Our final day!

Although today meant that our time as Games Maker was drawing to an end, it was also the day when we managed to experience the true benefits of being Games Makers, something this post is going to brag very loudly about.

The morning shift began with yet another technical error, the bars holding down the tie down loops for one of the throwing circles had become lose in the concrete, showing how strong these guys really are, meaning that the two pools of 6 were being drawn together onto one circle, allowing the two halves of our team to evenly split up their time spent inside the track.

The team were informed that we only had one shift to do in the evening, which was a pool in the womens javelin, the members of the team who are still at Richard Hale (Ella, Dotun, Liam and Liam) took this opportunity to leave the games, and journey home, with plenty of time to prepare themselves for life in Sixth Form the very next day.

The remaining team members, Aaron, Alex, Simon, Tom, James and Connor, spent some time inside 'Our Room' which was actually a store cupboard which the we had called home for the past week, where Barker decided to show us some of his DJ gear...!

We learnt that staff and students from Richard Hale had ventured into the park for the afternoon, to look around and attempt to get into some of the events, we found that Mr Botheras has managed to 'lose' the kids, but luckily he was safe and sound watching the Wheel Chair Rugby. From what we know the teachers and students greatly enjoyed their day in the park, and they were heading back up Thursday morning to watch the athletics, sadly, the Hale Games Maker team would not be present.


 The evening shift ran smoothly, even though proceeding were delayed because of technical faults with an athletes throwing frame. The team had never worked together before, yet they were well drilled and quickly decided on the roles which were to be taken upon, we finished our pool ten minutes before the other pool has finished, even though we started ten minutes later than them. As we headed away from the throwing circles we took one last chance to take in the atmosphere, noise, and sheer beauty of the crowd and the Olympic Stadium, something which we will never experience again, but will treasure for a life time.

 As previously mentioned being a Games Maker is not without its benefits. As well as collecting pin badges all the way through our shifts, we also had free and easy access to water and healthy snacks throughout the park. The 'Powerade' challenge became a small joke within the team, as blue powerade bottles were also on offer, sending some of us a bit to hyperactive. Throughout the games we have enjoyed fantastic views of the Olympic Park and its venues, we have watched some of the most eagerly awaited events of the athletics, whilst enjoying some of the best seats in the house. We have been part of what will no doubt be known as the best Paralympic Games in history, due to the sheer success of the Games, and the volume of people that have been attracted to the spectacle  Each Games Maker was presented with a Silver relay baton after their last shift.

" The relay baton is a gift from the London 2012 Organising Committee in recognition of your commitment, enthusiasm and hard work as a Games Maker.You made the Games Happen. The relay baton is a symbol of teamwork and trust. Your baton is the regulation size and weight. Whether you display your baton as a trophy or even race with it, we hope it will be treasured by you and admired by all as a unique souvenier of the London 2012 Games"- Seb Coe

The final treat for the remaining members of the team was a tour around 'The Orbit' the tallest building inside the Olympic Park, and the tallest arched structure in the UK. This was a phenomenal way to round off our experience, seeing the Olympic Park lit up by lighting, and spectators alike. The 360 degree view of the park and the surrounding areas was simply breathtaking, and we now recognised just why the Orbit has been so popular. Connor carefully counted the steps he had to take whilst descending from the top of the Orbit, before informing the staff at the bottom that they were simply wrong, and he had to take 4 less steps than he had been told to take. In good spirits the rest of us headed back to one final night in our hostel, pleased with the job we had done and amazing event we had been apart of.

 This was a truly 'Once in a Lifetime Opportunity'  and we are very grateful to everyone who has helped to make this happen, and who has enjoyed the journey with us.

"Mum, was I on TV!"

Tuesday was the day we had been looking forward to and building up to since December, finally the day had arrived when both teams would be taking shifts as tie down crews, inside the Olympic Stadium, in full kit, with an 70,000 strong crowd, this was also the day certain team members had been dreading since Sunday as it included a 6AM wake up call. The team ensured they made the most of the free tea and toast offered by the youth hostel, demolishing a full loaf of bread among us alone, then then began our short journey on the day to the Olympic Stadium.

