I love the Summer Olympics. In fact, I think I might be an Olympic gymnast, and I think I might have broken my hand last night while practicing a routine bed-mattress vault. I love the back stories of teary-eyed athletes who rebound after possible career ending injuries. I even love Morgan Freeman’s Olympic-themed commercials for VISA.
Which brings me to this question: Did anyone else spend the entire weekend watching the Olympic trials? I don’t entirely watch; a lot of times, I close my eyes and just listen to Bob Costas flip out. The chances that Laura Wilkinson will slam her head into the diving platform or Shawn Johnson will whip herself right off the uneven bars are slim. But if it happened, and I saw it…I might never be able to watch television again. And that would really take the joy out of bedroom Olympic reenactments.
I wasn’t the only one with Olympic fever this weekend, right? And to think, it was only trials! Imagine what I’ll be like come August. Here’s a VISA commercial to get you inspired:
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I watched a little of the gymnastics trials last night and Chellsie Memmel absolutely killed it on the floor. She was amazing.
Gretchen! Thank god I’m not the only one. I’ll watch whatever they’ve got on. I get suckered into those inspirational stories and Morgan Freeman just adds to the drama. Come August, I’ll root for anyone with a good story be they Romanian pole vaulters, Argentian fencers or South African trampoline athletes. Go USA!
Jesus, that Kerri Strug moment STILL makes me misty. So powerful.
Gretchen… I totally watched the trials all weekend too. Love the inspirational sports stories! I can’t wait gymnastics during the Olympics. USA women are amazing. Track & field and swimming trials next weekend… I know what I’ll be doing
Yup. I invested time in both the diving and the gymnastic trials. Next week the swimming trials are being held here in Omaha and I plan on going to as many sessions as I can!
I WISH I had Olympic fever. But I just don’t have the patience for it anymore. I absolutely hate all the interruptions for ads, jumping around from sport to sport, focusing only on a couple of people in each sport. It just seemed more engaging when I was younger. I would LOVE to be excited about the Olympics again! Having attended Olympic events in person (ATL 1996), it’s a bummer to watch it on tv.
Sent the hubby to the basement to watch NASCAR while I watched the trials. I am an Olympic addict. I cannot wait for August!
Yup, got the fever now after watching the gymnastics trials. I’m a bit disappointed Carly Patterson won’t be back, but it was amazing seeing her performance last time. I’m sure this year will have its moments too.
All about the gymnastics. I will never root for anyone like I did for Shannon Miller though. Those were the days.
I don’t really get excited about the Olympics until they are officially on. I do like the gymnastics events & swimming, but I’m really more into the winter games.
I watched a bit of the gymnastics trials (including Chellsie Memmel’s complete nailage of her floor routine) but the new scoring system has me a bit deflated. Somehow a perfect 17 isn’t quite the same as a perfect 10.
I didn’t watch the trials but I did see a great Olympics commercial over the weekend that got me jazzed for 8-8-08. It is the only time of year that I read the sports section. I like the back stories, too.
Gretchen–Thanks for allowing me to face my Olympic fear!
http://gprr.blogspot.com/2008/06/olympic-fearfest.html
All the political BS has really marred it for me. I prefer the Winter Olympics as well (although I might watch the Mens diving – I’m shallow – sue me)
I definitely caught some gymnastics and diving this weekend. I so LOVE the Olympics!
I too am a huge Olympics junkie. Between the inspirational profiles of the athletes and the medal ceremonies, I’m basically a blubbering idiot for 2 weeks.
I’ve got a fever, you better believe it! It won’t be full blown until Opening Ceremonies, but I have the NBC scheduling link already in my computer boomarks bar. I’m sure all mac users know this is valuable real estate!
Also, Gretchen have you seen the “Sports Night” episode ‘April is the Cruelest Month’?
im so pumped for the olympics!! i watched all of the gymastics trials men and women and cant wait for august!
I started watching on Sunday just to see my friend from high school dive (go Chris Colwill!!!) but i got sucked into watching everyone dive and then the gymnastics too! it was awesome! obviously I need something to replace football until August
Watched the gymnasts last night with my 9 year old daughter, then watched her leap around the living room doing her own floor exercise. Then, I got to show her the awesome scar on my knee I got when I was 9 trying to be Nadia Comaneci on the balance beam. Only, my balance beam was the brick wall around the tennis court at the park in my hometown. Good Times! Love the Olympics!
Can we get a support group started? It’s going to be a completely unproductive summer between Wimbledon and the Olympics. My favorite event has to be swimming (go Aaron Peirsol!), but gymnastics is great as well. I’m still bummed about Raj not making the fo’-real men’s team.
I seriously have Olympic fever! It was a dream of mine to be an olympian as a kid but alas I just never quite got serious enough about gymnastics to make it there. Summer Olympics definitely trump winter in my opinion. My roommate is dreading 8-8-08 when I force him to watch every sport featured.
Sorry, Gretchen, I won’t be watching the Olympics this year. I kept track of the Mt. Everest summiters this year (a friend of mine climbed it several years ago), and all their stories about China have turned me off. The picture of the dead nun on the mountain was especially lovely. There’s a story that’s not being told. Also, I read Game of Shadows, and I defy anyone to read that book and look at the Olympics or professional baseball the same way again.
I sure do have the fever. I stayed in and watched the trials each night and was so excited, though it looks like we still must suffer through Al Trautwig.
I’ve been watching old youtube clips of the Magnificent Seven from the ‘96 games! Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Kerri Strug, etc on the beam, bars, floor… completely have the fever now!!
Can’t wait for The Olympics! I get totally hooked!
Ok, that is so freaking funny that you mentioned this, cause for some reason this past weekend I didn’t leave the house, and watched the Olympic Trials like I was on crack or something. And I so got chills watching the Visa Commercial you posted everytime they aired it this weekend. I remember watching that moment live. Goosebumps!!!!
I think I watched every single minute of summer Olympic coverage in 2004, and I am so excited for this August. I live in Philadelphia, and my aunt surprised me with tickets for the trials last week. We got to see the second night of the women’s all around finals, and it was incredible in person! And Gretchen, while it wasn’t Shawn Johnson, someone definitely did whip themselves off the uneven bars and landed flat on her back…
THAT CLIP STILL BRINGS TEARS TO MY EYES.
THANK GOD FOR DVR! IM SO EXCITED I CANT WAIT FOR 08.08.08!!!!!!!!
I HAVE THE FEVER. . .THE MALE GYMNIST ARE HOT AND BEAUTIFUL AND A PLEASURE FOR THE EYES TO WATCH. . .SAME FOR SWIMMING AND DIVING. . .LOL AM I WATCHING iT FOR THE WRONG REASONS>?