the olympics

i'm not an athlete, and i never have been. actually, the only sports i've ever played were tennis (which lasted from about 2002-2005), figure skating (i only took lessons when i was a really little kid), and soccer (2002-2004). but every time the olympics roll around, i'm extremely interested in them. my first conscious memory of being interested in the olympics started back in 2002, when the utah winter olympics were held. i still had an immense appreciation for figure skating. so i would watch every event, and dream about one day being an olympic skater. skip to the 2004 summer olympics in athens. i especially felt a bond with these olympics seeing as i had been to athens for the first time in 2000, i had developed an interest in european fútbol, and had done gymnastics for the first (and last) year in 2003. so carly patterson, naturally, was my hero. i dreamed about being an olympic gymnast. and while it would be a tad weird for me to still be interested in those sports, even though i don't play any of them now, i learned a whole lot from watching the olympics. it astounded me that people could be so good at sports, people who weren't already household names like david beckham and mia hamm and michelle kwan. that, and whenever an athlete won gold, they would be so proud and their country would be so proud of them, and their anthem would be played and all the work they put into whatever their sport was, would have paid off, because this is what they worked for.

after the athens olympics, i lost interest in the athletes and the winter olympics, until now. i've been faithfully watching every sport that interests me this olympics: swimming (of course, michael phelps also blew my mind in the 2004 olympics), gymnastics, track, even beach volleyball and synchronized diving! just because it's fascinating to see their dreams come true, whether it be being at the olympics, or winning a medal. or even if their dreams don't come true, their reaction and the sportsmanship people show and all, is just so interesting. and i've learned that the sports are interesting, too! i still don't care much for softball or baseball or really even basketball, but most of the other sports are so great to watch. i've learned so much from watching them, i now can tell when people do a really great job, a mediocre job, or if they fail miserably, which makes me seem sports-wise, ha. i can also interpret the gymnastic scoring system (which i've decided i hate), i can tell you who won certain track events, when kerri walsh and misty may were last defeated, and who guo jingjing is. so that's what's been taking up my time lately. i've been watching the olympics. and hey, i've just recently started really enjoying running, maybe i'll one day be fast enough to compete. (kidding)