Ten On TuesdayThe Olympic Edition

Ten thoughts on the Winter Olympics. This list is random.

1. Every sport is on snow or ice. I know, not shocking, I just don't think I thought much about that before, but really. Snow. Ice. And the majority are on skis, skates or snowboards. Even Curling is on ice, which I suppose if it wasn't it would be called Bocce.
2. Speaking of Curling, I always feel like something is just missing from the arena and I'm pretty sure it's the kegs of Molson sitting on the side next to a stack of red solo cups.  The ice would keep the beer at the perfect temperature and like Bocce, it is probably best played at parties with libations.
3. Speaking of Molson, free beer to Canadian athletes. There is a refrigerator that can only be opened by a chip in their passports. It's good to be a Canadian, eh?
4. Thailand has two athletes this year. I am of two minds. On the one hand, Yay! Countries have dedicated athletes and it is fun to see their spirit even if they can't compete with the top athletes. I think it is great that a young musician isn't so chained to her instrument that she has no other life and I loved Nagvajara's story. He expected to finish last and ended up finishing second to last, the winner of the race hanging around to shake his hand as he crossed the finish line. Or my favorite story comes from Men's Figure Skating. Michael Christian Martinez (another story) is largely self-taught and has had to raise a lot of money to follow the dream that started watching figure skating on televsion. Even without benefit of full time coaching and has some serious talent that might be great with proper guidance.  Sometimes though, because you have money, have spent a majority of your life in a place where you can engage in sports as a hobby that are not available to you in your home country you can just sort of sign up. With some sports there aren't qualifying times that you need to meet, every country can enter one athlete in some sports. Hmmm.... So while I don't know this couple's entire back story and I may be jumping to conclusions, I think wealth and privilege prompted them to go to the Olympics as athletes for a country they have adopted as their own. Convenient that there are no other cross-country skiers to compete with for the two spots. All that said, I wouldn't wish the experience they have had on anyone. (Of course I could be way off base, this is just the way the cynical part of my my mind occasionally rears its head.)
5. The Jamaican bobsledders? In a league all their own and the winter Olympics would not be the same without their personalities.
6. If the NHL season has to be interrupted at least there is Olympic Hockey which, in my mind, is starting to seem a little bit like Olympic Basketball. Not entirely because well, it is HOCKEY after all and the players are entirely different, no matter how great they are. And yet, the teams are filled with professionals, many from the NHL. It is a far cry from 1980 when a bunch of college students went and beat the Russians. There will never again be the "Miracle on Ice". I wish the commentators would just let.it.GO!
7. All this Olympic viewing is seriously cutting in to my reading/book listening time. I have some serious catching up to do.
8. Did you catch it? When Bob Costas returned to prime time after his eye infection he started off with something like, "...I'm Bob Costas stepping in for my colleagues Matt Lauer and Merideth Vierra...." Touche, Mr. Costas.
9. I'm sometimes happiest seeing the athletes that are over the moon at winning a bronze medal. (Weird, I'm not even kidding I just made this face unintentionally. No word of a lie.)
10. I love the commercials that show the athlete in reverse time ending up with their first time on skates or down a slide or whatever. So cute.
11. (Okay, one more, I'm having trouble editing) Watching out for what Johnny Weir is going to wear is as much fun as almost anything else. I wish Tara Lipinski would stop dressing like she has a closing and three houses to show after she leaves the ice arena....
12. (Okay, ONE more) I love ice dancing. I love the American competitors (every one of them) and the Canadians. And the French. (The Little Prince! with his rose...) I watched some of the coverage online with the Australian commentators and they could do little to hide their contempt for Davis and White. They practically (what I want to say is kinda crude so if you can figure it out from C.I.T.P then goody for you) over Virtue and Moir. When they tried really hard to find something wrong with the performance of D&W, and they were digging deep, and couldn't find it they (really she) would comment on how it didn't have the sparkle or some such. Whatever. Then I heard about a scandal and googled something about ice dancing being fixed at the Olympics and it all made sense. Too bad these beautiful young people cannot have the unanimous opinion that their medals were well earned. I have my opinons on the scoring of both couples (some too low, some too high), but then again, WTF do I know about ice dancing?

Twelve. What Winter Olympic sport would you try it you could do it all over again? Me? In no particular order: Snowboard Cross, Ice Dancing, Curling (all that concentration and physics and brain work! And for sure beer.... Plenty of beer) (I know, I can't eat wheat and I as a rule do not drink beer because-wheat. It just seems fun, that's all), and Biathlon (I just love it when they take their stance to shoot at the targets. So cool!)

Comments

[Mary Lu]

Why is it that Ireland doesn't have any athletes? or do they? If I could compete I would love to ride on a skeleton or luge or bobsled (any one of those to feel the speed and G force). 2nd choice Super G skiing, again I want to experience the speed and to be in control the whole time and make it down alive.)
3rd choice, Pairs skating where my partner lifts me in the air and throws me and I land perfectly.

[margene]

You put your heart and soul into watching the Olympics. You would have been an awesome Olympic athlete!! I want to be an aerialist!

[Laurie]

Really liked your links to backstories. I would be a biathelete. None of that crazy 85 mph downhill for me.

[Helen]

You did see that the 'skip' for the US men's curling team is a manager of a restaurant/pub in Duluth, MN. Of course! I think every tavern in Wisconsin (and probably Michigan and Minnesota) have a curling rink outside in winter. I don't think you can do curling with out the beer... and during at least one time out (I think it was the Danes) I swear the men were really discussing wrapping up the game win or lose so they wouldn't lose their spots at the bar. lol
I don't think even in my prime I could begin to compete (even with the hours) with any of these people. They deserve their spot in the sun, win or lose.

[Kym]

Oh, I would do snowboardcross! Fast, flying fun -- AND you can see your competitors. Love it. Or I'd play hockey. (Also . . . my husband is a curler. Beer is ALWAYS involved.)

[Carole]

I think I'd try ski jumping. It looks like flying!

[Helen]

Another thought I had this winter olympics...the only real 'contact' sport in the winter olympics is Hockey...or am I wrong? Some you might have contact, ice dancing, or accidental bumping in some of the newer skiing events, but no purposeful contact.

[Patty]

That was a great post! You've made me wish I'd watched more! And my sport would be bobsledding, I'd love to go that fast.