Let the Games Begin

[puppetmaker]

I am looking forward to the Olympics. I have always enjoyed the Olympics even as a kid. Now with cable TV one can watch the Olympics 24/7. I do like that the more obscure or less commercial sports will be broadcast if you want to watch them. I like fencing a lot. It was the one thing I saw at the Atlanta Olympic Games. I saw the women’s semi finals. I fenced in college and loved it. It is something I wished I had kept up with but didn’t. There is something about the Olympics that is hard to describe. The whole world (OK almost the whole world) competes with each other for honor and medals. I remember as a kid that the medal count was very important especially when the USSR existed as did the Eastern Block countries. We could prove we were better because we have better athletes. I also remember all the talk about how the Soviet block countries amateurs weren’t really amateurs. Getting ready for the Olympics and other competitions was all that they did where our athletes were really amateurs and not getting paid for any of their training.

Overtime some of the “sports” that have joined are just weird. Trampoline is now an Olympic sport. Ribbon Twirling is an Olympic sport (Yes, I know it had another name Rhythmic Gymnastics but it is frelling ribbon twirling). Tug of War use to be an Olympic sport but I think that harkens back to the vases depicting the games. I am glad that the Martial Arts are represented now. I am surprised the skateboarding hasn’t made it yet considering all the other extreme sports that made it into the winter Olympics.

Let the Games Begin.

Comments

[wide_worlds_joy]

I agree that the unwatched sports are the best, like Archery, Fencing, Judo and Karate, Sharpshooting, and so on. I mean I like swimming just as much as the next, but do we really have to have a whole night devoted to just the water sports? At least show me the highlights of the Judo competition, and the Fencing competition and so on. Normally they just go "and in Women's Fencing, soandso won." and that's it.

Ticks me off.