nearly every race and field event ever contested at the Olympic Games.

And on the collectors front, my pin collection is growing! I've got six now; my newest one is a London 2012 NBC logo that is on a traditional London red telephone booth. Still searching for a USA Track and Field one to trade for.

Five events will award medals tomorrow, including the decathlon and men's 800m. In the 800m, much has been made about David Rudisha's chances at breaking his own world record. I saw the Kenyan run in New York earlier this summer and I think he definitely has what it takes to shave half a second or more from his record.

Til' tomorrow, cheers!