London Olympics 2012

The past two weeks I think my tv has been working in overdrive. I cannot get enough of the Olympics. As a former high school athlete, with little to no competition left in my life, I ache for sports. The Brewers have not been helping my cause this season, so the Olympics brought some much needed excitement. I decided to wait until almost the end to share my thoughts. I have a list of observations/questions that I've compiled for the past two weeks.

1. I do not enjoy watching diving. I just cannot stomach people diving so close to a concrete platform, or the occasional glimpse of a butt crack because God forbid they added an inch more of swimsuit. Would more swimsuit ruin the dive? Do they have to be so tiny?

2. If you made it to the Olympics for archery, how do you not hit a bulls eye every time? I mean you are supposed to be the best in the world. I play darts with people at a bar who can hit the bulls eye non-stop. Shouldn't Olympiads be able to always hit it? Do they have flying objects in front of the board?

3. Gymnastics. This is one of my favorite events by far and the only time I really see any gymnastics. I remember going to a college meet and thinking to myself "this isn't what it looks like on the Olympics". Those women/men are so good it's ridiculous. However I do have some questions...1)who came up with the pommel (sp?) horse? 2)Why do all gymnasts have tiny voices? 3) How do they make deductions? I mean that vault by USA was AMAZING but she lost points...how??? 4)How many of those athletes have arthritis/severe knee problems today???

4. Soccer/Water Polo/Basketball.....I am tired of the flopping!! I don't get soccer. I never played it, and I only watch it during the World Cup and Olympics because there is just not enough scoring for my taste and too much acting. I have never seen so many grown men and women fall and complain and then get up and sprint down the field. LAME. I noticed the same thing in water polo. They always look like they are faking a foul. Buck up and take it for the team. Unless you have a torn ligament, broken bone, or dislocation stop laying on the ground.

5. Water polo....One other note here. What is with the wedgies on all of women? I mean are the swimsuits made to ride up their butts? Personally, I could never play water polo because I can tread water for about three minutes and then I get tired, but the swimsuit alone would drive me bananas. Is that how they are supposed to fit?

6. Kayaking...Props to these people. I was impressed watching this event and realize I would never have the guts to try an event where it is possible to tip over and ride upside down for some period of time. No thank you.

7. Tennis. I saw a lot of great matches, but NO ONE dominated like Serena. She was on fire. It was embarrassing for anyone who played her because she was in the zone. Congrats to Andy Murray. Did anyone else think it looked like Federer gave up or was it just me? He just looked like he wasn't in it. And....how is Roddick still a pro? I have backed him for years, but I am losing faith. He just doesn't look very good. Maybe he should have kept Mandy Moore around.

8. Dumbest rules....Only two can compete from a country. Isn't the idea of of the Olympics for the best to beat the best?? If so, then the best should qualify.  If your country doesn't get represented, then you should train harder. False starts. I ran track in high school and your nerves are ridiculous. All the pressure is on you and a great start is HUGE in sprints. I don't like the new rule. I know it didn't really affect anyone but I still don't like the change. (The USA runner who got knocked down should have been given a second chance...so sad :o( )

9. Events I just couldn't get into...No matter how hard I tried some events just couldn't pique my interest. Dressage, Boxing (I saw enough fights when I taught in MPS), Table Tennis, Weightlifting, rowing, Shooting (Could anyone even see the clay figures? I never could), Rhythmic Gymnastics, Cycling, and Marathon. Those are just some that quickly lost my attention.

10. Favorite Sport. Volleyball. I cannot get enough of volleyball. I don't care what country is playing, who is playing, where they are playing. I love watching volleyball. Those people hit the ball so hard it is amazing. My personal favorite is Destiny Hooker. Man that girl can pound a kill. If you haven't caught a USA indoor match, you should! Next Olympics I think there should be a volleyball channel. I would watch it all day long.

All in all, this was a phenomenal 2 weeks of television even though I have many gripes with how poorly NBC covered the games. Fingers crossed that ABC gets it next time so my Good Morning America crew can host. GO USA!!