The Olympics

I love the Olympics. I'm still not sure which I prefer, but every time the Olympic flag flies and the torch is lit, I am glued to the TV. And since they began putting info up Online, I've been glued to a computer getting the latest news.

I suppose it's because I can't help but envy the athletes and partially because I never got over the dream of being in the games. I know it'll never happen but damn it I've wanted to be a competitor since I saw Mary Lou Retton's famous win in 1984. That's the reason why I demanded to take gymnastics classes the following week. I stuck with it till the 8th grade when I discovered I was way too tall. Sad but ah well. The cool thing is that because of the training, I was able to be pretty successful in dance and track and field. But ultimately didn't make it very far as a track star. During tryouts for the UConn team, I discovered that a mere human running against gazelles just didn't fare too well. Dance was just for fun.

I suppose one of the things that draws me in is the drama. The underdog coming along to surprise everyone, the fight for gold, records being set and falling and of course, seeing how my countries fare. I normally root for the US and Korea (unless Korea is competing directly against the, US such as in speed skating). On the occasions that Puerto Rico competes, I of course root for them as well. The only exception has been for the ski jump. Since the Salt Lake games I've been rooting for Switzerland's Simon Ammann. I mean really, the dude has to be part flying squirrel. He's amazing. The fact that he's also been dubbed the Wizard and Harry Potter (because of his similarities to Harry) is also endearing.