“Go-Go-Go!” I shout to the TV as Hannah Kearney’s knees maneuver smoothly and swiftly over the moguls.
She executes a perfect 360- degree spin over the final jump and burns down the rest of the hill, winning the gold medal with this performance.
“You go girl!” I yell to the triumphant figure on my television screen.
You’d think I knew the girl personally and, of course, I don’t. It’s just that she had a fantastic run, she was so incredibly good…and once again I’m gone—hook, line and sinker-for the Olympic games.
I don’t start out that way. I begin every Olympic year as a cynic. The hype, the politics festering in the background, the money spent, the wealth required to compete in most sports… all cause me to grumble and label the games “rich kids'” competition.
Slowly, inexorably, I get sucked into the whole scene.
Happened again this year. Ads for the 2010 Olympic games did nothing to grab my interest. Yawn. Yawn. Another Olympics. More yawns. Dramatic music and television ads. Been there. Done that.
But opening ceremony night arrives. Nothing else on television appeals. Why not at least keep the Olympics tuned in. My husband agrees.
“Ooh, that’s good.” I look up from the book I am reading as the opening ceremonies begin. Five minutes later, I ask, “How did they do that?”
Another two minutes and I am enthralled. The show is really good. I give up thoughts of going to bed early and watch until the very end when Wayne Gretzky rides in a pickup truck through rainfilled Vancouver streets to light the outside torch cauldron.
Living close to the Canadian border gives me a feeling of being “almost Canadian,” more accurately, more aware of the similarities and differences between our two cultures. I am proud and impressed, but not surprised by the imagination and skill with which our neighbors to the north present their show to the world.
Last night I enjoyed short track and moguls competition.
Tonight, I’ll watch couples figure skating. Who knows what else I’ll find to watch over the next weeks.
I’ll be drawn into the whole pageant again, cheering for Lindsay Vonn’s shin to heal, keeping track of the U.S. women’s hockey team and trying to find the curling results.
When the games are all over and the closing ceremonies have ended, I will probably breathe a sigh of relief.
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