Heidi Anderson - Javelin

This morning we broke up into groups to go on a “scavenger hunt” to find the locations of where we will be volunteering at for the next few days.  Evan, Solera, and I together found Olympiaplein quite easily, reassuring me that getting to the all the volunteer locations won’t result in wandering around lost in Amsterdam.

Because we found our location and returned to the hotel before the rest of the groups, Evan and I went to the gym down the street.  Fun fact: learn how to convert kilometers/hour to miles/hour before using a treadmill in a foreign country.

A small group of us then did the Heineken Experience.  Being from Milwaukee I was expecting it to be similar to all the brewery tours I’ve been on there but boy was I wrong.  Aside from the standard tour of how they make their beer there were games to play, rugby scrum simulator, 4D “brew you” experience, and many more activities along the way.  Gerard Heineken founded the Heineken Company in 1864.  Years after, in 1886, Dr. H. Elion discovered Heineken’s signature “A” yeast that is used in the brewing process.  “A” yeast is the secret ingredient in all Heineken products and is only found in the Netherlands, making Heineken unlike any other product.

We attended the opening ceremonies for the European Athletic Championship, watching athletes representing each country process into the square carrying their flags proudly.  Later today we will attend volunteer training to prepare for the following days.

One of the events of the European Athletic Championship is the javelin throw.  The javelin throw has been incorporated in elite track competitions since the Olympic games of 708BC, with its roots coming from the use of spears for hunting and warfare.  The distance the javelin travels is dependent on the height, angle, and speed of the javelin release.  The distance is measured in meters and must land within a 29-degree sector.  The world record holders for men and women are Jan Zelezny from the Czech Republic at 98.48 meters and Barbora Spotakova from the Czech Republic at 72.28 meters respectively.  The favorites at the European Athletic Championship for mens is Thomas Rohler (Germany) and womens is Katharina Molitor (Germany).

Everyone is ready and excited to volunteer the next few days!