Due to a miscommunication between paperwork going back and forth a hundred times, I am the lone person out of all seven of us who has the wrong credential. I have access to the media centers, but I have to request a day pass every time I want or need to go to an Olympic venue, and I need a different one for each venue.
Receiving the day pass or the media upgrade card hasn't been an issue, so having to request one or the other a day in advance of the event is a small inconvenience considering I have the opportunity to witness Olympic events live.
Having the proper credential for each event and each venue isn't the problem, it's actually getting into those venues and into press areas that has been a headache.
Communication breakdown, it isn't always the same in Vancouver
Southern belle from NOLA, DePaul journalism grad student, football fanatic and aspiring jetsetter
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I have to preface this by saying that the venue managers have been helpful, friendly and very accommodating. Every time I call and ask about receiving my upgrade, they have no hesitation with helping me out and always offer for me to call them if I have any issues.
But there is some kind of breakdown in communication about who can do what with which credentials and what areas we are allowed in. It's making a job out of just trying to do my job.
On Feb. 14, I went to UBC Thunderbird Arena for the U.S. v. China women's ice hockey game. The venue manager personally handed me an upgrade card to watch the game from the press tribune (press box) and then have access to the mixed zone (the mixed zone is where athletes come out for interviews with the press after games). Despite having the proper credentials, Jenn and I were not allowed into the mixed zone (part of our job is to interview athletes to send quotes to the media, so this access is obviously critical to our job). I had to call the venue manager to have her personally escort us into the mixed zone. An ESPN reporter had the exact same problem as us that day.
I covered another hockey game, this time the men's U.S. v. Norway game on Feb. 18 at Canada Hockey Place and had zero problems. The venue manager met me at the media entrance to hand me the upgrade card that allowed me into the press tribune and the mixed zone. When I flashed my credentials, I was waved on through to where I needed to go.
I assumed getting into Canada Hockey Place would be my biggest hurdle, as hockey is one of the premiere sports of the Winter Olympics -- especially with the much-anticipated U.S. v Canada hockey game on Sunday -- but this wasn't the case.
On Sunday Feb. 21, I went to the Vancouver Olympic Center for curling. When I arrived at the arena, the venue manager told me I would need to go to accreditation to receive my day pass. The Accreditation Office is all the way on the other side from where the buses drop off people to the media entry, so I had to walk all the way around the arena. The U.S. v. Canada game was already in the 7th end as I had to wait about 10-15 minutes to have a pass printed out (if I put in the request for a day pass the day before, wouldn't it be more efficient to print it out in advance?). I walked into the entry and didn't see any signs for media entrance. Two security personnel I asked didn't have a clue, and one of them gave me the most convoluted directions that I think I might have ended up back in the States if I took them.
Once I found the venue entrance and walked in, I was told by three different people where I could and couldn't stand.
"There's a seat there, you can sit."
"You can't sit there, you have to go downstairs."
"You aren't allowed to be down here, you need to sit in the press tribune."
"I can't have you here, you have to walk over there."
Luckily, I wasn't there to cover the game, but if I was supposed to, I would have missed the entire last half just trying to get where I needed to go.
I'm sure veteran reporters have to experience this not just at the Olympics but many large sporting events, but should it really be this hard to get everyone on the same page?
But there is some kind of breakdown in communication about who can do what with which credentials and what areas we are allowed in. It's making a job out of just trying to do my job.
On Feb. 14, I went to UBC Thunderbird Arena for the U.S. v. China women's ice hockey game. The venue manager personally handed me an upgrade card to watch the game from the press tribune (press box) and then have access to the mixed zone (the mixed zone is where athletes come out for interviews with the press after games). Despite having the proper credentials, Jenn and I were not allowed into the mixed zone (part of our job is to interview athletes to send quotes to the media, so this access is obviously critical to our job). I had to call the venue manager to have her personally escort us into the mixed zone. An ESPN reporter had the exact same problem as us that day.
I covered another hockey game, this time the men's U.S. v. Norway game on Feb. 18 at Canada Hockey Place and had zero problems. The venue manager met me at the media entrance to hand me the upgrade card that allowed me into the press tribune and the mixed zone. When I flashed my credentials, I was waved on through to where I needed to go.
I assumed getting into Canada Hockey Place would be my biggest hurdle, as hockey is one of the premiere sports of the Winter Olympics -- especially with the much-anticipated U.S. v Canada hockey game on Sunday -- but this wasn't the case.
On Sunday Feb. 21, I went to the Vancouver Olympic Center for curling. When I arrived at the arena, the venue manager told me I would need to go to accreditation to receive my day pass. The Accreditation Office is all the way on the other side from where the buses drop off people to the media entry, so I had to walk all the way around the arena. The U.S. v. Canada game was already in the 7th end as I had to wait about 10-15 minutes to have a pass printed out (if I put in the request for a day pass the day before, wouldn't it be more efficient to print it out in advance?). I walked into the entry and didn't see any signs for media entrance. Two security personnel I asked didn't have a clue, and one of them gave me the most convoluted directions that I think I might have ended up back in the States if I took them.
Once I found the venue entrance and walked in, I was told by three different people where I could and couldn't stand.
"There's a seat there, you can sit."
"You can't sit there, you have to go downstairs."
"You aren't allowed to be down here, you need to sit in the press tribune."
"I can't have you here, you have to walk over there."
Luckily, I wasn't there to cover the game, but if I was supposed to, I would have missed the entire last half just trying to get where I needed to go.
I'm sure veteran reporters have to experience this not just at the Olympics but many large sporting events, but should it really be this hard to get everyone on the same page?
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