Paris 2024
Day 7 – Water Polo QF’s!
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An extract from a diary, written by one of the Scouts:
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Report written by one of the Scouts:
The Paris trip was great.
The coach drive was very long and I didn’t like getting up early but it was definitely worth it in the end. The ferry was amazing I loved seeing England disappear on the horizon and France appear out of the clouds.
We had to get up at 6:00 in the morning (French time) to travel to some of the morning the events. Travelling by trains was cool especially the double decker ones.
Seeing the Olympics was a new experience which felt wonderful. Hockey and Water Polo were my favourite events because I liked seeing the ball/puck move around the field with ease. Sometimes I lost track of the puck because it moved so quickly. I felt sorry for the hockey goalkeepers due to the fact that they had to wear so much padding in the unbearable heat.
I was taken aback with awe at the Water Polo light show where they shined cool patterns and images on the pool. I admired the breathtaking architecture of the different stadiums.
It was an historic event that I will never forget and I will be able to tell my children in the future that I was there.
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I didn’t have tickets to the water polo or wrestling, so it was a day on camp for me.
I was very much looking forward to a lie-in but that was scuppered with our yoga festival neighbours. I say neighbours, they were 2 fields and a whole forest away but their 6am musical & chanting kick off very much woke me up. The ringing of the large bell for a whole 5 minutes and 7am didn’t help either.
What did cheer me up, was whilst complaining to the campsite office a helpful crew of leaders and Scouts took down all the tents. Bonus! For the tent I did help with, my pencil roll was waaay better than our new SPL.
Shortly after lunch we trundled off for another swim. This time we were heading to Les Mereaux as Porcheville had decided to close for the summer holidays!? No, I didn’t understand that either.
What I certainly didn’t understand was upon turning up at the pool we were given strict instructions. Apparently, they only accept groups in the morning session. So, we we had to break down into smaller groups of scouts and leaders. we still entered one after the other, with the same leader paying. There was a line that kept getting repeated in the good old Asterix books, I use to read of old: ‘These French are crazy!’
Interestingly, the moaners (mainly boys) prior to the first swimming trip have turned turtle and are now begging to go swimming. Didn’t take long… and it is a stunning little venue to go swimming.
The water poloists came back buzzing – best thing ever apparently! So glad the Olympic rollercoaster has not waned one incy-little bit! They even had posh taxis for the journey home, one driver had a suit and tie and free chocolates! Ambassador: we spoil these scouts! (We were keen to give our wonderful coach driver the night off).
After dinner, all the Scouts were shuffled off to their new sleeping accommodation. A wooden gazebo structure, with no walls. Remarkably a good nights sleep was had by almost all and no creatures of the night appeared and some even loved it!
Another 6am start due…