Quick turnover

Talk about a quick start.

I got the e-mail saying that I had been approved for credentials for Milan-Cortina just about noon on Wednesday afternoon. With the e-mail came a form that we were told we had to fill out for Milan-Cortina, requesting access to the Accommodation Management System (AMS), which is where we book our rooms for the Olympic period. It also said that the form had to be filled out by today, Feb. 28, so I filled it out and sent it back as requested.

I had made a few mistakes on the form (or accidental omissions) that the very helpful Milan-Cortina press team helped me fix. I had figured the form had to be filled out by today and we'd choose hotels in the next few weeks. However, as I read the e-mail they had sent, I realized that they actually needed the hotel requests by today.

That sent me on a scramble, once my access to the AMS had been granted. Part of the trouble was that I didn't really know the transport plan for the Olympics and my access to the Milan-Cortina Extranet, which is an internet site that holds all the manuals and other information we need, had not been granted yet.

Luckily, the press team came through again, as they sent me a copy of the latest transport guide and I was able to look through it quickly and gain some sort of idea of what I am dealing with.

With the incredibly spread out layout of the Milan-Cortina Games, it will be impossible for me to do like I have done the last five Olympics and visit the majority of the venues. And staying somewhere near the Main Press Center in Milan will not be feasible if I want to see the outdoor sports on a regular basis. For instance, Milan to Cortina, where the women's alpine, sliding sports and curling are taking place, is more than five hours of traveling. And to get to Anterselva, where the biathlon is taking place, is more than six hours. The other outdoor clusters are anywhere from the 3.5 to four hours from Milan.

Over the last few Olympics I have spent a good deal of time at the biathlon venue, mostly covering Conway's Sean Doherty as he competed for Team USA. I anticipate having to spend time there again, so I made the determination that I should probably find accommodations in the Anterselva area. The good news is that it is just more than an hour away from Cortina, so I should be able to see women's alpine, the sliding sports and curling without much of problem.

I also decided to book some accommodations in Milan at the beginning and end of my trip. I am hoping to arrive a few days before the opening ceremony and maybe see a few of the venues in the city before heading up to the mountains for much of the Olympics before coming back to Milan at the end of the trip. This is much different than the way I've done it before. Changing hotels in the middle of the trip will probably be a pain in the butt, but I guess we'll see.

All told, it was a quick turnaround from having no credentials on Wednesday morning to making hotel requests on Friday morning. I am glad to have the chance, but have to say, that was the quickest I've ever jumped into an Olympic experience.

But now, we are off and running.


The Anterselva Valley is known as the birthplace of biathlon and will most likely be my home for a good chunk of the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

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