As many of you may know, I am married to Martin McGovern who is an East London man, born in Forest Gate, raised for the most part in Ilford and family dating back to London since 1640.  He refers to the Thames as “The River” as there is no other.  Occasionally he will use Johnson’s phrase, “Liquid History.”  When, in July 2005, the news reported that London won the Olympic bid, we started planning just how much of this journey would be ours.  We marked the calendar.  Whenever travelling from his father’s home in Wanstead, we drove past Stratford to assess the progress of the site.  In 2010, Martin and I put in our names to volunteer in any role for the Olympics.  A year ago, Martin and our son, Timothy, went through the entire schedule of events would cover the entirety of the games.  They decided on £3,600 worth of tickets for the three of us if all were to become available.  When the tickets were allotted, we had spent about £160 for rowing at Eton and football at Wembley Stadium.  In the allotment, we picked up another set of football tickets.  The final grace came when Athletics became available so we will be seeing a medal ceremony in the Olympic stadium itself.

As part of this frenzy, we all nominated one another to be a Torch bearer when the Olympic Flame came through Oxford.  We nominated one another through Coca Cola and Lloyds TSB as they both had simple applications on line.  It felt like a reach but the Olympic fever had hit us.

Then, in December 2011, I received two emails.  One asked me to come in for an interview with “Games Maker” to determine if I was a suitable volunteer.  The second email was from Lloyds TSB confirming that my nomination as a Torchbearer had cleared and that if all checked out, I was to be one of 8000 people carrying the Olympic Torch across Great Britain the following July.  The Lloyds email firmly declared not to mention this to other than my family until my nomination was assured. Still, I felt my family extended to more than my husband, Martin, and my son, Timothy.  I shared the news with my siblings, and their children, my cousins, my dearest of friends and soon scores of people were asking me about how I came to be one of the few.  Word spread and soon I had near strangers coming up to me and confirming the news.  The University Development Office put a small notice in the monthly newsletter.  The Oxford University Press Office included my account in their official press release.  There were moments that I worried I had imagined the email stating my status as a Torchbearer but frequent rereads confirmed my claim.

Meanwhile, at the ExCeL centre (their capitalisation) in Canary Wharf, I was warmly greeted by one of the countless volunteers who interviewed potential volunteers to work the Olympics.  I had been selected as a T2 Driver which meant that, if selected, I would be driving important people to and from the various Olympic venues in a brand new BMW Series 5 complete with designated satnav!  It appealed.  The interviewer, Sonia, was from Spain and asked me why I wanted to give up two weeks of my life for 10 hour shifts of driving strangers around London.  “Sonia, look at me.  How else could I possibly participate in the Olympics?”  After our laughter died down, she went on to ask the perfunctory questions but ended with “We’ll see you at the Olympics.”  I was in.

After December the silence from both Lloyds TSB and Games Maker was deafening until late February when Martin was finally interviewed for his volunteer role.  He was told he would be “venue management” which sounded a bit like unpaid security and bag checking.  Still, he would be on site and perhaps even inside a venue so he was content with the title.  Along the way, Games Maker turned his role into a T2 Driver as well.  He was streamlined, asked to come to training and told he would be picking up his uniforms soon after.  I had heard nothing from Games Maker since early January but for three emails thanking me for my patience.  When Martin called the Fleet Depot to organise his shift, he mentioned that I hadn’t heard a word and within a day I, too, was booking the required Driver’s training.  We successfully completed this, having the opportunity to meet with other drivers and hear their varied tales of coming to the same shared experience.  We spent three hours driving around London showing our skills and were told that we were ready to go.

Today, 2^nd of July, turned out to be uniform day.  Martin left bright and early went to collect his in London for the T2 Drivers.  I worked from home awaiting UPS’s delivery of my Torchbearer uniform.  Martin returned mid-day with a treasure bag of kit, including socks and shoes!  Evidently the uniform is made out of recycled plastic so that it will wash quickly and last the full two weeks. The baseball cap should last a bit longer. The Swatch watch (neither of us routinely wear watches but it’s part of the look) and the “Just in Case” umbrella was part of the goodie bag.

At 4:45, the doorbell rang and there were two UPS men standing at my door.  “Is this an Olympic Torch uniform?” the younger fellow asked.  “It IS!”  I replied with a broad smile. “I told you,” said the young man to the older man.  The older of the two turned to me and explained that they had been delivering many of the same size parcels across the county today.  “Can we see it?” asked the younger man.    “Of course!” I declared as I tore the plastic envelope open.  I held the top up to me and they nodded appreciatively.  “You excited?” the elder asked.  “You bet!” They just kept nodding their approval and wished me well as they headed off to deliver the last of the same-size parcels to my companions on the 9^th of July.

My husband nominated me because I have always worked for non-profits most of my professional life and volunteered for whatever came along.  I think he had hoped that we would qualify for more tickets to events, too. As the date comes closer, our household excitement grows.  My sister will join us from America. My son will be running on Sunday in the London 10K for the Rainbow Trust and then, on what happens to be our 18^th wedding anniversary, I will carry the Olympic Torch.  I am an unlikely candidate in that there is nothing but my spirit that is Olympian.  What I hadn’t appreciated at the time was how much people recognised the Torchbearing as an honour for the community.  I may be carrying this 1.5 kilo Flame for 300 metres down the Cowley Road in Oxford but I will be representing all those on the roadside and beyond who celebrate the Olympics coming to Great Britain and, on this day, to Oxford.  I will join 20,000 in South Park for a celebration of the Olympics 2012.  In that celebration, children from St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary where I am a governor will join the “Tree of Life” concert.  I just hope it doesn’t rain!

For those who have asked where I will be sharing my moment of glory, follow http://goo.gl/maps/ug4I. My run is scheduled for 18:22!!   I will be the one in white in the middle of the road, with a security escort carrying a Torch!

3 July 2012

I have just been told by another Olympic Torch bearer that for those of you who cannot make it to the Cowley Road, you can watch it live on the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/torchrelay/day52!  No excuse now!!