Olympics Viewing

I am an Olympics nut.

It all goes back to when I was a little girl.  The first Olympics I can actually remember was 1988 Calgary - specifically watching the figure skating.  I just thought Katerina Witt was so beautiful.  And I really loved watching the men, too.  That was the age of the "two Brians", and of course, the ever-present Russian, who at the time was Victor Petrenko.

I was a big fan of the splitting of Summer/Winter games, making the Olympics a biennial event - more Olympics for me, thank you very much!

I think my first real summer memory may have been the 1996 Women's Gymnastics team, you know, Kerri Strug's vault and the gold medal.  I've also always loved to swim, and therefore loved to watch swimming.  And of course, track and field.

Every 4, and later 2, years when the Olympics would approach, my Dad would check the VCR to make sure the recording feature was working, and we'd record all day long.  You had to record poorer quality back in the day to get a whole day on a tape, so that's what we did, and I didn't care because I'd keep watching those videos over and over until the next Olympics, when we'd record over them.  When we were cleaning out my parents' Farm for them to move, there was still a set from the last Olympics before I left home - must have been the 1998 Winter.

I cheer with the awesome.  I cry with the awesome and the sad.  I willingly get sucked in.  I remember where I was when Phelps out-touched Cavic (at an Astros game - we went into the store where they had it on TV during the game and stood around yelling with about 50 other people.  It was SO exciting!).  I love the movie Miracle.  And Cutting Edge.  And I love the real Olympics even more.

This Olympics, I wasn't sure exactly how it was going to work with Z around - I mean, I can't just vegetate in front of the TV for 3 weeks, getting up only to sleep and go to work.  But I've still been able to watch the prime time bits (recorded and watched without commercials the next night to speed things up, and also fast forwarding through things like entire volleyball/basketball/soccer games, because I simply don't have time), and I have it on in the background all day during the weekend.  Zoë knows what diving looks like, and cheers when they dive.  She also knows swimming, jumping (gymnastics), cycling, and running.  She liked the ball in volleyball.  She mostly plays while we watch, and I feel like kind of a crappy parent, but other than the Olympics, we never have the TV on while she is awake.  So I console myself that this is temporary.  And she's learning what the various sports look like and seems interested.  So it is educational.  Right?

I love the Olympics!