Yesterday the Olympics sucked me in. I was up till 2 watching the athletes and at times I was moved to tears. It was great.
I've always loved the Olympics. As a kindergartner I remember doing a fundraiser selling LA Olympics gear. I think I still have a little stuffed Olympic Eagle.
I was a swimmer--speed and synchronized. I loved watching those events. One year a Gold Medalist Synchro swimmer came to one of our events. To me, she seemed HUGE. She had survived the Olympics and came out on top. She was stunning. I remember marveling that she didn't get perfect 10's across the board. That was shocking to my 8 year-old eyes. Little-known fact about Synchro. In order to keep your hair in a perfect bun it must be covered in Knox Gelatin. When that dries, it's hard as a rock--you can knock on it. This swimmer amazed me because after her performance she came out with her hair beautiful. Later that day I washed my hair and I couldn't get all the knox out. It took weeks to get it all out of my hair. That athlete knew tricks!
I also got to go to the Junior Olympics. I think (again I was 8--its a little fuzzy) the competition was held at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs. That was fun. I didn't do great, but my big sister did awesome.
Later I loved being a part of the Salt Lake Olympics. Sadly, my two babies had a scary case of the flu and my Olympic tickets went to a friend. Still, the energy was palpable. I hope that someday they will return to SLC.
As a desert raised kid I loved the Summer Games. Now I enjoy the Winter Games a lot more. I was even drawn in to the Hungary/Canada Curling event last night at 1:30 am. (Maybe it was just tired brain that was entertained.)
What are your favorite events? What are your memories?
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I was up watching the Olympics as well. I love the ice skating. Of course, whenever I think of ice skating, fond memories of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan fill my mind.
ReplyDeleteKindness among competitors is always a refreshing thing to see.
As a little girl I loved the gymnast Nadia Comenichi. After watching her in the olympics I took gymnastic lessons, but alas, was too much of a scaredy cat and not nearly coordinated enough to go very far.
ReplyDeleteI love the olympics. I'm very patriotic and love to cheer for the U.S.A.
1984, sitting on my parents' water bed with my dad watching Mary Lou Retton take the gold medal in the Summer Olympics, all on a little black & white TV. I couldn't remember the exact details, so I just looked it up on her website. It gives me chills even now. :)
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