For the first time ever, I think I have a favorite closing ceremonies. I never remember those, though I have some favorite opening ceremonies, I never like it when the games end. I still dont, even today, I cried, and I feel kind of sad and empty. When that flame extinguishes, a little corner of my heart feels a little darker.
I loved three things about those closing ceremonies- apart from the massive fireworks. I loved the mascots being the ones to extinguish the flame, and that the bear cried a single tear. I wasn't alive in 1980, and the US boycotted any way, so I wouldn't have caught that reference without commentator help, but its always what I do, so Im glad the mascot did too.
I also loved that little reference to the ring malfunction in the opening ceremonies was the perfect way to deal with it. I will never forget that now, but in a positive way, because it made me smile instead of just leaving me feeling sad about it.
and finally, I loved President Bach's speech. I loved his opening speech, I loved his closing speech even more, and I love that we are rid of the whole "greatest games ever" routine. It became a bit cliche, and then you felt bad when a country didnt get it. I like President Bach, I think of all the IOC Presidents in my life time, he seems the one that most gets it, that most embodies the true spirit of the Olympics and the one best poised to stand and defend it. The Olympics are unique- multiple Countries get together for all kinds of sporting events, but not for multiple sporting events, and cultural events. The Olympics are something special, and are meant to be something to bring everyone together in the pursuit of greatness for mankind, his closing speech tonight said it better than I can, and I loved it.
So, the games are over, and Im kind of sad. What will I take away and remember from these games?
Well, there are many sports you can still do in the Olympics into your 40's which I think is great, but figure skating will probably never again be one of them, as Evgyny Plusinko showed us, its just too hard on the body.
Another thing, the Olympics will always be a time for the unexpected. If you expect a gold in hockey, you probably wont get it. Just expect the unexpected, like getting locked in the bathroom and having to break your door down. Even with little things like "Sochi water" which caught a lot of people visiting off guard, things like that can be funny, or surprising, or a cultural lesson, and I think the Olympics are good at teaching us, not the whole world sees things or experience things, or even has water the same way. I'd say in most Foreign countries, just buy bottled water to drink.
But as they said this was the Athletes games, and there are a lot of athletes that I loved watching, but I'm probably going to forget them. But there are some I will never forget, and some that will have altered me forever.
1- Jeremy Abbot. Quite honestly, He didn't start out well, and I was wondering what he was doing there, but nothing defines the true meaning of the Olympic games to me more than when he fell on that jump and then got up and skated better than I'd ever seen him skate. That was unforgettable.
2- Noelle Pikus-Pace. Great Athlete. Good example. Very Mormon. Also, amazing to me that she had a baby and thats what made for her come back. Im just all around impressed with this lady, even if we didn't have a religion and some friends in common.
3- Ashley Wagner. Most Expressive face on the planet. and I just like her. Shes fun.
4- This should be #1. Team GB women Curlers Eve Muirhead, Vicky Adams, Anna Sloan, and Clair Hamilton. Before this Olympics, my interest in curling was 0. In fact, I think I just put it on to watch because it was on, and I was like, what the heck, I'll see if I can get why this is an Olympic sport. I may owe some thanks to commentator Jackie Lockheart- a Scottish, former Olympic curler that commentated curing for the BBC. She made it exciting, and understandable. But, even with Lockheart, the GB men's team didn't captivate me as much as the women, who were far more expressive and exciting to watch. It was also good to see that curling is challenging enough, that sometimes the sweepers fall. I didn't know that was possible. Never has something so, well, calm, kept me up to all hours of the night. Those girls made it as exciting as watching brave heart, or a caber toss, rather than boring like watching golf, or tennis. I am now going through massive withdrawals, and I dont know what I'm going to do, because I dont know where one can watch curling in the US, but even so, if I can't have Lockheart commentating, and if I have to watch the Americans, I dont know if I will love it as much. I do like watching the Canadians though., and the Russians, so if its an international event it will still work. But really, what I want is more Lockheart, and more team Muirhead. The good news is, I now understand curling well enough, I think I could play it. In fact, I defeated an opponent on my N64 Nagano Olympic game curling competition, which I've never done before.
One other thing about these curlers, and most of them that I saw, excepting, well, the Americans. They are mostly young and super fit athletes. I thought curlers were pudgy, out of shape middle aged folk. Not so any more. Eve Muirhead goes to the gym at least 3 times a day, and all the team GB women have an extrordinary fitness level, and now days, you need that to compete in curling. These women helped teach me respect for an extraordinary and ancient game.
And thats pretty much what I will take from these Olympics. That, and a new work out schedule as soon as I am better enough from this cold to do so. I need to start working out like Eve Muirhead, so that when I go to the try curling clinic in September, maybe I'll be fit enough to make it my new sport, or I could go back to adult level figure skating- if my feet are ever un injured.
I think there is one more group of athletes that deserve a mention at these Olympics, one more team.
This shout out goes to all the Sliders of Latvija. You guys were truly inspiring, thanks for that.
Honorable mention to The Lithuanian Ice dance pair, I loved watching them skate, as well as the ladies singles skater from Northern Ireland. Im not going to try to write your names, because I'll miss spell them without looking them up, but it was a great pleasure to watch.
So Sochi, there may have been some snafus, and cultural miss understandings at the start, but you truly made this an athletes games, so thank you to the volunteers, to the organizers, and to everyone for a really great, and memorable Olympic games. Im glad we didn't boycott, I dont think thats ever a good idea. And I think we can all be glad no one died. Vancover, Atlanta , and many other Olympic hosts can't claim that one, so Im pretty glad we didn't need any moments of silence for that. (though I do understand there was a moment of silence for an athlete that died in training (not at Sochi) to get to the Olympics, and thats still sad.
