August 2012

Another Olympic competition has come and gone. The closing ceremony will be on Sunday. We will say goodbye and thank you to the games, athletes, and to the city of London. It will be a new beginning for some, and an end of an era for others. We will say hello to the city of Rio de Janeiro.We have enjoyed watching the elite athletes of the world compete. The games have provided entertainment to those who simply like to watch a good rivalry, have challenged those who still love to participate in the fitness world, and have introduced a dream to those who are young enough to work towards an Olympic goal.While those of us who stayed here did not take part in the live Olympic experience, we’re hoping that those of you who did make the trek to London had the trip of a lifetime. And we’re hoping that you had a good restroom experience as well! Hopefully, London provided plenty of portable restroom trailers throughout the city to make things easier and more convenient for all. We’re looking forward to seeing how Rio uses their resources to provide a clean, safe, and pleasant portable restroom trailer experience for their incoming guests of 2016.See you in Rio!

I had the opportunity to attend a swim meet last weekend. It was loads of fun! People were everywhere…swimmers, parents, volunteers, and vendors. The atmosphere was relaxed, yet competitive. I think the Olympic spirit had overtaken the swimmers and was present in all! Each team had their own “home base” where the coaches were, and they had separate lanes in another pool for warm-ups. The swimmers also had their own locker rooms and bathrooms, separate from the rest of us. At first, I thought that having our own restrooms would be great since no little wet bodies would be running in and out, making it messy and slippery. But once I saw what we were working with, I was sorely disappointed! There were only two toilets in our restrooms. There was no air circulation, or paper towels, or soap. The toilets were stained and dirty, the sinks barely had any water flow, and you were hardly visible in the mirror. Yuck! Unfortunately, since it was so hot and humid, it was impossible to stop drinking water, which ultimately meant more visits to the bathroom. When it was over and we were on our way out, I noticed a familiar looking trailer over on the other side of the property. It was locked up. As we passed by, I slowed down to get a better look, and to my horror it was a portable restroom trailer that wasn’t being used! I couldn’t help but wonder why in the world they didn’t move the portable restroom trailer so that the guests could use it?!? I’m sure the portable restroom trailer would have won the gold for “best bathroom”!