Gamesmaker orientation - fantastically motivating

Two weeks after Module 1 of my role-specific training I attended Gamesmaker Orientation in Wembley Arena. I knew this one would be different because every gamesmaker, regardless of role, has to attend one of these sessions. I anticipated there would be a lot of people there, as it was being held in Wembley Arena and as before, I looked forward to the day but with a little trepidation as the last event had left me a bit unsure and concerned.

I had to be at Wembley Arena quite early on a Sunday morning, which meant up very early in order to get on the train to get down there. However, overnight on the Saturday we got a large amount of snow so I worried about trains running at all. Adding to this I overslept on the Sunday morning which meant I basically got up, got dressed quicker than ever and left my house with barely a goodbye. Luckily for me the roads were basically clear (thank you gritters!) and I made it to the train station with a minute to spare.

Sadly my good luck ran out right then as signalling problems on the line meant that trains that were meant to run weren’t and I had to figure out alternatives to get to the event. Fortunately by then  there was a large group of gamesmakers all heading in the same direction so we quickly organized ourselves, got on a bus and got to Wembley in one piece. 

Once inside the arena it was pretty overwhelming to be in the same room with so many gamesmakers. Before long the show started and YES it was a show! We had Jonathan Edwards as our host, and he introduced a number of people from LOCOG, all doing their very best to motivate us and thank us for helping out. There was a little fashion show where we got to see the uniforms, there were competitions, there was a fantastic routine by Eddie Izzard and a lot of love (and chocolate) in the room.

By the end of the session all my doubts were removed. I knew I just had to stick with it – this was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity and I couldn’t let it pass. Sure, it would involve some sacrifice and an awful lot of hard work but it would SO be worth it. I had been given the opportunity to do something special and I was one of the lucky ones!

To say that I skipped out of Wembley would be an understatement – well, I did try to skip but the snow and ice on the ground made it unsafe, so I actually didn’t. I was full of excitement, energy and I just couldn’t wait for the summer to put on my gamesmaker uniform and make history!