On Friday 5^th of February I went on a Primary Link Teacher's day, as the Young Ambassador for sports in Hertford and Ware, to visit the sites soon to become the venues for the 2012 Olympics. We started the day at the White Water Canoe Centre, soon to be in the site of the Olympic canoe slalom competition, although at present only a muddy field, you could really grasp the scale of the site, we could see the start point of the course and although only in total a five metre drop this was still an impressive site to see the paths outline twisting and turning down the slope. We walked along the edge and you could almost imagine the crowds, the athletes racing down, the site was a hive of activity and there was a sense of real sense of excitement about the place.

          Next we travelled to the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, this building is already completed and already in use as a training site for athletes and also for national and regional competitions. I felt a sense of excitement at the fact I was watching people who would be competing for their country train in such an intimate place. We were shown the Olympic record for high jump here, I was amazed at how high it was something you could only grasp when compared to your height, suddenly the hard work and the talent these athletes had and put into their sports seemed so much more impressive and worth celebrating.

          The last stop on the agenda was the by far the highlight for me. We travelled to Stratford and to the borough of Newham. We went up 21 flights to the top of a block of sheltered housing to the Olympic Park Viewing Gallery. From here I could see the main stadium, the aquatic centre, the velodrome , the Olympic village and the new infrastructure surrounding them. You could really grasp the scale of the place and I was suddenly excited at the thought that we would be hosting the games, I would be able to see them live, be in the same place as these athletes. I've come home and been looking at all the ways I can get involved, how I can help I now really want to be a part of these Olympics, I want to share that feeling of achievement and pride that they Olympics stand for, I will definitely be signing up for the volunteer programme.

Rachael Bygate