a two week addiction...

i love the summer olympics and i always have! the summer games have some of my favorite events...gymnastics, swimming, diving, track & field. i admit that i have become a little bit obsessed. i even admit that i have completely bought into "Phelpsmania." i remember what he did in Athens. i vividly remember the VISA commercial that showed him swimming from New York to Greece, so i am excited to see hiim doing so well in these games. and, yes, i'm fairly sure that i was standing on my couch last night yelling "go michael" as he won his seventh gold medal by such a slim margin.



in an interview with michael phelps before the games began, he was asked what he was most looking forward to in Beijing. his response..."standing on the blocks in the stars and stripes. to be an american up there representing your country with all of their support on your shoulders...it's an amazing feeling." i can't judge his honesty in that statement but i liked his response. today as i watched the weight of the world rest on the shoulders of an 18 year old cyclist from colorado, i thought...it's odd how i feel this connection to this kid that i've never met and most likely never will meet simply because we're both americans. i don't know anything about him, or if he deserves to win, but i want him to just the same. i'm sure that my response to him had nothing to do with the sad story about his father's fight with parkinsons right before his race. but, there are countless athletes that i feel this same connection to...dara torres, ryan lochte, nastia luikin, and shawn johnson. that list could go on and on.

it's just that sometimes i feel like it takes something devastating to unite us as americans, so i appreciate that the olympics, something positive provides a sense of unity. i know that there are people who are tired of all the michael phelps hype, but i am not one of them. it's really an amazing thing that he has done, with seemingly little effort. i think maybe the USA needed a little positive attention for a minute, and he brought that.

i feel the need to mention the olympic events that i haven't been able to get behind...trampoline, badmitton, and synchronized diving. my question...why don't they have olympic surfing. if they do and i'm just not aware of it...please somebody make me aware.