A Moment Of Silence

The Olympics are over now.  The closing ceremony was last night and they made a production out of the flame prop that failed in the opening ceremony.  It was a pretty fitting celebration for the games.

So, what did I learn about the Winter Olympics this year?  Let's break it down:

1.  Curling is a cross between shuffleboard and housework.  Aside from being able to complete a deep lunge, it doesn't appear to require a great deal of athletic ability.  Like bowling, you can have a spare tire.  The Norwegian Curling team had the best uniforms.

2.  Male ice skaters can look strong and graceful, or just gay.  After extensive viewing, I'm pretty sure the gay looking ones throw their hands up above their heads more.  Regardless of the spangles or feathers on the tight fitting uniforms, some of the guys managed to not look gay.  These guys kept their arm movements limited to their shoulder level and below.

3.  The Luge is a very dangerous sport.  For years, I've joked about it and my DH keeps saying he's going to take it up so he can get one of those skin suits and cool helmets.  After the tragic loss in a training run, there are no more jokes about luge riders.

4.  Ice skaters are the bravest competitors in the Olympic games.  They are the ONLY ones doing what they do without a helmet.  Everyone else gets protective gear.  They slap sharp blades on their feet and clamber around where it's slippery.  They have cajones.

5.  Skateboarders appear to be having fun regardless of the competitiveness of their sport.  You get the feeling that after all the ceremonies, they went back to being BFFs and twittering each other constantly.  They are young.  They are flexible.  And they are adrenaline junkies.

6.  Speed skating is not for the faint of heart.  Those knives they are zipping around the short track on are like the sharpest blades in your kitchen.  When giving the background on the heavily favored to win competitors, the sportscasters often used the words "eighty stitches" and "thought he was out for sure".  You don't just have to watch your own blades, you clump up and have to watch for others to wipe out also.

7.  Alpine events are for real men.  In spandex.  Falling down the side of a mountain, hurtling at speeds approaching 80 mph, and dodging flags and gates takes control and fierce competitive drive.  I still can't tell the difference between the super-G and the slolam.  It all looks like the same course to me.

8.  Cross country skiing with breaks for target shooting is just craziness.  After schlepping up and down the side of a mountain, they shoot at targets and every missed shot costs them another lap around a penalty loop.  I think the Winter Olympics is the only time you see a guy skiing with a rifle strapped to his back.  Excellent marksmanship AND stamina.  Plus, they looked great in those skin suits.

9.  Snowboard cross and ski cross events were new this year.  The competitors race down a mad track full of jumps and turns in a pack of four, vying for the best speed.  It was exciting to watch and more interesting than watching a single skier or snowboarder on a single run.

10.  Canadians are the best hockey players.  It's their national pastime.

11.  The ski jump requires some kind of human aerodynamics that only a physicist can understand.  They all assume the same position and look eerily similar.  But the distance is always significantly different.  Possibly we need a windsock to appreciate the challenge.  It must lose something on the small screen.

According to all reports, the Vancouver Olympics were well run, ably managed and challenged by weird weather conditions.  The volunteers were friendly and made a great impression on the athletes and the fans.  Last night, one of my dinner companions bemoaned that it would now be another four years until the next Winter Olympics.  I guess my look of bafflement showed.  She said, "it's like waiting for four years for the SuperBowl!"  I told her to think of it like the World Cup.

--Sandee Wagner