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Life as an armchair Olympian
I am not a sports enthusiast staunchest, but I confess I enjoyed watching the Olympic Games Winter held in Turin, Italy. It was nice to see something positive and motivation for change and to delight in some truly amazing and generous acts. I think the wide variety Sports was fascinating, showing that it is one of a lot can be done in cold winter climates!
Consider the spectrum of sports. There are many varieties ski. The event has skiers reaching speeds of descent of 140 kilometers per hour (87 mph), you get violations to go so fast in a car! Imagine what it takes to be a ski jumper as you attempt to imitate defy gravity flight and longer once it is in the air. Image freestyle skiers that twist and turn in the air so fast that I do not know how the commentators can describe their incredible aerial feats. The skiers have tremendous strength, and some rifles stopped while trying to manage their beating hearts and heaving lungs.
We witnessed a new Olympic event that debuted in Nagano in 1998, snowboarding. I think the snowboarders had the most fun creating your vocabulary when talking about a McTwist, Fakie, Duckfoot, One or a Nollie Ollie! Not to be used only Narly … or is suffering from talking and I just dated?
There are speed skaters in their flashy outfits tight flying around an oval ice surface up to 60 kph (37 mph) fighting G forces when cornering. Figure skaters entertained us with their dance routines and leaps of inspiration. They also showed large grain when Chinese skater Zhang Dan had shown a dramatic drop pairs made anyone watching tremble. To our disbelief, this 20 year old got up, completed the routine, and won a silver medal. Impressive.
We can not forget the curlers. A sport many find strange, but value the accuracy involved in bending the rock one meter 44 (49 yards) of surface ice and trying to hit a bull's-eye with two sweepers help control speed and direction a heavy stone, while your opponent is trying to block or blow on every shot. Lots of yelling and physics to accompany this sport! Imagine four Newfoundland win gold – talk about a game when you get home!
There is the luge, where, as appropriate, one or two people are in the back of a sled going for a career winding tight … feet first. You might think it's pretty scary until you see the skeleton event, perhaps an appropriate name. These athletes down a steep track ice on a sled, which has no brakes, upside down. Hmmm … Where do they find people to do this?
So it's not ice hockey. Adult men and women strap on the boots with blades on the bottom, use curved sticks to shoot a rubber disk drive in the opponents net. This happens because up to 50 km skating per hour (30 mph) and shoot the disc into over 150 kph (95 mph), while maneuvering around the ice. A shame both in the U.S. NHL loaded and Canadian teams not even reach the semifinals. Perhaps too much talent, not enough "team."
During the period of 17 days, 2,500 athletes from 85 nations competed for 84 medals in seven sports. We share the pride of those on the podium, and he smiled or cried as their national anthem before the world. Two isolated acts in this twentieth Olympic Games stand out in my mind and will for many years.
I applaud the gold medalist Joey Cheek, U.S. speed skater to donate his $ 25,000 bonus to Right to Play, an organization of former Olympic, Paralympic and professional athletes worldwide who support the use of sport for development, health and peace. Good for you Joey, you are an inspiration to many.
Perhaps the key moment of the Games was when Sara Renner, a Canadian broke her ski pole in a cross-country team sprint events. A Norwegian coach gave him a stick to finish the race. She and teammate Beckie Scott won the silver medal. For me This selfless act defines sportsmanship and the evidence is hard to live the true Olympic spirit. See you in Vancouver in 2010.
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