Team B (Alex, Liam, Liam, Ella, Dotun, and Simon) were to be the first team out in the morning, this left Team A with some spare time, which we took to meet other Games Makers, Military guards, and of course, the local police folk, who were more than happy to pose for some photo's. Team B were the given the first final for us, which was the F37 Womens Shot Put Final, which ran smoothly as expected. 

After the successful shift we took the opportunity to watch some of the games, and the medal ceremonies. The above photo was taken on Monday, during the Mens T54 5000m ceremony, where David Weir was crowned the Paralympic Champion. The team proudly removed their purple and orange caps to sing our national anthem! We then spent the remainder of the break inside Westfield shopping center, and directing members of the public around the Olympic Park, although we ended up sending many people wondering off in the wrong direction. 

Tuesday evening bough throwing finals for both teams, Team A was to tie down the finalists of the F34 shot put, whilst Team B tied down the finalists in the F40 mens Discus. Both teams were heavily praised by Games Makers, Officials, and Competitors alike for their efficiency and quick performances of their roles. Particularly touching for Team was the praise received from Mauricio Valencia of Columbia, who was given 'No Throws' for all three of his attempts during the final, ruled by the officials, yet the athlete still took the time to thank the team for their effort, before heading of the to the appeals room. Team B faced technical faults before their final, meaning they headed out late onto the track, however they worked efficiently and managed to get the event finished before 10:30, as requested, again showing how motivated and professional our Games Makers really are!

Let the Games Begin!

Today was our first full day performing the role of Games Makers for the Paralympics. With that being said we did however spend the the first half of the day watching the spectacles from within the stadium and around the park itself. Many members of the teams were asked by spectators to pose on photos, as iconic images of the games.

Aaron, Lucy, Tom, James and Connor took the opportunity to get some extra training, we ventured over to the athletes warm up area, a site with restricted access, and then spent the afternoon gaining some additional practice.

When it came to the evening shifts we were told that only one of the teams would be given the opportunity to work as a tie-down crew, and the other half of the team would be used as kit carriers. We decided that Team A would be the first team to go out into the throwing circles, as they had been training for the event throughout the day.

Team A was working with the Women's Javelin Pool A, in the F53,54,33,34. As expected our first shift didn't go without it challenges, including a broken bolt, broken ratchets and and a faulty bar, but the team worked very well together to overcome these challenges, and left the field of play full of pride, with the gratitude of the technical officials, just in time to join in the general booing of George Osborne!

Team B, Alex, Liam, Liam, Ella, Dotun and Simon were given the roles of kit carriers for the 200m and 5000m races of the evening.

We will be back at the park for 8:30 start tomorrow where Team B will be the tie down crew in the morning, whilst Team A will be kit carrying, both teams will be working as tie down crews tomorrow evening.

First shift in the park!!

Today was our first chance to get inside the Olympic Park in full Games Maker kit, as promised the atmosphere in the park was immense! We met as two separate groups in Welwyn and Ware to travel up to the park, after some fond fairwells to parents we began our journey up to Stratford!

We made our way through the park to the Olympic Stadium, and on to the field of play, where we had a round of team photos in our Games Maker kit before splitting into two separate groups to practice our tie-down training. 'Team A' consisting of Aaron, Connor, James, Lucy and Tom were first up, and were asked to demonstrate to the other schools how the role was to be done. 'Team B' Alex, Ella, Simon, Dotun and the Liam's then had a turn at showing the other teams.

After our training we headed to the workforce area to sample the food and to prepare for the upcoming events. We were lucky enough to spend the evening inside the stadium, we spent the first half of the evening standing and enjoying the sports, before we were lucky enough to find some spare seats, allowing us to enjoy the Pristorius and Weir races! The atmosphere and the shouts from the crowd during the Weir race in particular was electric, and will remain in our memories for a long time!

Connor and I also experienced the local cuisine when we purchased 5 chicken things for £1! Yes you herd us right, £1, needless to say we were highly impressed with the local culinary tastes and are looking forward to sampling more local delicacies.

