Olympic-Mania

I say it with every one that comes every few years - I LOVE The Olympics!! I sit here watching the closing ceremony of the 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver and I love the opera singers, love the art production, love the very performance art-oriented preview of the next Sochi Winter Games in Russia, love the Visa commercials with voice-over provided by the eloquent Morgan Freeman, and love seeing the teary-eyed athletes. I even liked the uneven comedy at the end provided by (I come from a Trekkie family) Bill Shatner, Catherine O Hara (love her in Chris Guest movies) and of course, my beloved from my junior-high days: Michael J Fox. I am so proud of everyone involved - what a feat - what amazing strength and grace. Congratulations, to all the countries...

Where are the Pretty Ponies??

I am filing a major complaint with NBC network television as well as all the stations- - WHERE are the horse competitions???! I even am paying extra mula (a whopping $5) to our cable package to get the Olympics - and I have YET to see an equestrian event.

For those who know me - I grew up owning and competing my gray Arabian gelding, Torino, shared with my sister Sara. I am still a huge horsey fan and it is with major disappointment I haven't been able to view any events yet.

This year, especially - is noteworthy for the oldest-competing Olympian is an equestrian - Hoketsu, aged 67, from Japan - see picture above of him astride his mare, "Whisper." Hoketsu has played down the fuss about him competing at 67 although he has referred to himself as "the hope for old men". Work it out!

Also, the first professional black horseman, from Brazil is also competing - in this traditionally 'affluent white-man's sport'.

But aside from it all, is just the utter beauty of Dressage (rhymes with massage) - which is essentially ballet for horses. Admirably, my beau Patrick used to compete in Dressage on his horse, Sam, as a kid back in Ireland. Although I rode a good 10 years, I never got to learn this true art on horseback. It is extremely focused and difficult to train a horse in Dressage - and I adore watching it.

Aside from that is the show-jumping - another sport Patrick partook in, and the cross-country show jumping. Owning an Arabian breed of horse - they do not tend to be natural jumpers, such as Thoroughbreds, so my sister and I didn't partake much in these events but focused on what we and our horse were trained specifically in.

Still, I get a rush watching it on TV and can honestly remember and feel what it is like to have a massive animal underneath you that you somehow have earned its trust and respect so that he performs for you and with you. For a horse can show a man that, in comparison, he is very, very small and weak. It is amazing how well-trained and focused these animal athletes are!

WHERE ARE MY Olympic HORSE EVENTS?????!!!!

Youtube, I am praying you will be my salvation....

I heart The Olympics!!

Okay, okay - my college friend and fellow blogger, Heather, beat me to posting an Olympic blog. But I swear right here to her and all of you that I planned on all along blogging about my beloved every 4-year world sports event. (And, Heather, I also SWEAR that I always planned on using the very similar title - hahahah!)

Ahhh- the Olympics - where do I start? Well, there is the comment that my beau, Patrick, made on Sunday when announcing to me that we could spend the extra $5 to get the regular basic channel cable so that I could watch it these couple weeks. Oh ho ho - doesn't he sound so sweeettt, so thoughtful??? "You mean, for a lousy $5 and a quick phone call to the cable company I could have watched the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night???!!!!" I bellowed. I mean the man gets ShowTime seasonally in order to watch "Dexter" or, before that, "The Sopranos" - and after hearing me talk excitedly about the Olympics all summer he NOW tells me that we can pay a little extra to get NBC???? CHEEENGADDOOOOW!

So, yes, we NOW have NBC and I have since been taping day and night coverage - and LOVING IT! I don't understand how people don't get into the Olympics. Patrick and his daughter could care less - - and I informed them that for this 2 weeks they are going to have to share the TV with me. He he he. For my part, I can say that, to me the Olympics represents more than a major sporting event showcasing the best athletes in the World, but also world and cultural unity, and respect for one another's strengths and talents.

Since I can remember my huge family would gather around the TV to watch the Olympics. I am the least sporty of them all, along with my mom, but that wouldn't stop all of us from watching, cheering and crying through the soccer, swimming, track and field, gymnastics and the equestrian competitions for my horsey sister, Sara and I. Oh..yeah - the above are must-sees for us - but in reality, I will watch anything of the summer Olympics.

I told Patrick - "Every 4 years I essentially cry for an entire 2 weeks of TV coverage."

And oh, how it's true! I simply adore the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.(Coming from a theatrical and performing arts background - how can I NOT???) I can respect the amount of rehearsal time, people involved, choreographers, lighting directors, set designers, musicians, dancers, costumers, etc etc that it takes to pull off such a massive performance. I cry throughout the whole thing - and I love how the hosting city incorporates their particular culture and traditions into it.

Then I continue to cry and be fascinated by all the countries' marching entrance into the Stadium. I cry even more when I see the smaller or poorer countries who can only send 1, 2 maybe even 5 athletes and delegates as compared to the massive, almost obnoxious and entitled number of North Americans - sigh-.

Quick editor's note - to see more coverage of less stellar countries, tune in to spanish-language television channels - it's a whole different scene as they show bits of EVERYONE - stellar or not... :P

Ahhh, yes - I cry and cry and I am so moved by the beauty of the athlete's talents and determination and training motivation and then I cry more and more. Then I see the Medal Ceremonies and I see athlete's sing their national anthem and I cry even more. (By the way, I commented to Patrick last night watching superstar USA swimmer, Michael Phelps, not sing while bronze medalist American DID - that one should be ashamed to NOT sing or mouth the words of their respective anthem.) Although, Phelps is just winning so many and then jumping in the pool 20 minutes later for yet another race that I guess he is just not really taking it in like some others - phew! God Bless him...

I also totally cry when they do those human-interest stories on certain athletes coming from especially-difficult backgrounds. Those just kill me.

Also, Patrick can attest to my crying at several Coca Cola and Johnson and Johnson commercials featuring the more photogenic athletes with beautiful smiles. But the absolute best commercials hands-down this summer are the Morgan Freeman voice-over VISA commercials - - wahhhhhhhhhhhhhh so well-done and moving!!!

So, yes, the Olympics make me nostalgic for my youth and all my siblings being at home together and then doing gymnastics and horsey stuff in the yard and scoring each other. I even remember winning a gold medal at a horse show that took place during the Olympics in which they awarded it as 1st place instead of the normal trophy.

I think it would be a sad, sad day for me to ever not get excited and watch hours of the coverage and...you guessed it: cry some more tears of joy and respect. I simply cannot imagine it. And you can be sure that I will be watching my missed Opening Ceremonies on youtube, meanwhile!!!