Double Olympian triathlete Kate Roberts gets ready to perform at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Representing South Africa at a Commonwealth and Olympic Games is definitely a significant and special moment in any athletes sporting career.
For some, winning a medal can alter their entire life and they will forever be remembered for their outstanding performance.
For others these changes may be less significant but they will definitely return home with amazing memories, great stories and loads of photos to share.
My first experience of a major Games were the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and it was an eye opening experience for me.
The athletes village, from the outside with high fences and armed guards looks more like a prison but behind these fences, walk the super athletes for the next two weeks.
These athletes can be divided into two categories. The medal contenders or favourites and the rest who will battle hard but know deep down, that they are realistically not going to win or get anywhere near a medal. These are normally the athletes who enjoy taking in and soaking up the entire experience.
Everyone in the village will be sharing a twin bedded room with bathrooms provided on a ratio of one bathroom to four occupants. Shopping, laundry and other services will be available as well as a wide range of leisure and recreational activities for the athletes to enjoy.
Everywhere in the village, everything is dangerously for free and having being taught that you have to pay for most things for the first 25 or so years of your life, when you
suddenly don’t have to pay for anything, it does feel rather strange.
This effect of everything being free, is crazily addictive and despite the many warnings from coaches and team managers, athletes cannot help but get over excited. The word ‘free’ can be most dangerous in the food hall where you have 24 hour day access and an unlimited choice of cuisine.
But the best thing about the village, even better than the famous people, free food and free stuff is the amazing variety of human kind. These are all supremely fit athletes and the atmosphere and vibe is electric and something completely out of this world.
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