If you had asked me at the start of the year how I felt about this summer’s Olympics, I probably would have told you that I wasn’t all that bothered. With the exception of the hockey, I wouldn’t have thought I would have taken a look at much else. But…..how things have changed.  Even before the games started, the interest in the Cude household had almost reached fever pitch. From my children having learnt all about it at school, to the hockey npower big dribble that ran the length of the country, to the torch relay that visited Salisbury and stayed overnight…….all of this combined with the intensive media coverage has led, not just me, not just my kids, but also my wife to get excited and immersed in the big event itself. The entire Cude clan are now obsessed with the Olympics. My kids have taken to watching everything, amazed and in awe of the athletes (not just the British ones), and been captivated by some of the sports that they’ve never seen before. Most significantly in this category are Water Polo, Handball, Table Tennis, Rowing, Judo, Fencing and Weightlifting….! WOW! For me……obviously the hockey stands out. I’ve watched all of the GB men’s and ladies games, as well as any more, whenever I can. Events that I’ve found myself watching that I wouldn’t have thought I’d enjoy, are Table Tennis, Rowing, Cycling and Sailing. As for my wife, she seems as interested in all of it as I’ve ever seen her about any sport.  Every night we’ve stayed up well past 11pm, catching up on anything we’ve missed during the day. We all seemed to have reached the same conclusion as nearly everyone else…..Please can we have the Olympics every other month, and preferably in London.

In the build up to the Olympics, when it came to applying for tickets, because I was so disinterested, I only applied for a few tickets to watch the hockey, for which I was unsuccessful. ….and once I knew that, I never gave it another thought, just thinking that I’d watch it all on TV with my kids. Since the greatest show on Earth has started, I’ve seen friends on social media at the games, and found myself very envious. But, guess what? I’ve actually got a ticket to go. And not just any ticket. A ticket to see the men’s hockey bronze medal match. You can’t begin to know how excited I am. And it’s all due to a very wonderful person, and one of my best friends in the whole world, who phoned me up mid-afternoon on Monday, and very casually asked me if I’d like to go. Well………I did have to think for about a 1000th of a second, before shouting down the phone “YES PLEASE!” So, there it is. Olympic Park and Riverbank Arena, watch out……….Cude is coming for you!