Day 8 – Mon Aug 11

Really looking forward to today. At last I get to go in to the course….even if it is only in the stand.

Got a morning to kill first though.  Breakfast followed by a good stretch and a few short sharp runs with Heth, just by way of a last little short sharp training session.  Then have a swim.  Very pleasant (water a bit cold for my rather taught muscular frame!!!!!…never did like the word skinny!!!!).

Early lunch and then finally off to the course.  I have tickets for stand 202.,  My real mission today though is to see where Heather and I could possibly meet up and do her warm up on race day and to get the lay of the land and to see how the race and the venue work.

Watch the C1 men and then the K1 men’s first runs.  I have split loyalties between the UK and US:

UK                    Dave Florence does well int eh C1 and Campbell is a lttle slow but looks good in the KI.

US                    Ben OK but needs a good second run to ensure a place in the semi’s and Scott Parsons (no relation) finishes third looking very                                    good.

In the break Heather and I do a bit of a recce and find the spot where we will warm up where I can be with her, before she has to go through a security zone with her accreditation and get on the water.

Back in to the stand for the second runs:

UK                    Dave excellent and finishes third.  Campbell also great second run and finishes 6th.  Easy qualifiers for the semi’s tomorrow.

US                    Ben has a great run and finishes in 10th, qualifying for the semi’s and Scott has a 50 point penalty at the last but one gate and                              doesn’t make it through.

The course is quite a spectacle, although not quite as grand as Athens.  The crowd is really disappointing though.  Although reasonably busy for first runs, over half the crowd leave during the break.

This is a bit of a recurring theme at this Olympics.  We have all been told that there are no spare tickets and it has been hard getting the one’s that we have.  If you look at the TV though, event after event has empty seats.  This is a tragedy both for the athletes and the real fans of each of the sports who cannot get tickets.

I have a meeting with the Chief Exec. Of LOCOG, Paul Deighton, not long after my return, and it is definately one of the issues we need to get right for London (not that anything I say will have any influence).  We need to get tickets in to the hands of those that want to be there and will turn up.  It is a tragedy having acres of empty seats and fans standing outside unable to get in.

Back to the hotel and evening dinner.  We go for a game of pool and meet a good friend of our, the commentator at the course, Lamar Simms.  Heather has known Lamar for many years and he has been a commentator at the Olympics, for Canoe Slalom, for at least the 2 or 3 Games.  He is a DA in Denver, Colorado.  We have a good chat and a beer.  The beer took ages to buy and to pay for and get change.  This is an enormous hotel and yet there is no bar.  There is a counter with a fridge behind it and no proper till.  They are not geared up for selling anything.  I buy us 2 beers and a water and it takes about 10 minutes in all to unlock the fridge, get them, pay for them and for the girl to run to reception and get the change.  Don’t try and do anything in a hurry here!

Lamar leaves and we potter back to bed.  A bit of tv and obviously, I have to write my diary for the evening.  Heather getting a bit miffed at me for spending time each night writing.  Will be very careful for the next couple of days so don’t panic if I’m short and sweet (metaphorically speaking!!!!).

I am noticing the security out here considerably more than in Beijing, particularly at the hotel.  There is a real feel of being watched at this hotel.  Guys in suits in the corner of the grand hall, guys at the gate etc.  What the west does with money, China does with people.  We solve problems with technology, the Chinese just throw people at it.  In the pool room, a girl is employed just to rack the balls between games.  I guess you have to keep whatever it is….2.3 Billion people or something…..busy.

Heather’s mum, brother and a cousin arrive in Beijing tomorrow.  I have to pop in to town to drop tickets off tomorrow evening.

Tomorrow Heather and I will just watch the semi final run of the K1 men’s as the gates are different for the semi’s than for the qualifying and it is important we at least see them, without causing ourselves any confusion with the qualifying course.  Other than that it is a quiet day tomorrow.  Keep out of the heat and plenty of fluids and rest.  Not long now.

We have a meeting with Sylvan, the US coach, at 10.00h tomorrow, to run through our race day timetable and requirements.  After that it’s all up to Heather.  Off to bed now.

By the way, thanks for all the nice comments that many of you have sent.  Seems that the diary is going down well.
Kind Regards
Geoff Parsons