Sunday, August 24, 2008
All Done
I enjoyed the Closing Ceremonies from Beijing tonight, though the Opening Ceremonies were far more impressive. But of course, the Closing Ceremonies featured the British, and let's face it, they aren't going to be able to do anything as impressive as what Beijing did. Their Opening ceremonies are probably going to be all Eliza Doolittle this and Monty Python that. Which isn't bad, but still isn't as impressive as thousands of drummers and great fireworks.
Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love the Olympic Games. I've published academic research on them, visited the US Olympic Training Center way too many times while I lived in Colorado Springs, invited an Olympic figure skater out to dinner in a fan letter (he didn't respond, though I did later run into him at a shopping center) and of course, went to the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. I love the ideals, even if the Wall Street Journal wants to turn it into nothing but dollars and cents. I love people having the chance to represent their country on the world stage. I love seeing a country win a medal for the first time, like Afghanistan's first medal that came in the Tae Kwan Do event. I also love the chance to see Jackie Chan sing (OK, not really) It's just cool. Which is why I was recording about 27 hours of this stuff a day and wearing out the fast forward button on the remote.
So I'm sorry to see the Games end, but it'll be good to have a life again instead of watching TV every night.
I'm already getting ready to get my tickets to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. And a trip to London in 2012 isn't out of the question.
Let me just say "bravo" to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and all the people and places that hosted these Games. Despite all the problems China has -- and I think there are plenty -- they do put on one hell of a show. It's amazing what a dictatorship is capable of forcing people to do. And the Games themselves were just all around great.
U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!
Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love the Olympic Games. I've published academic research on them, visited the US Olympic Training Center way too many times while I lived in Colorado Springs, invited an Olympic figure skater out to dinner in a fan letter (he didn't respond, though I did later run into him at a shopping center) and of course, went to the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. I love the ideals, even if the Wall Street Journal wants to turn it into nothing but dollars and cents. I love people having the chance to represent their country on the world stage. I love seeing a country win a medal for the first time, like Afghanistan's first medal that came in the Tae Kwan Do event. I also love the chance to see Jackie Chan sing (OK, not really) It's just cool. Which is why I was recording about 27 hours of this stuff a day and wearing out the fast forward button on the remote.
So I'm sorry to see the Games end, but it'll be good to have a life again instead of watching TV every night.
I'm already getting ready to get my tickets to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. And a trip to London in 2012 isn't out of the question.
Let me just say "bravo" to Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and all the people and places that hosted these Games. Despite all the problems China has -- and I think there are plenty -- they do put on one hell of a show. It's amazing what a dictatorship is capable of forcing people to do. And the Games themselves were just all around great.
U-S-A!!! U-S-A!!!
Labels: Olympics
