Beyond Words

Queue

noun

A line of waiting people or vehicles.

Wimbledon has come and gone for another fortnight and year and this year’s tournament was especially special for me as I was blessed to attend a day of the famous tennis tournament with our daughter. It was so very special and made two Grand Slams that she and I have attended (Wimbledon and the French Open) and three that I have as I’ve also attended the U.S. Open. Pretty much I’m done though, as odds are I will never attend the Australian Open. But, that’s not why I’m here today. I’m here to talk about lines.

We in America do not like lines but the Brits; they kinda love them. In fact, one of their most famous lines is the reason Kristen and I were able to get into Wimbledon.

Wimbledon remains one of very few major sporting events where you can buy day of tickets but you need to be in the Queue. Yep; it even has a pretty name that basically means “line.” This is no ordinary line though, as we came to find out, but it was an extremely memorable one.

We’d heard about the Queue long before our trip and made plans to get in it. Our hotel wake-up call was 4 a.m. and we were on the grounds around 5 a.m. That’s when the fun began. So to speak.

No one told us that around 15,000 people are “in” the Queue on any given day and being that the iffy London weather was perfect that day and many big names were slated for matches, thousands actually showed up. Our official Queue numbers were in the 3,000s, which we were assured would get us in. Knowing this we waited. And waited. What we didn’t know is that you should bring blankets, baskets of food and drink, chairs, and even tents with you to the Queue. We also didn’t know we should plan on being in the Queue for around six hours. Yep; SIX hours. Since we didn’t get the supplies memo we, along with other fellow Queue rookies, were forced to stand in an almost two-hour line for food and drink and sit on large plastic trash (“rubbish”) can liners. (Note to The Queue: you may rule the queue game but you could learn a thing or two from American tailgates and include more food and beverage vendors along with some selling blankets, hats, and the likes. I guess that’s the American capitalistic way but the money that could be made!)

You may be thinking a line of people waiting to get in, but as the above photo shows, the Queue is actually a giant field of people sitting and standing for hours on end albeit in the most orderly and patient of ways. On our plastic “blanket,” we might as well have held a sign saying “Rednecks come to Wimbledon” but we survived, got in, and are forever grateful for the famous Wimbledon Queue.

What we’re not grateful for are the endless lines…or queues…that are as abundant in London as royalty, double-decker busses, and black taxis. Funny thing is, Brits actually like them. In fact, the average Brit is said to spend 47 days of their life queueing. And rest assured, in true British pragmatic fashion, queues are not ordinary lines. There are rules, they are orderly, and people willingly follow and act accordingly. No cuts. No saving spots. No complaining. In one queue we were instructed to stay to left of an imaginary line and in another everyone in line was told a wider queue was needed so we were instructed to spread out. All did so in the most mannerly of British manners style.

As Americans, we were a wee bit more hesitant but when in Rome. We obliged as we were endlessly instructed to go from one queue to another to another. Queue upon queue was the name of the game. It’s been said the British love a queue so much they’ll join a queue then ask what it’s for. This was somewhat proven when our friend Elizabeth, who lives in Windsor, told us the funny story of when she, her husband, and a group of friends started an imaginary queue while out somewhere and giggled as people randomly queued up behind them. LOL.

Queueing is just one of many things the Brits are know for doing and doing better than perhaps anywhere in the world. But why? What’s the story behind the queues?

Tracing their historical history is something that has been studied and researched, and most agree it goes back to the Industrial Revolution. During those early 19^th century years, the orderly queue was said to have been established to organize the masses of people moving in huge numbers from the countryside into towns as people were asked to queue up in a structured way to create order. Whatever the case, the notion of an orderly queue is still cherished today.

Americans on the other hand, we were told, are always ready while Brits don’t mind a wait. They’re not wrong. They’re also not alone.

Although Britian may have written the book on queues, it’s not the only place that utilizes them on a regular basis. The Japanese place enormous value on orderly queuing and in Thailand people sometimes place their shoes on the floor to mark their position in a queue while they rest. I’m not sure that would work in Britain and I’m pretty sure it would never work in the Wimbledon Queue.

Again, we cherished our time at Wimbledon and in England and will forever be grateful for The Queue. Just maybe not all the queues. Loved the experience though and this rule follower and lover of all things neat and tidy did actually appreciate the order. It’s as if that’s my cue to line up and buck up right on cue.