bmx: day I.

Walking around the BMX venue, all you heard was, "Ready to make history?".... "Let's make history."... "This is history, guys!"

And it was. The very first time BMX has had a place at the Olympics. From what I have heard (and I mean this the way people say things like, "Well I heard that..." or "They said...", where the "heard" is rather unreliable and "they" are some ambiguous group of proclaimed experts), the Olympic Games are looking to attract attention for more young people, thus the inclusion of BMX as a step in this direction. Whatever the reasoning, it was obviously a big day out at Laoshan.

My designated photo position (the location I manage, keeping the photogs under control) was the second turn of the course. The difference with this photo position and the others is that this one is where athletes, coaches and other people affiliated with the teams can roam around... including where the riders ride their bikes through after their race. It's a pretty busy area, and it was popular with the photographers because just before that second turn is where the men have the big jump... great for in-air action shots. As you can imagine, being the photo police in this area is a little different than just telling them where to stand.

The other problem is that there was no specific area for photographers only, which meant that coaches and team members could be taking up space that photogs wanted and vice versa. Really there wasn't much I could do since everyone could be in this space. I just let it all happen, and everyone seemed to be okay.

But thanks to the mixed bag of people hanging out in this area I was not only inches (sometimes not even that) away from the BMX riders (which, btw, and I'm not just saying this, are so cool... more on that later), but I was around all kinds of people. I met the guy with Team USA who travels to cities before the games to arrange lodging and logistics for the team. I met the guys who design and build the start gate mechanics for every BMX course in the world. I met the UCI head honcho. I met the guy who actually oversaw and was the boss of the physical course (building it, maintaining it, etc.) and for most other BMX courses around the world... if you saw someone out in the middle of the track hosing it down or sweeping it off between races, that was Tom.

And Tom, being the cool guy that he is, saw me without a hat on this sunny day... to which I responded that girls didn't get baseball caps, and I'd rather go without than wear a bucket hat... to which he jumped up and ran to get his own hat. He tossed it to me, saying it was too small for him anyway, and now I could make everyone jealous (his hat, because he is an "official official," is grey... managers get red, we low-end-of-the-totem-pole volunteers get blue), which is exactly what is happening.

Person asking where I got my grey hat: So, um, how did you manage to score an official's hat?
Alysha GreyHatWearing Daytner: Oh, I'm friends with the guy who built the course. It's cool.

Hanging out with these cool people in my corner of the photo position world was also great because these VIPs have access to things like blue Powerade. It is key to make friends with those who have the blue Powerade.

It was a pretty great day overall, minus the problems of other volunteers and mangers thinking I wasn't supposed to be standing where I was. I responded by showing them my credentials... including maps of the venue showing where photo positions are... about five times. That is how many times I got questioned, despite my photo vest, uniform and accreditation. The photogs laughed every time someone came over to me to tell me I wasn't supposed to be there. They got a real kick out of it.

See, it wouldn't really bother me so much if one of those times I got reprimanded for leaning on a railing, being told that it wasn't good for the "Volunteers' Image." Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Not good for the image? First of all, I was up by the railing because there was about a six-foot wide area that the photographers had to share with cyclists riding up from races, as well as all of the people that are in the entourage of the athletes. Stepping back only puts me in the way of all those people. Secondly, allow me to discuss how the other volunteers who were supposed to be helping me were leaning against a wall in the shade with their eyes closed. Maybe I'm just more aggressive... or maybe (and here's a crazy thought) I'm actually doing my job, which is to interact with and manage the photographers... not sleep against a wall.

Ever since we have gotten here, we have noticed the overwhelming amount of sun protection this culture appreciates. They shield themselves from the sun at all times. Which is really a great idea, especially with the threat of skin cancer in every one of the sun's rays... but when hiding from the sun prevents you from doing your job, you need to find a new way to deal with it. And that is exactly what is happening. (In fact, on the second day, because the sun was so bad, I was left to man a huge area myself because it was too sunny for the other volunteers.) The two girls who were supposed to be helping me did not move from under the umbrella they stood under... too far from the action to help the photographers in any way. I can respect sunscreen. I can respect shade. But I can't respect the fact that I was told I wasn't promoting a good image, just for being up in the action where I was supposed to be and not hiding under an umbrella.

What's even worse is that we were told that under no circumstances were we to be taking pictures during competition days. (That's why the blog lacks pictures... sorry!) Training days were fine, but if we were working at the venue, photos were out of the equation. Let's also talk about how about 80 percent of Chinese volunteers have been taking pictures, mobbing athletes and getting in the way in places they shouldn't be... all with cameras in hand... all on competition days. I'm not trying to be a tattle here, I'm really just expressing frustration for how the American volunteers are really doing our best to respect the "image" they want us to uphold... we're really trying to conform to their ways while at the venues... and the Chinese volunteers are running around like kindergartners. Oh yeah, and most of the managers are doing the same thing. So how could they expect anyone to obey their rules? But they expect it out of the Americans. We apparently are held to a higher standard. Thank goodness, too. I'd hate to see what an event in America would be like if some of the same things were going on as are here.

Ok so, sorry for that. It's not complaining, it's just giving you a sense of what it is like to be the minority in a culture that has very opposite ideas of work ethic and professionalism (from what I have seen).

On the other hand, the BMX community is one of the coolest groups ever. Since the sport is still growing, the pool of athletes is still small... riders are still young... and everyone involved in BMX basically knows each other. Heck, they've grown up together. This makes for a very fun atmosphere. Everyone is friends, no matter what team they are on, and people like those VIPs I met know everyone on a personal level. It's really refreshing to see competition with such good-natured athletes behind it. Plus, the riders are not at all stuck up... I mean, they're riding through packs of photographers, only to stop to say hey to a team member or coach on their way through. None of that pretentious athlete junk. Just cool kids on bikes.

And I've never really watched BMX before, but it's crazy! Crashes happen just about every race, so you never know who will be leading the field on riders. Plus, bikes flying over hills... I mean, whoever thought this one up knew it would fun to watch.

It was a great day. I was outside. I watched history happen. And I walked away with blue Powerade and a grey hat. Not much more I could ask for.