Olympic Fever Runs Rampant

My family and I are Olympic junkies. Although we would usually turn off the tv in search of more mindful pursuits, when the Olympics are on, we watch incessantly. Yesterday found us cheering on an US medal contender in the Nordic Combined. I didn't even know there was a sport like that. We watched the Pairs Figure Skating short program and were amazed by the Chinese pair. We have mourned with the Georgian team as they lost one of their athletes. Yet we watched the Luge and were thrilled by the speed and skill necessary to ride down the ice with a pair of rails attached to your back. I am honored that Apolo Ohno is one of ours but feel badly that two Koreans got in a crash so Ohno and Celski could win the silver and bronze medals. And I love watching the moguls. I can not imagine how physically grueling that sport must be but am thrilled by the air they get on the jumps. Whenever I watch, for a split second, I get a rush. I admit that I am most looking forward to the curling. If you haven't seen it, imagine shuffle board on the ice and you'll only get part of it.

Olympic fever starts the day of opening ceremony in our home as we are introduced to a country and its culture in a way that would never occur any where else. It ends the day of the closing ceremony but its effects linger for days afterward. For a few short weeks every two years, we are truly part of a global nation cheering on the best and the brightest the world has to offer.

This is why I don't understand when people say the money spent on the Olympics could be put to better use elsewhere. Of course the millions of dollars on the opening ceremonies alone would feed and house people for a long time. But sometimes an event has an intrinsic value that can't be quantified by the purchase price. No where else does the world come together with the stated goal of true sportsmanship, honor of the team and glory of the sport. Everywhere we look nowadays, people are out for themselves first, using whatever means necessary to get ahead. It is refreshing to see people who are there to compete. The majority of athletes in attendance know that they will not medal; they are looking to finish and enjoy the experience. And for a few weeks, this is the model that is held up to all the world.

So, I will continue to be a junkie. And I will cheer on the underdog and the favorite. At times, my loyalty will lie with other countries. I will do all of this because I think that the Olympics highlight the best the world has to offer, both on and off the field of competition.