I loved three things about those closing ceremonies- apart from the massive fireworks. I loved the mascots being the ones to extinguish the flame, and that the bear cried a single tear. I wasn't alive in 1980, and the US boycotted any way, so I wouldn't have caught that reference without commentator help, but its always what I do, so Im glad the mascot did too.
I also loved that little reference to the ring malfunction in the opening ceremonies was the perfect way to deal with it. I will never forget that now, but in a positive way, because it made me smile instead of just leaving me feeling sad about it.
and finally, I loved President Bach's speech. I loved his opening speech, I loved his closing speech even more, and I love that we are rid of the whole "greatest games ever" routine. It became a bit cliche, and then you felt bad when a country didnt get it. I like President Bach, I think of all the IOC Presidents in my life time, he seems the one that most gets it, that most embodies the true spirit of the Olympics and the one best poised to stand and defend it. The Olympics are unique- multiple Countries get together for all kinds of sporting events, but not for multiple sporting events, and cultural events. The Olympics are something special, and are meant to be something to bring everyone together in the pursuit of greatness for mankind, his closing speech tonight said it better than I can, and I loved it.
So, the games are over, and Im kind of sad. What will I take away and remember from these games?
Well, there are many sports you can still do in the Olympics into your 40's which I think is great, but figure skating will probably never again be one of them, as Evgyny Plusinko showed us, its just too hard on the body.
Another thing, the Olympics will always be a time for the unexpected. If you expect a gold in hockey, you probably wont get it. Just expect the unexpected, like getting locked in the bathroom and having to break your door down. Even with little things like "Sochi water" which caught a lot of people visiting off guard, things like that can be funny, or surprising, or a cultural lesson, and I think the Olympics are good at teaching us, not the whole world sees things or experience things, or even has water the same way. I'd say in most Foreign countries, just buy bottled water to drink.
But as they said this was the Athletes games, and there are a lot of athletes that I loved watching, but I'm probably going to forget them. But there are some I will never forget, and some that will have altered me forever.
1- Jeremy Abbot. Quite honestly, He didn't start out well, and I was wondering what he was doing there, but nothing defines the true meaning of the Olympic games to me more than when he fell on that jump and then got up and skated better than I'd ever seen him skate. That was unforgettable.
2- Noelle Pikus-Pace. Great Athlete. Good example. Very Mormon. Also, amazing to me that she had a baby and thats what made for her come back. Im just all around impressed with this lady, even if we didn't have a religion and some friends in common.
3- Ashley Wagner. Most Expressive face on the planet. and I just like her. Shes fun.
4- This should be #1. Team GB women Curlers Eve Muirhead, Vicky Adams, Anna Sloan, and Clair Hamilton. Before this Olympics, my interest in curling was 0. In fact, I think I just put it on to watch because it was on, and I was like, what the heck, I'll see if I can get why this is an Olympic sport. I may owe some thanks to commentator Jackie Lockheart- a Scottish, former Olympic curler that commentated curing for the BBC. She made it exciting, and understandable. But, even with Lockheart, the GB men's team didn't captivate me as much as the women, who were far more expressive and exciting to watch. It was also good to see that curling is challenging enough, that sometimes the sweepers fall. I didn't know that was possible. Never has something so, well, calm, kept me up to all hours of the night. Those girls made it as exciting as watching brave heart, or a caber toss, rather than boring like watching golf, or tennis. I am now going through massive withdrawals, and I dont know what I'm going to do, because I dont know where one can watch curling in the US, but even so, if I can't have Lockheart commentating, and if I have to watch the Americans, I dont know if I will love it as much. I do like watching the Canadians though., and the Russians, so if its an international event it will still work. But really, what I want is more Lockheart, and more team Muirhead. The good news is, I now understand curling well enough, I think I could play it. In fact, I defeated an opponent on my N64 Nagano Olympic game curling competition, which I've never done before.
One other thing about these curlers, and most of them that I saw, excepting, well, the Americans. They are mostly young and super fit athletes. I thought curlers were pudgy, out of shape middle aged folk. Not so any more. Eve Muirhead goes to the gym at least 3 times a day, and all the team GB women have an extrordinary fitness level, and now days, you need that to compete in curling. These women helped teach me respect for an extraordinary and ancient game.
And thats pretty much what I will take from these Olympics. That, and a new work out schedule as soon as I am better enough from this cold to do so. I need to start working out like Eve Muirhead, so that when I go to the try curling clinic in September, maybe I'll be fit enough to make it my new sport, or I could go back to adult level figure skating- if my feet are ever un injured.
I think there is one more group of athletes that deserve a mention at these Olympics, one more team.
This shout out goes to all the Sliders of Latvija. You guys were truly inspiring, thanks for that.
Honorable mention to The Lithuanian Ice dance pair, I loved watching them skate, as well as the ladies singles skater from Northern Ireland. Im not going to try to write your names, because I'll miss spell them without looking them up, but it was a great pleasure to watch.
So Sochi, there may have been some snafus, and cultural miss understandings at the start, but you truly made this an athletes games, so thank you to the volunteers, to the organizers, and to everyone for a really great, and memorable Olympic games. Im glad we didn't boycott, I dont think thats ever a good idea. And I think we can all be glad no one died. Vancover, Atlanta , and many other Olympic hosts can't claim that one, so Im pretty glad we didn't need any moments of silence for that. (though I do understand there was a moment of silence for an athlete that died in training (not at Sochi) to get to the Olympics, and thats still sad.
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