Our first shifts tomorrow begins at 17:00 where we are volunteering in the first pool of the shot put, we may be live on channel 4 so keep an eye out!

The Games are almost here!

We would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us to get this far in our journey as Games Makers. The support from staff members at Richard Hale, and their enthusiasm has been hugely supportive, the help and advice from sporting officials throughout the county has also been extremely beneficial to us. 

We will attempt to keep everyone who has been following our blog informed of our Games Time experience. We are working at the Paralympics from the 2nd to the 6th of September, half of the athletic section, which will be broadcast live on channel 4, so please do keep an eye out!

Thanks once again for all of your supports.

Hale News!

OLYMPIC YOUNG GAMES MAKERS

An interview with Aaron Hemsley Y13, Primary Team Leader …

When you watch the 2012 Paralympics look out for a team of Richard Hale students who will be providing a very important service for the athletes. The team was shortlisted from hundreds of entries after an initial written submission. Their second round success was based on their creative idea for use of the Red Tower and demanding interviews of Aaron and fellow Y13 student Alex Cloona, Secondary Team Leader.

LOCOG (the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) were particularly impressed by the amount of voluntary support work they had done at their age, and by the fact that most teams competing were led by teachers or other adults. Although the RHS bid was overseen by PE teacher Anne-Marie Riddle, who selected the original team, the subsequent organisation and leadership were the responsibility of the students themselves. Aaron has done a lot of junior football coaching at the King George Club in Welwyn garden City, and Alex helps to coach and officiate at the Phoenix Athletics Club. Aaron acknowledged the excellent support form Mrs Riddle, and thanked Mr Botheras for his efforts in getting them their kit.

The Paralympics run from 29 August to 9 September. Although they have not been given the precise timings yet, the RHS students, along with two other teams, will be on what is known as “tie-down duty” for the throwing events – discus, javelin and shot. In practice the students will look after and secure the frames the athletes need to support them while they compete in their events. This requires both technical knowledge of the equipment, which consists of winches and pulleys, ropes and chains, and also very good communication skills. There will be over 100 competitors in the three events, speaking a range of different languages, and understandably all very keen that their personal preferences are met – incorrect setting of the equipment could be the difference between Gold and nothing! A very great responsibility indeed.

Apart from Connor Thompson Y13, the team can be seen in the photograph. From left to right: Dotun Fakoya Y12, Liam Dee Y11, Alex Cloona Y13, Aaron Hemsley Y13, James Barker Y13, Chloe Rees Y13, Tom Bryan Y13, Lucy Oxborrow Y13, Ella Lloyd Y12, Liam Cloona Y11, Simon Wake Y13. A group of RHS students of whom we should be very proud.

The team attended the Olympic Warm-Up Trial in April – which Aaron described as brilliant! They were presented with their official stadium passes, and given talks by the stadium general managers on health and safety and the importance of good communication, given that so many different languages will be spoken. They will receive passes nearer the time for their daily travel, but were allowed to keep the kit they were given. They were even allowed to sit in the Royal Box – and better still they all have stadium tickets for the Opening Ceremony dress rehearsal!

They were given further training when they participated in the London Disability Grand Prix in May – the difference being that this time they had real competitors and real crowds. According to Aaron, these experiences really brought it home to them how fantastic it is that they will be so involved in the greatest show on earth!

 At the time of writing the RHS team were looking forward to helping in the Herts Youth Games and the East of England Disability Championships on 19 May, running the field events in the Children’s Section for disabled 5 and 6 year olds. Fantastic!

Curtesy of Richard Hale School- Hale News July 2012

Herts Youth Games- Olympic Torch Relay

On the 8th July the we were assisting at the annaul 'Herts Youth Games Competition'. This event features a wide range of sports, from boccia to basketball, from cricket to rugby. We had been asked to assist in the aquathlon in the morning, a sport which many of us had never herd about before the games, and sports hall athletics in the afternoon, which has by now become a familiar and well known programme.

