olympic fever

i've loved the olympics since the first ones i remember- the 1980 winter games in lake placid. being a new yorker, and one who vacationed in the adirondacks, there was a great connection to those games. certainly the hockey team and the eric heiden 5-medal haul were big factors in the allure of those games for americans, but i was drawn to the pageantry, the national pride, the international flair, and the olympic spirit that make the games more than just a world championship of sport.

the boycott of the moscow games deprived me of experiencing the summer olympics until '84, but being in LA there was again that sense of nationalism that made the games even bigger. and being 4 years older, i was able to appreciate it even more. i remember loving the sheer diversity of events in the summer games. for someone who was the furthest thing from a swimmer, runner, or gymnast, events like archery, rowing and javelin were appealing because they seemed reachable.

since then, i've watched each olympics with enthusiasm and interest. still prefer the winter games to the summer, but i find myself attached to the TV this week, watching plenty of swimming and gymnastics- two things that as exciting and artistic as they may be, i'll likely never watch at any other time during the next 4 years.

the downside to NBC's "more hours that in real life" coverage is that because they want you to tune in to their prime time broadcast, none of their affiliates are showing any events during the evening hours. i'd love to watch some fencing, or weightlifting, or table tennis, even if it were taped. maybe i'll have to start setting the tivo. then i may not leave the couch until labor day.