The Olympics... and beyond

There have been many moments over the last year and a half since I received word that my request for credentials to cover the Olympics had been approved. Filling out the myriad of paperwork. The first time I wired money to cover my accommodations. At the roast in my honor to raise funds. When the first check came in from someone offering support for my trip. Those were all big moments, but today, perhaps the biggest moment of all. Today, a package arrived at the office containing my Olympic credentials. While they still have to be verified at the airport in Russia, the credentials are my access to the Olympics and my access into Russia (no visa required). Getting the credentials wasn't without trouble. The first picture I sent to the US Olympic Committee was my passport photo and that came back as being rejected by the Sochi Olympic Committee (I didn't even ask why). Next I took a photo against the white wall in our office and had our new office manager size it correctly and ...

So, one of the biggest issues I've come up with in preparing for my trip to Sochi is dealing with the media staff in Russia. The problem lies in the communication. The easiest way to communicate is obviously via e-mail, but it's obvious that English is not the first language of the people working in the media relations (as it shouldn't be). So trying to figure out just what everything means when getting e-mails can be a challenge. The latest e-mail from Sochi came to me with the message that I owed money. I've made a trio of payments via wire transfer. Two were for my accommodations and the other was for my internet and phone packages while I am in Russia. The accommodations payments were sent in US dollars and were sent months ago, but the e-mail came through saying I owed money. I went online as directed and found that for some reason, each of the payments I had sent to secure my housing for the two weeks was docked five dollars (guessing for a bank fee), so I owed ...

Welcome to my Olympic blog... I am new to the whole blogging thing, but thought it might be a good way to report regularly on my trip to cover the Olympics in Sochi, Russia. I will be posting full stories on our company's web site at www.NewHampshireLakesandMountains.com  but I am hoping this will provide a chance to get more daily updates on the numerous local athletes from New Hampshire competing in Sochi. Hopefully this works the way I want it to... Looking forward to a great experience in Russia.