The Aquathlon is a sport where athletes swim a specific distance, and then complete a gruling run still in their wet kit, the rain ensured that the athletes had no time to dry off in the slightest. The team acted as Marshalls and Timekeeps around the course, and were insturmental in collating the final results and processing the data with great speed, ensuring that the borough teams quickly knew their results and placings.

The afternoon sports hall athletics section was a well-rehearsed and usually well known programme, however, the 8th of July threw up some particular trouble, the Olympic torch was arriving, and we only had a rough idea when this was to happen. The competitors and spectators crowded into the hall, filling the stands and the balcony, the competition began with the sprint races, and then the message came through on the radio's, the Torch was nearly upon us.

We have been thanked over and over again for our efforts throughout the day, which ensured the smooth running of the events, and the enjoyment for specators and competitors alike. I would like to say a special thank you Hannah Craig and Georgie Rowley for staying with us throughout the day as extra help, which was much appreciated!

The torch bearers took their place, ready for the 'kiss' to happen in the centre of the sports hall. The 'Boys in Grey' came into the hall, and took up their positions, ready to guard and protect the torch and its bearer, and the crowds were preparing for immenent arrival. The eruption of noise from the competitors when the torch entered the hall was deafening, and we struggled to hold the children back as they crowded forward to get a better view of the flame.

Easy Riders Launch

On the 3rd of July members of the Games Maker Team including Aaron, Connor, Alex, Liam, James and Tom assisted by Georgie Rowley assembled at Stanborough Lakes in Welwyn Garden City to launch a new cycling initiative. 'Easy Riders' has been created by the Welwyn Hatfield Council, and the Activate Forum to provide recreational cycling for people living with disabilities. The scheme provides a great way for people to stay fit and healthy, whilst enjoying a social opportunities.

The launch was hugely successful, and we successfully guided trialists of the bikes around the lakes, and also met and spoke with special guests and dignitatires, including the borough Mayor, and members of national government bodies.

Photo's are to follow in due course.

National Sports Week!

As part of National Sports Week the Richard Hale Young Games Makers team have been involved in numerous events, within both their Games Maker duties, and their local legacy projects.

On Monday the 25th June, World Sports Day, Aaron, Lucy, Connor, Tom and Simon were all involved in the Top Sports Ability Festival, coordinated by Simon Wake, as part of their Level 3 Higher Sports Leaders Award. The day was a multi-sports event, for local schools, Amwell View and Pinewood, schools for those with learning difficulties. The day was themed around the Paralympic values- courage, determination, inspiration and equality, all of which were shown by the competitors on the day, who all went home with a smile on their face, after enjoying a full day of sporting activities.

On Tuesday the 26th June, 21 schools from Hertford and Ware competed in the WWW Games. The team was involved in many different sports on the day, Simon Wake, Liam Cloona, Liam Dee and Tom Bryan were instrumental in running the athletics section of the competition, whilst Aaron and Connor recalled their year 6 knowledge of Lacrosse to aid in the coaching side of the sport. Other members of the team were also involved in running the Paralympic themed sports for able-bodied competitors as part of their higher sports leaders award. The day once again was featured around the Paralympic and Olympic values, with certificates being awarded to those who demonstrated the values in their competitions. Over 600 local school children enjoyed the day, which is a great achievement for the Games Maker team members, and the local sports partnership!

The East of England Disability Championships

 The East of England Disability Championships were held on the 19th May, at the Chelmsford Athletic track. This is an annual competition where athletes with disabilities and impairments compete within the Eastern region of the UK! For the first time this year, the competition organisers introduced an element of this for primary school children, and we, the Richard Hale Young Games Maker Team, worked alongside Ros Cramp, the North Herts Sports Partnership Coordinator, and a teacher at Knights Templar School to organise this competition. Athletes representing Ashley School, Herts Development Squad, East Herts Special Olympics and Harlow Athletics Club were all present at this event. The event was a multi-discipline event, where the athletes competed in a track event, a throwing event and a jumping event. During our spare time we were invited to assist the technical officials on the field of play, which was a great experience for us, too work alongside athletes who were competing on behalf of grass routes clubs, and much larger organisations. We were also given the time to practice our tie down role with athletes and officials, which will further prepare us for our role at the Paralympics! Our event, which was being run for the first time was viewed by spectators, organisers and competitors alike as a great success, and we hope that the events will continue to run in the future! We would like to express our thanks to Ros who put so much effort into organising the Championships, and ensured that we were very well looked after on the day!

