Posted by Helen on: 08.18.2008 /
I’ve been enjoying watching the Olympics.
I don’t usually watch much sports but it’s fun seeing various activities done the best they can possibly be done. Yesterday the womens table tennis made us laugh and wonder if it was sped up because it was so fast. The meticulous timing and control and artistry in the diving and gymnastics is amazing. And the elegance as the swimmers streak through the water and turn without missing a beat. I couldn’t believe how long the female marathon winner kept running after she was finished, waving to the audience. And I enjoyed watching Shelly-Ann Fraser win the 100 metres because she looked like she was having so much fun.
I like seeing participants congratulate those competing against them - that seems like great sportsmanship (or sportswomanship?). I’m glad to see a lot of that happening.
I’m not sure whether the Olympics makes the world a better place. It certainly costs a lot of money, which could be used for other purposes, but that could be said of many things. Perhaps it’s good whenever countries are able to engage in activities involving friendly rather than unfriendly rivalry.
Comment by: Leo
1 08/18/08 8:10 AM | Comment Link |Talking of speed…saw the badmitton qualifing…so deceptive! It looks as if the shuttlecock is gently floating through the air…but one commentator mentioned it moves at a blinding 200MPH! And their reactions! Wow…
Comment by: Randy
2 08/18/08 8:49 AM | Comment Link |I think it’s worth the money, if only because (as our friend Jim Henderson likes to say) “The rules change when you like someone.”
Putting names and faces to individual people makes it harder to simply categorize groups of people (Asians, Russians, Mexicans; gay, lesbian, female, male, Greek, Jew…you get the idea). When athletes compete against one another, they get to know their competition pretty well. We who watch them feel like we get to know them, too.
And I think that helps keep us from more killing and more hatred and more racism than we usually experience in the world.
Just my opinion…
Comment by: Helen
3 08/18/08 9:51 AM | Comment Link |Thanks for your comment Leo. We saw some amazing badminton too.
Randy, great point.
Comment by: Julie Marie
4 08/20/08 8:17 PM | Comment Link |I’ve watched bits here and there and really enjoyed them. I watched the women’s marathon too- and agree,it looks like the winner had another half marathon in her! I was really moved by watching the American, clearly hurting, finish the race. Marathons are physical yes, but I think they must be even more mental–no BODY wants to run 26 miles, and especially if it is an injured body. That is the triumph of mind and will over nature. It got me and my sister all choked up. Our kids were looking at us like we’d lost our minds, crying over runners on TV. They are too young to understand the emotional impact of seeing someone give everything they have, and then reach down and pull more out of nowhere in order to finish what they’ve started. But that gets me every time.
Comment by: Helen
5 08/21/08 8:16 AM | Comment Link |I saw the American marathon runner finish too and was moved. It’s hard to watch someone in pain.
Have you seen the VISA Olympics ad where the father helps the injured son to the finish line? That moves me too.
Peoples dreams’ are made or shattered breathtakingly quickly in the Olympics. I have no idea how some of them perform well under pressure. I’m sure I’d go to pieces. When my children perform music I’m amazed they do so well at that - again I think I’d go to pieces with nerves and mess up all the hard parts. But they usually nail them.