Olympics 2012 GamesMaker Pictures

[Mark Leedham]

My time as an Olympics 2012 Games Maker for the Cycling events was truly memorable. In addition to being in the centre of the Velodrome and on the Surrey Roads for Team GB Cycling’s 12 medals, I have made friendships and had experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I spent around 3 weeks at the Olympic Park and at the Road Events, 7 days of training, and 9 days of competition with some days off for rest, a short bike ride and lawn mowing duties. My shifts were usually 7:45 – 7:30, so with travel it made a long but enjoyable day.

During the initial training days the tasks involved; helping teams move their equipment from the vans to the Team cabins, access control, building the equipment, watering the grass on the BMX course, , providing drinks, towels and ice, and generally being helpful and positive to anything that the athletes or their support teams needed.

For competition days, duties included; access control (the athletes were all friendly but pretty focused, the media were doing their job) , track-side gate control, ensuring riders went through the media zone (this required some diplomacy and language skills), giving results and start sheets to the teams, rider whip (only soft touch needed most of the time, usually just checking the required athletes were sitting behind the start gate or warming up in the track centre), ensuring medalists left the media zone at the allocated time and handing them over to the medal presentation team.

I applied to for the role of Games Maker in August 2010, responding to an email from British Cycling for sports specific volunteers. In my LOCOG interview at Excel in early 2011, I outlined my cycling background as a rider, promoter and regional referee and in addition my relevant work skills as an HP Industry Transformation Consultant .

I was informed that I had been successful in January 2012 and was asked to support the Olympic 2012 Test Event; the UCI World Cup at the Olympic Park Velodrome in February. I also attended the Games Maker Orientation training at Wembley where Olympians Lord Coe and Jonathan Edwards and comedian Eddie Izzard explained the Games Maker role and values.

At the Velodrome, our reporting structure was led by Simon Lillistone, LOCOG Cycling Manager London 2012, an ex Olympian and British Cycling staff member. At the completion of the Cycling Events he sent out the following note:

“As we finish the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games we wanted to say thank you for being a Games Maker on the cycling events.

Cycling started well with the Road Races on the opening weekend of the Games. These events captured the imagination of the public and attention of the world. Hampton Court was a stunningly beautiful venue and Team GB's success there gave us and the Games a real boost.

Our role as organisers is to deliver everything so well that it is invisible to the athletes and allows them to just get on with their own preparations. We absolutely delivered on this and provided the perfect platform for them to perform to the best of their ability in the best possible surroundings.

In total we delivered 22 days of cycling competition across six different venues - all made possible by the commitment and unfailing enthusiasm of our Games Makers.

Together we delivered outstanding events every single day of the cycling programme, and they were among the best cycling events ever seen. It will be a long time until we see events delivered to this standard again in Olympic and Paralympic Cycling”.

I have subsequently been back to the Olympic Park as a spectator to watch Paralympic Swimming and Athletics. The atmosphere was equally memorable and I was, awestruck by the skill, spirit and determination of these athletes who have been confined by injury or illness. I found this equally mesmerizing and inspiring, if not more so.


Mark Leedham
10 September 2012

Some of my favorite Pictures:

1 Before it all started

[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/b3c8b043.jpg[/img]

2 GB Team in Training

[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/a1b93623.jpg[/img]

3 Mark Leedham at the Velodrome

[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/ffa1ef2c.jpg[/img]

4 Mark Leedham at the BMX Track
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/d720368a.jpg[/img]

5 Opening Ceremony Rehearsal
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/8cab48d9.jpg[/img]

6 The stunning Hopkins designed hyperbolic paraboloid-shaped Velodrome “Pringle” as seen from the BMX track
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/fb98d230.jpg[/img]

7 From Track Side – Chris wins Keirin
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/529adad9.jpg[/img]


8 From Track Side – Chris wins Keirin
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/102e7005.jpg[/img]


9 From Track Side – Chris, awarded Keirin Gold Medal
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/483e6620.jpg[/img]


10 From Track Side – Chris, Jason and Phillip awarded Team Sprint Gold Medal
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/6f79f876.jpg[/img]


11 From Track Side – Laura, Danny and Joanna with Women’s Team pursuit Gold Medal
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/9767e244.jpg[/img]


12 From Track Side – Miriam Welte and Kristina Vogel with Women’s Team Sprint Gold medal
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/ee92b4af.jpg[/img]


13 Mark and the Games Maker Team with Olympic Women’s Sprint Champion Anna Mears Olympic Women’s Sprint Champion
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/8832c32b.jpg[/img]


14 Mark and the Games Maker Team on the Track
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/a6b99e38.jpg[/img]


15 Trip to the Basketball
[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/e578325d.jpg[/img]


16 Mark Leedham Back at Herne Hill Velodrome

[img]http://i1175.photobucket.com/albums/r633/markleedham01/83bd0955.jpg[/img]

[Marcus]

Fantastic Mark

[Andrew G]

Really nice account, must have been an amazing experience you'll always cherish. I loved the Olympics and Paralympics and had some real days to remember from attending events at both.

[Alex P]

Mark

That was a great account of your time and feelings, I enjoyed reading it.