As the sky over Sochi burst into life with fireworks to mark the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics on Friday, I was transported back to the eve of the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. As I stood there in the stadium looking up at the awesome pyrotechnics, I had to pinch myself that I was actually being paid to be there, providing language support for the British Bobsleigh Team, having somehow managed to blag a month off university.
While there I had to interpret in all sorts of situations – from getting one of the bobsleighs resprayed after someone put the wrong sticker on it, to lessons in noodle making for the coaching staff; from scoring free ski slope access for the administrators to lunch with Princess Anne. And the craziest part of it all was my Japanese wasn’t actually all that good. I was only in the third year of my studies, so looking back I’m amazed how I had the guts to take on the job!
But that’s the point. I did the very best I could with what I had at my disposal. It wasn’t perfect, but the fact is even then I spoke Japanese better than any of the team, so my skills, however limited, were of use to them. It is so easy to get caught up with being ‘perfect’, and never actually taking action because we are always wanting to do a little more preparation, but sometimes you just have to go for it. By all means learn as you go along, but don’t wait until you know everything because that day will never come.
In the end the British Bobsleigh Team were the only Brits to get a medal that year, so you can imagine the party we had once the event was over!
How did I get the job in the first place? I asked. Simple as that. I wrote a good old snail mail letter to the General Secretary of the British Olympic Association offering my services. I never actually thought he’d say yes, but I am so glad he did. And if the job at the 1998 Winter Olympics wasn’t cool enough, it led to a whole host of jobs at some of the most incredible sports events in the world, including the World Games, Summer Olympics, FIFA World Cup, World Athletics Championships and more, where I worked alongside some of the world’s top athletes and made some amazing friends along the way. It is all connected.
So whether or not you like sport, take a moment to watch some of the Winter Olympics over the next couple of weeks and find a way for it to inspire you. Whether it is with the courage to try a new sport, the curiosity to find out about a new country, or even just to reflect on my little story and decide to ‘just ask about that job’ and see what happens. It might just work out!
Beth and the team
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