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04/03/2010

Tracey O'Halloran, host of the Local Government Challenge, on how the teams handled their second task in the quest to find the next generation of leadership talent in local government.

The Town that Wants a Team  - Watch the Challenge here!

Ever since the spectacle of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, I have been dreaming that Michael Phelps will turn up at my local swimming pool in his Speedos, that Usain Bolt will sprint past me on the way to the bus stop and that a Russian weight lifter might offer to carry my shopping home from Tesco (or at least some heavy household goods from B&Q).  In 2012 all of my dreams could come true. In less than a thousand days athletes from over 200 nations will be flocking to East London to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic games. All eyes, spectacles, binoculars, cameras and flashbulbs will be on the UK so it’s no surprise that Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council want to be a part of the action.

In the run up to the 2004 Athens Olympics, the British team trained in the sunshine of Cyprus to help the athletes acclimatise to the heat. In the months running up to the 2012 Games, we will return the favour when teams from around the world will come to the UK and learn to swim, sprint, cycle, wrestle and sail in the wind, rain, sleet, fog and even scorching sunshine. Already 600 leisure centres in the UK have been designated as official pre-training camps, but with more facilities than teams available to fill them, not every town will get to host the Brazilian beach volleyball squad.

Step forward our 10 contestants from the Local Government Challenge whose task this month was  to produce a 2 minute DVD promoting the Edge Leisure Centre in Waverley - which has been given official pre-games training status - and to develop ideas for at least one viable post-Games legacy that will benefit the local community and promote sport and health. This was not an easy challenge and as a professional film maker I was keen to see how well people with no prior film making experience would approach the task.

The contestants were given only a day to film and edit their DVD which even by professional standards is exceptionally ambitious. The Reds operated well as a team, allocating tasks, dividing their resources and utilizing the skills of their professional videographer. They had some novel ideas for their film and throughout the process seemed to be enjoying the creative experience; from setting up interviews to choosing music for their film. They gelled together as well as any professional film unit is supposed to, relying on the individual strengths of team members to bring it all together.

The Blues chose not to split their team so I think it was a case of too many cooks in the TV kitchen. Again, they had some great ideas but I’m not sure they orchestrated or articulated them as well as they could have and the videographer would have liked a bit more direction and a bit less bickering.

Both teams made some basic errors of film-making which you can see in the programme but I have seen people make far worse mistakes over the years. At least they didn’t lose the footage or forget to switch the record button on the camera during the interviews, and even I was impressed by what both teams managed to produce in such a short amount of time. I’m sure I’d struggle if we were to swap lives and I had to have a go at their day jobs.

I know both teams were ecstatic with their DVDs - and even the judging panel was impressed -  so I really hope that all the contestants enjoyed the challenge no matter how stressful it seemed to get at times. If ever there was a test to assess their creative, leadership and team-working skills then this was it.

Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council went to Olympic efforts to devise and host the challenge and if that’s the level of commitment they have towards the Olympic and Paralympic Games then I’m sure they will deliver a five star service to any overseas team; and if anyone spots Michael Phelps splashing around in their local leisure centre in his Speedos then please let me know.

Tracey O'Halloran

Local Government Channel Host

Producer, WebsEdge

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