good sports

I usually just pay attention to the opening and closing ceremonies, but this time around I think I saw more of the Olympics than I can ever remember. I've heard more talk about the games among my friends too. There has been a lot of real interest, and it has actually been pretty exciting. The folks in Beijing absolutely blew me and the rest of the world away with the way they hosted the nations. And that opening party!!!

How in the world they did some of that stuff is completely baffling. People were dancing on their heads in mid air without strings or upside down hair. Stuff just appeared out of no where, and not little stuff either. I'm talking five story buildings just popped up out of the earth that just happened to be a stadium floor sized hi-def TV screen. I forget how many billions of dollars I heard they spent on it, but man, it was impressive. Good luck London.

There was the obligatory Chinese deception of course, the computer generated fireworks, and the pretty little girl who pretended to sing during the opening ceremony while the real talent was hidden away. This from the country whose philosophy preaches that there be no social divisions. Then there were the reported underage Chinese gymnasts. I say if a twelve year old can compete against other older athletes and still win gold they probably deserve those medals. Still, playing by the rules is only fair and right. Then again, we send millionaire pro basketball players to an amateur sporting event and run over the competition. Did you know that the US Olympic Committee actually pays athletes for each medal they win? Gold = $25,000. Silver = $15,000. Bronze = $10,000. There are also scholarships and health insurance and other things. Even non-pro sports are big business.

I've watched more athletic events these past few days than I'll usually watch in a year - outside of Kentucky football and basketball. It's hard to find a good water polo match on TV. Unless you keep ESPN on 24/7 you usually don't get to see table tennis and synchronized swimming which I think is the most fascinating thing in the world. There ya have eight ladies literally suspended in water that is remarkably like the kind I sink in - even when I'm holding lungs full of air. They bob up and down, twirl, flip, do somersaults, and swim on their heads in perfectly synchronized form. They float flawlessly and they're NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL!! It's like magic.

Tyson Gay has been called the fastest man in the world. That's saying something. And since he's from Lexington we were especially excited about his prospects in China. Things didn't go so well though. A series of mishaps and injuries leading up to and during the games sorta left us all disappointed. Elaine Breeden was another Lexingtonian in the Orient for the games. She came home with a silver medal for being on the US women's swimming team that came in second in the 4 by 100 medley relay. She didn't swim in the final, but gosh, being on the team and getting there was no small accomplishment. I'd be awfully proud of her if she were mine.

The big news for most of the US was Michael Phelps. I don't think I've ever screamed and cheered for a swimmer before. The race he barely won was exhausting for me. I didn't breath the whole time he was in the water. I almost drowned on my couch. Then his last race as part of the relay team was just as dangerous. All by myself in the middle of the living room floor I pounded the carpet, gritted my teeth, pulled my hair and closed one eye while they backstroked, breaststroked, butterflied and freestyled to the finish line. It felt like we, er they swam for hours. I had my congressman on hold in case I needed to file a protest or something. Our boys won so I just thanked him for his service and hung up. I was too exhausted to even celebrate when the thing was done. Whew!

I heard today that gym memberships have been up lately. Whoever knows such things tells reporters that it's because of the Olympic games, more specifically Olympic athletes. I'm not gonna pretend I can run, jump, swim, flip, hit, kick, box, lift, balance, dance, throw or endure like a lifelong trained athlete. You'll find me on a milk carton before I make the Wheaties box. But I'm awfully proud of the young men and women who've found their dream and made it their life's goal to pursue excellence. It doesn't come cheap, and the sacrifice is great. That's the part I hope to resemble for myself and encourage in others. I hope that's what it means to be a good sport.