One Woman's View of the Olympics

Well the Olympics ended Sunday and I have to say that I truly enjoyed them. While I'm not typically a sports fan I've always enjoyed both the winter and summer games.

My favorite part is and always will be the opening ceremony. The pageantry of it all amazes me and this year was no exception. From the moment they started the count down in lights I knew it was going to be spectacular. The synchronism of the drummers the glimpses of different parts of Chinese history and the children dressed in the traditional costumes of the different ethnicities. But for me one of the burning questions is always who is going to light the torch, but i realized this year I didn't know the names of any Chinese athletes but him running around the top of the stadium was enough to make it wonderful for me.

Another thing I like about the games is the exposure to sports I don't get to see all the time. Back in college I was amazed to see the badminton class running laps as a warm up. It seemed like a bit much, but to see badminton on an Olympic level made me understand their need for conditioning. I also watched some of the group rhythmic gymnastics Now a few years ago when I saw them dancing with the ribbons I thought it looked a little silly, but to see one woman throw a hoop, bounce it off the foot of another in mid cartwheel and a third one catch it was just amazing.

I also watched a little field hockey, but my husband said their posture looked funny and he didn't care to watch. I'd never heard of handball before but it looked like a modified version of football. One thing I do know is that I've seen enough Volley ball to last me four years. Not to diminish the three gold and one silver that the US won in both indoor and beach Volley ball. But I've never cared for the sport and it seemed like every time I turned on the TV it was on.

To me the thing I love about the Olympics is watching a life time of training get summed up in less than a minute of competition. Sports like track and field, or swimming when it all comes down to one throw, run or swim. To me that is what it is all about, the athletes. There are far more sad stories than stories of victory. Politics aside who what country won more medals aside I love the determination it took for the athletes to get there. That is what the Olympics mean to me.