It’s the Olympics!!!!!

I am so excited! The Olympics is so amazing and even though it’s been 4 years since the last summer games, it doesn’t feel that long! Time flies! It seems like just yesterday I was thinking that the next time the summer Olympics rolled around I’d be graduated from college and done with school, and that really freaked me out back then.  Well, funny thing is that I am STILL in school (who would have thought I’d change majors after 3.5 years?) and I am actually fine with being done with school soon.  This whole business of constant reports, projects, assignments, quizzes, exams, labs, etc. is really starting to wear me down, especially since I’ve gone straight through with summer classes. 

Anyways, I have a few key athletes/sports/events that are MUST WATCH!

1.  Kara Goucher/Shalene Flanagan running the 5k/10k double.  It definitely won’t be easy running qualifying heats of the 5k and the finals in the 10k at the Olympic level, but hopefully they’ll be able to handle the pressure and have some great races! Go USA distance!

2. Women’s 3k steeplechase- this might end up being the MOST exciting event of the entire T&F competition.  I think the USA women could very well sweep the medals, and even more records could be set. It’s so exciting to see such great competition between Jenny and Anna!

 

2. Men’s Marathon- Ryan Hall is going to ROCK the marathon. There is no doubt in my mind that he will win a medal, but which color? I also think Dathan could pull a surprise and get top 5 or so.

3.  Women’s Marathon- Paula! Paula! I hope things go well for her this time around. I think maybe having the injury last minute might help take some of the pressure off, so maybe she’ll be able to just go into it and race smartly w/o thinking so much about winning. And I’m rooting for Deena to repeat her medal performance now that she is a seasoned veteran. She looked GREAT at trials and is very smart, so she won’t overexert herself early.

 

3.  USA Women’s gymnastics team- They are the gold medal favorites, hands down, and I think they are going to dominate the team competition, all around, and event finals.  Shawn Johnson is a beast, Nastia has composure, and Chelsie Memmel is rock solid consistant.  Should be amazing! Unfortunately, the men’s team, now down TWO Hamm brothers, is not looking as fierce. Hopefully they can handle things w/o their leaders.

4. Cycling! A lot of the big names will be competing fresh off the Tour de France, and it should be fun to watch.

5. Women’s 10m platform diving- Laura Wilkinson, all the way. She pulled off a cRaZy dive at Trials to earn a perfect score and pull herself back into the lead.  Her difficulty is out of this world, and she brings so much excitement to the sport. Plus the natatorium for this Olympics is out of this world. Go Laura!

6.  I may just have to tune in and watch Michael Phelps break a few more world records and win a million and one medals because he is just that good.  That man is un-freaking-believable and I’m glad he is able to use his God-given talents (and super-human body) to the max and really give people a good show.

I literally watch EVERY sport at some time during the Olympics because it is such a privelage to see the best in each discipline. And it gives me something to watch on TV every minute of the day

Sport is LIFE.