Visa London Disability Grand Prix

On the 7th and 8th May the Richard Hale Young Games Maker Team attended the London Disability Grand Prix (London Prepares Series) as part of our test event programme. The aim of this event was to test every single aspect of Paralympic Athletics, from the ability to start a race, to measuring the distance of throws. This was also an opportunity to test out the equipment which we would be using, and to get some real hands on experience as a 'Tie-Down' crew. Our job involves securing the throwing frames of Paralympic Athletes (who are seated for their throws) to the throwing circle, we have to make sure that the throwing frame remains stable whilst the athlete is throwing, and is in the preferred position of the athlete in question. As a team we performed our role very well, considering this was the first time we had ever attempted the role, we were not expecting miracles, however all six of the athletes which we looked after competed well in their respect categories, and enjoyed communicating and even engaging in 'banter' with us! We would once again like to say a huge thank you to the Parents Association of Richard Hale School who financially supported the team throughout the test event period. We stayed as a team in premier inn during our test event, as the trains did not run early enough for us to journey up from home. During our stay we met with and spoke to many technical officials and many members of the LOCOG workforce, it was great to discuss our journey, our plans and our expectations with other people who were also involved in the games. The general public were also generally intrigued by what we were doing, and our flash new 'London Prepares Series' jackets ensures that we stand out from the usual London crowd!
The next test for us a team will be the East of England Athletics Championships, on the 19th May, where we have been asked to organise and run a disability section for young athletes of all classifications,which will allow them to compete in the year of the London Games, and to see perspective members of Team GB!

Good Luck Liam!

We are currently preparing to take on the most daunting part of our journey so far. Next week we will be volunteering at the London Disability Grand Prix inside the Olympic Stadium, as part of the London Prepares Series. This is a huge opportunity for us to practice our role in a pressurised environment, with international athletes competing, including members of Team GB! However, one of our team members, Liam Dee will not be present during our test event because he has been given a once in a life time opportunity, to compete at the UK School Games inside the Olympic Stadium! Although the team will miss him greatly throughout this period we would like to wish him the best of luck in his competition, and look forward to hearing about how he gets on!

Welwyn Hatfield Council!

We would like to say a huge thank you to the staff and councillors of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council who have been kind enough to support us in our bid for funding! The Welwyn Hatfield Grants Panel, chaired by Councillor Irene Dean have kindly awarded the team Queens Golden Jubilee Awards. This funding will again be instrumental in allowing us to build up a strong legacy surrounding London 2012. We would also like to say a special thank you to Matt Rayner, who works as the Youth and Sports Partnership Manager for the borough, who has given up hours of time and valuable knowledge to help us secure the funding that we desperately need!

Money Money Money

So far we, the Richard Hale Young Games Makers have been extremely fortunate to receive financial support from Richard Hale School, the Richard Hale Parents Association, generous contributions from Stevenson's and Waitrose, Hertford Customers! However, we still need more funding, from grants, generous individuals or companies who be may looking to contribute towards the teams activities. We require the funding to cover the cost of kit and equipment, which is being put to invaluable use in the work that we are doing in and around the county of Hertfordshire, in the build up to London 2012. We are also looking to use this financial support to fund our travel to and from their training events and legacy projects. If any of our readers have any ideas for fundraising or know anyone who may be interested in sponsoring us could you please contact the Team Leader, Aaron Hemsley at aaron.hemsley@kinggeorgefc.co.uk

The Good Looking Team!

Although the Richard Hale Games Maker Team has always been professional in performance and attitude, we have now managed to adopted a professional and distinctive looking kit, thanks to the generosity of the Richard Hale Parents Association, and Richard Hale School.
The team kit has been supplied by Stevensons of St Albans, who are the suppliers of kit and clothing to the school. Stevenson's have been exceptionally generous whilst we have been looking for our kit, and we would like to say a huge thank you to them for their patience and generosity.

