London 2012 Olympic Games: Day 4

Was that a spot of rain? Again.  We can also get ponchos.
Nice, aren't they?

Wimbledon +4

“The Dream Team” as our supervisor, Ruth, calls us were deployed to Gate 1 again today.  Our colleagues for the day was G4 Security again.

Sock Monkey was deployed as a pacer for the first hour (this means getting people through the metal detector swiftly and effectively – with no bunches of queues).  My two G4 tray loaders weren’t exactly the friendliest people ever to the spectators so I tried my best to be as friendly as possible to make up for it.

Yesterday was a bit of a dull day with quite a lot of drizzly extra-wet rain.  When we were rotated round I was put outside to help move the queue around the tents and inside.  This involves sending the people along the line and into the various x-ray/metal detector lanes and preparing them for security.

So….the number of times I said, “Good morning, Welcome to security! Please make sure you have no coins, keys, mobile phones in your pockets.  You will need to remove your jackets, belts and wristwatches.  And no liquids, please.”

Sock Monkey always likes to chat to the spectators so I ask them if they are looking forward to their day, I ask them which court they are on (then I ask them if they know the order of play and if they don’t I tell them), I ask them if they have waited long or where they have travelled from or which player they want to see.

A LOVELY lady gave me a big hug when I told her who was on Centre Court: Venus Williams, Andy Murray, Roddick against Djokovick and Laura Robson V Shapapova.  She got really excited and skipped off.  Unfortunately she was on Court Number 1.  Ooops a daisy but she wold have seen Tsonga involved in the longest tennis match in Olympic history.

I had three nasty people.  An elderly couple had a right moan about the security.  The woman started jumping up and down declaring, “Well I think all of this security is absolutely ridiculous!!!!”  I though she was joking then I realized she wasn’t.  Then her husband stood at the metal detector like a horse refusing a jump.  He moaned that he always set it off.  I thought I was going to have to put my foot on his backside and shove him through.  They were exactly like the people who used to write into ‘Points of View’ with Barry Took and say, “Why, oh why, oh why, oh why, BBC” and sign it off  ‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells).  Phone me and I wil let you know exactly how I would like to describe them but not in writing.

Then there was a really horrible man who had a right go at me about the security, it was ridiculous, it was unnecessary, the army were much faster the G4, it takes less time to get into the other venues.  I told him I had been with the army and they were the same and I also said it ws required.  When he started blustering that it wasn’t I just ignored him and asked him to “go through please to my colleague who will get you through.”

The next group of people were much nicer and called the Games Makers “Unsung Heroes”.  They asked me if we get to see any tennis and were making jokes about  being Scottish.

I always like to tell the ladies in the queue that “I’m sorry but you have G4.  If you want to move to Gate 10 you’ll get the Royal Marine Commandos, the Paras and the Navy.”  And if its raining I always say, “I’m sorry about the weather.”

Most people are nice, though.

After we were stood down I went to our beautiful canteen and had a cup of tea whilst a few other people had lunch (I had already had my lunch break – sausages containing God-knows-what).  I was absolutely knackered and couldn’t bear going to East London to get a replacement jacket so two of us had a little wander then went home.  It was raining anyway so there was hardly any play off Centre Court.

I didn’t see any matches but I did see Andy Roddick leaving the practice courts.

However some of my team got to man the VIP security gate and they were saying, “Oh I say so-and-so and so-and-so and him and her…”Hmph.

Day off to day so I went to get a new jacket.

We have decided that we will attempt to collect all the confiscated booze and have a wrap party on ‘The Hill’ and watch the finals on the big screen.