Olympics

I love the Olympics. I have immensely enjoyed the past 2 weeks watching all the different sports, some incredible, some peculiar. (Speed Walking? What's that all about?) I will miss them dearly. So here are my thoughts on the last two weeks of the Olympics.

First off, I love swimming, always have. So I'm especially happy during the Olympics because this is basically the only time swimming can be found broadcast in the US. And what more can be said about Michael Phelps? The man is a machine, no better yet he truly is a fish. Forget those commercials stating the opposite. He doesn't have flippers? Excuse me have you seen his feet? This man is incredible in the water and what he accomplished this Olympics, well, there are no adjectives that can properly describe what he did. The 200 Butterfly where he won by .01? There are just no words for that race. Everyone watching was certain he had come in second. I was stunned to see the replay. That was one of the best races I've ever seen. A close second was the Men's 4X100 Freestyle. That comeback by Jason Lezak was incredible. I actually woke J.R. up because I was yelling at the TV, something I never ever do. :)

Then there is gymnastics. I have to say this was probably one of the low points in the Olympics. I enjoy watching it. I, however, do not enjoy watching anyone get cheated out of anything. The US Women were cheated out of many things throughout this Olympics. It was so sad to watch. It just goes to show you how corrupt the judging process is within gymnastics. It is more of a popularity contest than a true show of who is the best competitor. Don't get me wrong, the Chinese women did a fantastic job. But I don't think anyone truly believes they were eligible to compete. Secondly, when the Chinese girl who FELL ON HER KNEES received the bronze medal over Alicia Sacramone, well that was just sad.

And to prove there is a sport that contains judging and is still fair there is diving. I love diving. It's probably only second to watching swimming. What can I say? I love the water. The Chinese were absolutely amazing during all the diving competitions. They really did deserve all 7 golds. Yet as I watched that last competition with J.R., Matthew Mitcham came up and was incredible. After that first dive they showed (I can't remember if they showed him every round), wow, I turned to J.R. and said, "Wouldn't it be amazing if he upset the Chinese?" Now I have nothing against the Chinese or any other country (despite my frustration with their results in gymnastics). I just like cheering for the underdog. So I was stunned when he upset the Chinese and won the gold medal. It was incredible.

I also enjoyed watching Misty May and Kerri Walsh win the gold. I have always loved volleyball. It amazes me how easily they move through the sand. I even watched some water polo and track. As we don't have cable we weren't able to watch the coverage of everything. My dad did show me some speed walking. I'm sorry but that is just a silly sport.

The opening ceremony was absolutely incredible (ok I'm using that word way too much but I can't help it. Where's a thesaurus when I need one.) The sheer manpower it took to accomplish that was stunning. I didn't watch as much of the Closing Ceremony as I would like. I did watch the British portion of it. I was very disappointed. It was very "Americanized." It seems America's idea of entertainment is to throw some celebrities in and there you go. The people will love it because they are getting a glimpse of celebrities they love. Yeah that might have come across as entertainment when I was a teenager, but no more. It's pointless and boring. Not to mention that the older I get the less I know who they are throwing up there to be as entertainment. Oh well.

Well, there is my not so original thoughts about the Olympics this year. I know most won't be too interested in reading my thoughts on the matter. I just love the Olympics and wanted to preserve my thoughts about them this year. What good is a blog if I can't do that? :)