Go for the Gold!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Olympics time!

Oh, how I love the Olympics. When I was about 12 years old, I got really really really into figure skating. I could tell you the difference between a triple toe flip and triple lutz (tooooe pick!) - I even saved the pullout cheat sheet from TIME magazine.

I was there for the 1992 Olympics, I was there for the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan lead pipe incident (way more interesting than OJ's trial), and I was there in 1994 when a teenage Oksana Baiul bent in half and beat shoo-in Nancy for the gold and sobbed her little orphan heart out. I even watched the men... I knew what Brian Boitano would do. I even poured my little 13 year old heart out in a two page letter to Kristy Yamaguchi - and got a hand signed photo - Always Dream! - sent directly to me! It was framed on my bedside table for years.

Now, the picture and crappy frame are packed away neatly in a box of treasures in my closet. I still like to watch figure skating when it's on, but it's not nearly the obsession is was 15 years (eek!) ago.

On to 2008 Beijing, and I realize my love for the Olympics has never died. If anything, I watch them more obsessively with each passing (two) years. It may be cliche, but there is so much bad news every day, and as the world gets more and more evil, it's a wonderful thing to watch the entire world celebrate together.

Also, I have realized that, oddly, I much prefer the Summer Olympics now. I still watch ice anything in the winter - hockey, dancing, pairs, singles, mens, womens, etc. - beyond that, not much holds my interest. But Summer is swimming, beach volleyball, gymnatics, synchronized diving... I haven't slept since Friday.

Every night, from 8am to nearly midnight, for the past 4 days I sit at my TV screen absolutely entranced. Really, did you see the Opening Ceremonies? Phenomenal. The best performance of anything. Ever. 15,000 extras in LED suits, people running on walls, more fireworks than anyplace ever... truly stunning.

And really, did you see the men's 400M medley relay? The French set to take it, had been trash talking for weeks, are ahead by a full freakin' body length and then all of sudden the last few meters 32 year old Leskin pulls it from somewhere and barely passes the French world record holder to win gold! Team USA is jumping up and down screaming, I was jumping up and down and fist pumping and punching Chris. It was bloody exciting. Eat that Frenchies (and I am one of the few who love the French).

After watching the 1-2-3 of Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, and Aaron Piersol win golds last night, I managed to tear myself away from men's gymnastics out of sheer exhaustion. I was thinking I would get a night off tonight, but then I hear the radio, and nope! Michael Phelps trying for another record-breaking gold! May and Walsh beach volleyball! Natalie Coughlin and Katie Hoff go for medals in women's swimming! Team USA in the women's gymnastics volleyball! And synchronized diving in between.

I guess I have another date with my TV tonight. Go Team USA!