DAY 7: WELCOME TO THE BIRD'S NEST/A TOTAL RUSH

Welcome to the Bird's Nest, home of track and field. My job there is a little different than at basketball, mainly because I'll be covering the actual events. Today I was in the broadcast mixed-zone. That's the front line. It's where all the major broadcast networks are set up and who the athletes have to pass through first. In this area, I have to weave my way around the cables and cameras to listen in on interviews, not to mention the reporters and cameramen and sometimes field producers. I write what the athletes say and run the quotes back to the copy takers along with the contexts. Then the best quotes are put on INFO. We have them on the database within 10 minutes of the words coming out of the athletes' mouths. 

It's fairly difficult to get within hearing distance while staying out of the broadcasters' way. They have mixed reactions to me being there, but I have to do my job just like they do. One of the ONS staff, Joel, led the craziness that was directing flash quote traffic. He told me and the three other FQRs where to place ourselves and who to interview. From there we do the best that we can. It was a total rush moving through the broadcast jungle to gather the best quotes possible and get them back to the copy takers.