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Despite all the crass commercialism/the branding/the logos everywhere hawking everything/I still love the Olympics as much as I did when I was a kid. I was only 11/but I remember the 1972 Summer games when Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in swimming. It was amazing to watch. I don't think any Olympic athlete has won that many golds before or since. It actually made me proud to be an American. I've only ever felt that way a handful of times in my life. And even tho' he was an arrogant prick in front of the press/& even tho' he disappeared from public view soon afterwards/even I still remember his name & face/& the photos of him with all those gleaming medallions around his neck. There's something truly special abt watching all these young people/some of them not even old enough to drive/who have been in training since they were old enuf to walk/just to make it to this one event/to have a chance to measure themselves against the best in the world. The feeling I get from seeing them in action is something you can't get from pro sports. (And lord knows I have no use for sports atall.) Even the really absurd sports/like curling in the Winter games/are just such a kick to watch. It makes me feel like a world-class slacker becuz I've never come close to that level of excellence in anything & never will. And I rememeber when Arab terrorists masaccared several Israeli athletes at the '72 games. And how the whole world mourned/collectively/like one family. I know there's all sorts of b.s. behind the Games/the geopolitics & corp. sponsorship & sidedeals w/super-coaches like Bela Karoly/the countries where kids are branded at 5 or 6 as 'future Olympic athletes' & sent away from their families to spend a decade training 10 hrs.a day. on the govt's. dime/just so they can gave a shot at glorifying their nation. But when I see them compete/in solo events or as a team/it reminds me of what excellence really means. Even in a souless culture like America's/which only seems to celebrate plastic beauty or excessive vulgarity/extreme wealth or psycopathic violence/it's heartening to bear witness to genuine excellence & feel how much it uplifts the human spirit. It really makes you believe you can do damn near anything you're willing to commit yrself to... |
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i hear the Aussies are doing a great job so far. Shaming Atlanta, apparently. But I'm not surprised...as the city gov't in Atlanta is one of most corrupt. It was exciting, when it happened.I remember where i was when the bomb went off. I was at a gig, downtown, at Dotties about 3-4 miles away....we could hear it, as we were loading our equipment into the bar. We thought it was just some fireworks or something of the sort. We did get to see a soccer game, it was indeed exciting. Traffic was actually BETTER during the Olympics They had shuffled everyone on buses and trains and encouraged companies to let people take their vacations during the games. My aunt and uncle hosted a Swedish athlete's family. |
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award last night all I could think of was that if I won an award/race/thing and I had to sing the national anthem, I don't think I could. Do they get lessons? I can't remember mine at all - except God defend Neeeewww Zeeeaaaaland. And sometimes I go to put dirt by sea (that should be girt, but I always sang dirt) in it because I spent four primary school years in Australia and get my anthems mucked up. |
Now we're tied with some other countries for 32nd place. Goooooo New Zealand. *Disclaimer. This post was made in sarcasm. I'm allowed because its my own country. nah nah nah. |
Well, enjoy that 32nd place. |
Enjoy YOUR 32nd place. |
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good try though cat, how bout we do medals per average income..... |
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With an extra 250 million people, don't you think it would be reasonable to assume you have a greater advantage? |
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Cat, do you know when the finals for the 1500 metres are? |
Everyone's betting on Hicham El Guerrouj from Morrocco. He's the World record holder and hasn't been beaten over 1,500 metres in years. But who knows? Your mate may be just the person to do it. |
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