SIC - Athletics Desk

I realise I never wrote about my colleagues, so I'll dedicate this posting to them: the best SIC Desk in the Village! This is according to the Chef de Missions and Team Leaders. Cool huh?

We have about 15 people and some I haven't worked long enough with to really remember a lot about them. There was this girl that showed up for only 2 shifts during the entire Games. She volunteered, but got a new job just before the Games, so she couldn't work a lot.

First we have the George's. That is Yiorgos "Junior" and Giorgos "Senior". Junior is not only younger in age but definitely in attitude. He is totally in love with Germany and Holland and wishes he could live there. He loves the music (his favourite band in the world is Blof...) and especially the girls. I once called him the Wannabe German. Switched hair colour twice during the games. First he went for the Pamela Anderson Peroxide look and when trying to return to his original dark colour, ended up with some sort of vague undefinable yellowish glow. Which, by the way, matches his volunteer uniform nicely...

Senior is a few years older and a calm guy. He is the ultimate Pin Hunter. He'll do everything and anything for a pin. Probably sell his mother too! Both George's are very hard workers that show up almost every day. And we have a lot of fun together. I especially like them, because one thinks I'm 28 and the other 24... :-)

Then there are two other guys: Christos and Valantis. What can I say? Remember I mentioned earlier that someone told me that Greek men don't like to work... One spends his entire shift reading newspapers and making personal phone calls on the office phone. The other must have some hand disease, since he keeps them protected in his pocket most of the shift. Friendly guys, but of little use...

The other two guys are Alexi and a bearded guy, who's name I can't seem to remember. I haven't worked a lot with them, but the times I did were good. Alexi is a popular guy that always arranges stuff for others. He got us on the stands that night we saw the 100m Mens Final. The other is a silent worker. I call him Silent Bob. He actually looks like him.

Last but not least of the men is Theodorus. An older guy who once played in the Greek national Volleyball team. Uncle Theo. Your typical nice old man. Too bad he pulled out last week with health problems. Get well Theo!

And then there are the girls...

Let's start with The Goddess Panagiota. I once made the unforgiveable mistake of not greeting her by accident. She was so upset I had to make up by kissing her feet (figuratively, that is). Since then I must worship her. Hence her nickname. A very sweet young girl.

We also have our own Call Center Katharina. She's a mother of a 5 year old and someone who doesn't accept any BS. Whenever delegations need to be called to remind them of their mess-ups, Katherina is the one. You should hear her telling off the Team Leaders on the phone. Don't mess with her!

The only other "foreigner" on the desk is Katherina #2. Actually she's half German, half Greek. A very pretty blonde girl. Yes, you guessed it: She's the prime target of Yiorgos Junior, but he's not being very successful at it. I call her The Flirt, since she loves to flirt with people, especially if they have something she wants. This sounds bad, but isn't meant that way. It's not her fault men are weak. I like her a lot. If only she was a bit older... :-)

Then you have Vivi and Eftegia. I probably totally miss-spell these names, but who cares! Two nice friendly girls that work hard. Again, I haven't worked a lot with them, so I have very little anekdotes about them to share.

The above mentioned are all volunteers. We have two paid coordinators. One of them is La La La La Lola (sing along). A nice woman who's second in charge. She tends to panic a bit when things get hectic, but other than that she's very helpful and goes out of her way to accomodate others.

Last, and definitely not least is Mina. I can think of 100 nicknames for Mina and none of them would describe her fully. She's The Boss, The Top Dog, The Arranger, The Ultimate Coordinator! If she were a musician, she would be drummer, guitarist, bass player, keyboard player, saxophonist and singer at the same time. She'll probably do the background vocals too!

If ever I've seen a project manager, she's the one. Continuously on the phone, arranging everything and anything. She works 24 hours per day and I think the entire Games would be lost without her. And in between all this calling and arranging, she finds the will to remain friendly, calm and diplomatic. In her normal life, she's a physical education teacher. I think she'll miss the craziness of the Games when returning to school. We all love her. If only she wasn't married already... :-)

I'm just kidding Mina. You are great and you have a very nice husband, who I met yesterday evening when we all went for a "farewell" party in town. All the best and let's keep in touch!

To all the rest of my colleagues who read this: You are great and we've had the best of times together! And most importantly, also the delegations think you're the best!

Keep in touch!

Roberto