The team has been supplied with white polo shirts, black hoodies, black and grey rain jackets, and black tracksuit bottoms, to be worn during training events, and as part of our local community work.
The team also recently had the opportunity to visit the Olympic Park stadium as part of the team training. Being inside the stadium has further inspired the team, and they are now more excited than ever about the work they will be doing at the Games, and the legacy that they can build up on a local level in the run up to London 2012!


We would like to also say a huge thank you to all of the parents and residents of Hertford who donated to our cause through the Waitrose Community Matters Scheme. The funds raised will be of great benefit in allowing us to build a local legacy by inspiring young sportsmen and women.
We would also like to say a huge thank you to Jackie and Pam from the Richard Hale PA who's support has been crucial in getting us to this stage, as well as Mr Botheras, who has again given up significant amounts of his time to support us through this process.
The next event that the team will work at will be the East of England Athletics Championships, which will give us the opportunity to bond as a team, whilst gaining vital experience of working in a professional and competitive atmosphere! 

Who, What, Why

What are Young Games Makers?
In 2011 a team of Richard Hale senior students, made up of eight year thirteens, two year twelves and two year elevens submitted an application to become Young Games Makers at London 2012. The team attended a selection event, which involved an interview for the team leaders, and two team building tasks for the ten team members.
In the closing days of 2011, the whole team were holding their breath, waiting for the email that would give or reject the team their place at London 2012. The email came through on Christmas Eve, and what a Christmas present it would turn out to be, the team was offered a place a volunteering role, as part of the Athletics Teams, for the London 2012 Paralympics!

The team had performed well enough in the eyes of the assessors to be given this prestigious opportunity. However, myself, and Alex realised that this was an opportunity for more than self gain, this was an opportunity to enhance the lives of others. Taking the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Respect, Excellence, Friendship, Courage, Determination, Inspiration and Equality) we deicded that we should do our best to work as a team, to create a legacy for our role within the local area.

So what are we doing? As a team we have found opportunities to volunteer at sporting events within our local area, within our county, and within our region. We're doing this because firstly we want to create a legacy, by installing the Values of the Games in younger generations, and inspire them to pursue excellence in their chosen activities. Secondly, we feel that volunteering at these events will give us additional experience in working as a team, which will allow us to perform better throughout London 2012!


Who are the Young Games Makers?

The opportunity to become a Games Maker at Richard Hale was granted to the whole of the senior student body, students were invited to write applications on why they would be good at the role, and their experience in volunteering, working as a team, and in sporting activities. The team of ten was whittled down from over twenty original applicants, as were the two team leaders; the team was selected based on their calibre, committment, eagerness and experience.
Team Leaders
Aaron Hemsley - Year 13
Alex Cloona- Year 13
Games Makers
Tom Bryan- Year 13
Simon Wake- Year 13
Lucy Oxborrow- Year 13
Conor Thomson- Year 13
James Barker- Year 13
Chloe Rees- Year 13
Ella Lloyd- Year 12
Dotun Fakoya- Year 12
Liam Cloona- Year 11
Liam Dee- Year 11

Why Blog?

So, finally, why are we blogging? Well, there are two main reasons for this blog being created. Firstly, the team is being given a once in a lifetime opportunity, the chance to represent Richard Hale School at an event which is often reffered to as the 'Greatest Sporting Spectacle on Earth'. This blog will allow us to write about, remember and most importantly share our experiences.
The second reason for this blog is because of the amazing amount of support that we have been given from groups including: Richard Hale School, Richard Hale School Parents Association, East Herts Council, Welwyn Hatfield Council, Hertfordshire County Council, Hertford and Ware School Sports Partnership, Herts Special Olympics, Herts Ready For Winners and Herts Sports Partnership. Using this blog will enable us to share our experience with the those who are so kindly supporting us.

So for now, on behalf of the team, I would like to say thank you for your support, thank you for your continued interest, and watch this space for more news!