Olympics - the best part of summer
I love the olympics. It is a great time for watching those stranger sports I don´t normally follow or pay attention to. I never watch gymnastics or fencing. Swimming is not one of my favorite sports neither is canoe or kayak. But now I watch almost all of it. The theme music, the best of the best all wanting to do their all. Trying to set new records. Everyone gathered at the same place at the same time. It´s fun!
Today Sam and I watched the US, China basketball game. It was so funny hearing the Swedish commentators. They seemed so starstruck by the players. As soon as LeBraun was on camera one of the commentators just got so excited. “He is just a wall of muscles, did you see that dunk, he shot that from way downtown.”
Sweden doesn´t have many chances for medals but today we got the first one, Silver in biking. The footage from the event has been replayed over and over again. An unknown athlete has become a celebrity in Sweden.
Then there is the amazing ahtletes like Michael Phelps. He won his first gold today and he is trying to get 8 of them. He just might do it too.
I left work early on friday and was able to watch the opening ceremonies live on TV. I have vacation this week which means I will be able to get to see all those uncommon sports. Best of all… over here it is all on public television so NO commercial breaks. Just sports!
Johanna said,
August 12, 2008 at 3:23 am
But wait a minute… Didn’t we take a medal in swimming first?
The opening of the Olympic Games was incredible, but the day after I heard on the news that they had been expecting rain, which wasn’t good considering all the fireworks. So the Chinese chemically bombed the rain clouds so that the rain poored down at another location. That place was struck by severe rain mixed with chemicals. Good sportsmanship?
mir said,
August 12, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Nope, I just checked the medalstanding and Sweden still only has one medal… the one i biking. Nothing in swimming!
Johanna said,
August 13, 2008 at 2:05 am
Ok! It doesn’t surprise me that I got it wrong. Even if I try really hard to hear what they are saying and watch what they are doing when there’s sport on TV, it doesn’t take long before my attention drifts away to something else. I seem to be lacking the sport chromosome!
Maxima said,
August 13, 2008 at 8:44 am
yeahhhhhh Stefan Nystrand got a silver in swimming something. I liked seeing that Swedish flag go up next to the American
I rarely watch that stuff either….and find myself very interested except in beach volly ball where the announcers just have too much time to make themselves sound very stupid.
We DO have commercials here so, I promise myself I can watch an evening of Olympics IF I get things done during commercials. It is amazing how much you can get done in a 4-minute rush. Hey, maybe that could be a new Olympic sport…..4-minute commercial rush.
Any other suggestions for a new Olympic sport?
Maxima said,
August 13, 2008 at 8:53 am
I just wanted to add singing in the shower as a new sport before any body else grabbed my idea out of my head. I hate it when people take ideas out of my head
sam said,
August 13, 2008 at 9:29 am
How about…Bean Bag Tick Tack Toe? I used to be pretty good at that when I was a kid.
-or planting things…although I’m not sure if 14 days would be enough time to declare a winner.
Shie said,
August 13, 2008 at 9:31 am
I thought Stefan won as well. But I don’t think he did after checking again. Maxima - I think we watched the same thing and it really, really looked like he won, the way they presented it, but it was only the semi finals. I also called Jonas with the news and then had to retract
!
I hate the commercials and also, unfortunately, the Americentric coverage - uuuuggghhh. There are 200+ countries competing - COME ON PEOPLE!
mir said,
August 13, 2008 at 10:49 am
yup… that was the semifinals. Finals are tomorrow I beleive. Stefan is NOT a morning person so he had some issues with the race today. He thinks it will be better tomorrow since it is not as early!
We did get another silver though. Again in biking. This time it was a guy!
Tomorrow we have a strong Swede in a rowing final. He might take a medal. Maybe even gold, but I think silver at best. Also one of those who were unknown before the olympics and now he is all the buzz over here!
Maxima said,
August 13, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Was I dreaming that I saw the Swedish flag go up next to the American? I do watch out of the corner of my eye while I am doing something else. Well, bummer then.
Shie: I have not been able to comment on your blog since you did your floors but I do read it. I am sure I am doing something wrong.(I leave comments that never appear). I will have to send you an email instead.
Sam…bean bag tick tack toe…oh that sounds fun actually.
On Amazing Race one task was to put together an item from Ikea. It took some couples hours and still they did not get it correct. That could be a competition: assemble an Ikea item correctly. How about one of those closets with drawers(insert evil laugh here)