Amazing Olympics - and I've gone through phases of watching them a lot or very little over the last 40 years. After graduating from college in 1984, I headed to Los Angeles with a fist full of tickets and three other young ladies. We drove from Cleveland, Ohio, to Los Angeles and back, and the memories have been flooding back to those Games back then. We were lucky to see many events including the first women's marathon - and cheered on the winner, Joan Benoit, all over the streets of LA. We also went to many track & field events at the LA Coliseum, a few soccer games at the Rose Bowl, several swimming & diving events held at the outdoor pool at USC, equestrian events at the Santa Anita Race Track, and much more. What a trip! One of the gals I went with to the 1984 Games texted me recently on whether we should attempt to go to LA 2028! I'm in if she is!
This weekend, in addition to visiting with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson, we played a bit of pickleball and watched the Olympics on their big, comfy couch (with Disco watching, too, or is she snoozing through the most exciting races?).
But.
Since the Paris Olympics started, I’ve been (sometimes…!!!) glued to the mesmerizing athletic competitions (and evenings like everyone else - in between my sewing projects and swimming laps at the pool since summer is still going strong). Better yet, I love watching sports I never or rarely watch. Take, for example, mixed doubles in archery, the trampoline and synchro trampoline, mixed doubles in table tennis, fencing, women’s rugby, handball, kayaking, badminton, and mountain biking. The competitors work just as hard as the mainstream sports, so getting airtime on primetime is fantastic., and much appreciated by fans all over the world.
When the Summer 1972 Munich Olympics aired on ABC, it was round-the-clock coverage. Honestly, it seems that the Paris Olympics are also taping everything, though not showing through the night. I remember my mom watching the most obscure sports all those years ago—through the night—and knowing the outcomes of the more watched competitions by the time we woke up. But, unlike watching and waiting through the never-ending commercials, today we have the capability of taping everything and motoring through each and every commercial. It has made, at least for me, watching everything so much more enjoyable. Plus, there is so much to see and cover each day.
If you are an Olympic watcher, I recommend checking out the fast-paced badminton matches. They are the fastest-moving games in any competition. At the matches, it’s rally scoring, with a winner declared after winning two out of three games.
The Olympic Games are filled with blood, sweat, tears, falls, chalk, sparkles, mud, water, and bandages, as well as the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!
What about Snoop Dogg? He's getting around to many of the athletes to cheer them on since not all of us could attend. What a twist on the fun!
bSoleille!
Terri
Photo: Free from Logowik
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