Olympic Fever

I have always enjoyed the Olympics. I have always loved the Olympics. Okay, I have always been obsessed with the Olympics. Never was this obsession more apparent than during the 1994 winter games in Lillehammer.

• A poster of speedskater Dan Jansen hung on my bedroom wall. I recorded his races on VHS.
• I submitted a drawing of speedskater Bonnie Blair for publication in Sports Illustrated for Kids, and I can’t even draw.
• I wrote a play about the Nancy/Tonya figure skating scandal that I performed with my siblings. Four-year-old Michael played a very convincing Jeff Gillooly. I believe that role is what led him to pursue a degree in film studies.
• I developed my own Olympic sport. Deck Diving involved jumping into snow banks from our back deck. I took the gold of course. If I remember correctly, Nicole and Megan rounded out the medal count.
• My friends and I began a letter-writing campaign to the US Bobsled Federation to petition for the inclusion of women in the sport. Girl power! Maureen: adolescent activist. The very nice response informed me the nearest practice course was in Lake Placid, NY, and encouraged me to follow my dreams. And that is how I became the champion bobsledder I am today. In all seriousness, I was very proud when female bobsledding became an Olympic event in 2002. I watched from the couch, eating a bowl of ice cream.
• To summarize - I don't think I received enough stimulation in school.

I overshare so you can understand the depth of my disappointment when I missed the first week of the Beijing Olympics due to lack of TV. I caught the second week though, and it was very interesting to see how the games are covered in a different country.

New Zealand won 9 medals in total, which was a great showing. This includes a gold medal in windsurfing – no surprise there. The Kiwis are so proud of their athletes! Even the silver and bronze winners get a lot of press coverage. The Kiwis vote online for their favorite NZ Olympian, who is awarded a new car. The winner was Mahe Drysdale, a rower who was a shoo-in for gold but only got bronze due to illness. He probably would have been kicked out of America. During the closing ceremony, the commentators paid tribute to all the Kiwi athletes who finished in 4th place. Losers.

Unlike the US, the Kiwis are interested in athletes from other countries. Michael Phelps was a big story. They kept repeating a clip in which he is asked about a visit to NZ. He says something like, “It is a beautiful country, but I think I was there during the rainy season.” I hear ya, Mike. There were also some grumblings about America. The most popular Olympic events occurred during the middle of the day when most Kiwis (not me!) were working. They blame the US, which has conspired with the IOC to ensure those events always coincide with American prime time.

We may have been streaming the BBC feed at times, so I can't attribute all this to the Kiwis, but the commentary was very blunt. They said things like: “He really blew that one.” “She’ll be watching the next round from the bench.” “Four years of hard work down the toilet.” The boxing commentary was especially entertaining: “He’s taking more shots than an alcoholic!” “He went all Tom Sizemore on him!” “Stiffer than a box of Viagra!”

New Zealand really sticks it to China. There was some problem in which a team of 6 athletes received only 4 medals. The Kiwi reporter said, “In a country known for its fakes, it shouldn’t be difficult to find replacements.”