Dispatch: The Water Cube

Another fabulous day at the Olympic Village as 54-speed walkers embarked upon the 50-km walking race, a punishing three and a half hour endurance event that bookends the decathlon competition on the Bird’s Nest track. Europeans were expected to dominate the walking race, but in the decathlon American Bryan Clay was the clear favorite as his mastery and dominance in every skill only increased his lead as the ten events followed each other. Alas, it wouldn’t be until the evening competition that he finally won the coveted Gold Medal. Led by Alex Schwarzer of Italy, who set a new Olympic record of 3:37:09, 47-speed walkers crossed the finish line over a forty-five minute time span.  Several collapsed and were attended to by ever ready medical professionals. There were no exotic herbs or acupuncture treatments for the wasted racers, instead copious amounts of water were poured over their dehydrated bodies and down their throats. All but one exited track without assistance. I cannot imagine what was going through their heads as 60,000 appreciative fans cheered their reentry into stadium as they watched themselves cross the finish line on the mammoth high definition monitor beyond the finish line.

We passed time exploring the Olympic Village prior to the eagerly anticipated 7 pm men’s 10-meter platform preliminary diving competition. We bought trinkets at the Olympic mega-store, then Violet, the girls and I picnicked on the green with some delicious Big Mac meals before heading to the National Aquatics Center, popularly known as the Water Cube.

 It’s alive!!! The outer shell of the Cube consists of more than 10,000 interconnected Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE film) cells.  Up close inspection the Bird’s Nest is reflected in the individual cells, and if one looks even deeper I swear that you can observe its molecular structure. During daylight the position of the sun plays off of the four walls and individual cells in different and breathtaking ways. The Water Cube seems to be responding to your impressions of its magnificence.

The interior of the Water Cube doesn’t disappoint either. It is consistent with the ETFE cells, and not only because the walls are translucent. Various water elements seamlessly integrate the theme of flowing energy that permeates the entire building. The competition venue itself is much more than the racing and diving pools. From our vantage point in row one, level one, we were able to appreciate the sophisticated design elements and functionality that have received universal praise from the most important critics of all: the athletes.

As Bachman Turner Overdrive said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet”. Upon leaving the Water Cube on a dark, clear and breezy night it becomes obvious what the buzz is all about. The stadium beneath the Bird’s Nest silver shell explodes in deep, rich, red lighting. You literally have to stop for a moment to let the breathtaking sight register.  However, the crowning architectural achievement of Olympics is the Water Cube after dark. A beautiful rainbow of changing color pulsates and shimmers around the four walls giving the impression that the Water Cube is a living and breathing entity that has honored us with its presence so that we can delight in its wonder and surprise.

You can see it in the thousands of faces milling around Olympic Village at night. We are all sharing something special. I don’t know if it is the presence of world class athletic achievement, spectacular and meaningful architecture, the obvious emergence of China as world super-power or perhaps a combination of all of these things and more, but we are all witnesses to a special moment in time. Anyway, we had about 2-minutes to process all of this before Kelby broke away at walking race pace and announced that he had found the money spot for perfect pictures of the Bird’s Nest.

We caught up with him about 20 minutes later.  The stadium was beautiful but our Canon PowerShot cameras and marginal skills were not up to the challenge. Kelby reluctantly followed Violet, the girls and I back to the Water Cube, which beckoned with every pulsating change. Before we arrived he said that he was going to see if we could ride the elevator to the top of the Olympic tower. We didn’t see him again for 90-minutes, effectively anchoring all of us at a disadvantageous location. Alas, our Olympic finale was cut short. The girls and I did return to the Water Cube for a few minutes, and Eva did spend about 20-minutes there looking for Kelby, but to no avail. Eventually, sometime around midnight I returned to the apartment with the girls while E and V made one more lap around the village. Finally, at 12:17 a.m., I received an email from Violet saying that they had found Kelby and that he had been at the Water Cube all this time taking pictures of tourists so that they could maximize their Olympic experience. Go figure!!!