Nine of Otters finest have been given the chance of a lifetime to work poolside at the London 2012 Olympic Games swimming events. The team have been selected ahead of nearly a thousand other applicants, and will work at both the GB trials in March and the main games in August.
The team successfully got through a rigorous selection event at Canary Wharf on Dec 3rd, after the club’s online application got them through the first round. The volunteer roles are for kit attendants to work poolside, directly supporting the competitors. Out of 990 applicants, about 130 were called for interview, and just 80 chosen. So you’ll see them on TV during the games!
Sporting their custom designed London 2012 hoodies, the team took part in two group exercises to demonstrate how they can work together as a unit. Club Vice-Captain Ed Dodd commented “ This was an inspiring event that brought together our team, and showed leadership, communication and the ability to work as a group. A great opportunity in which we showed our best side!”
Club captain Nicola Twinning is one of those to earn a coveted place. She said: “We’re going to be the people behind the blocks looking after the swimmers’ equipment."
“I’m really excited. We’re going to be right there and will be able to see it all first hand. It’s going to be quite unreal to be so close to the action. It will feel like we’ve got quite an important role. We’ve got to try to be invisible, we’ve got to be in time and be efficient so it’s going to be quite stressful but I can’t wait.”
In addition to Ed and Nicola the team are Sophie Onn, Mike Lewin, Beth Morrison, Jon Kalpakiotis, Jess Franks, Julia Bradley and Karen Churchill.
Club chairman Chris Huggett said: “We’re really proud of this team, they did the club proud, got up and showed what they were capable of under pressure, and fully deserve their chance to be part of the greatest show on earth.”
The achievement was also noted in the Bucks Free Press
