As I sit watching a wake boarding competition this morning, my dog hides shaking and quivering behind me as if the very end of the world were upon us. This little thunderstorm has him more scared than the fourth of July. I think compared to what I heard growing up in Utah, this isn't very scary, but I still find it amusing to count seconds and roughly count how many miles away the lightning is striking. I think if my dog could understand and do this, he would probably be a lot less scared.
I have a lot of count downs going on right now, count down till I go home to Utah to visit my family, count down till I need a new roommate, count down to half a dozen marriages, receptions, bridal showers, etc, and of course my count down to the London Olympics. According to the two Apps on my phone- London 2012 fan app, and Team USA app we have 12 days, 1 hr, 59 min, and 30 ish seconds, much less by the time you are actually reading this blog.
My goal to blog my way to the Olympics everyday has, thus far, failed, but I am not giving up , I will keep trying to get there. Yesterday I discovered a new Youtube Channel to feed my mania, the Team USA channel. My favorite feature so far on this channel is "Gold Medal Moments' if you would like to cry, watch that channel. My favorite story on the channel, is Kerri Strug. 1992 was my first Olympics I remember, but 1996 was my favorite Summer Games of all time. Greatest Sound tracks, and of course- THE MAG SEVEN. We will never have a Magnificent Seven again, because they have cut team sizes down to five, but honestly, who could compete with that moment?
It was the Women's Gymnastics Team competition night. No one had beat the Soviet Union/ Russia in the team competition since the 1950's, and the best the USA ever did was a bronze medal (In 1992, thank you very much Shannon Miller and the Gang). I remember sitting with my mom in our living room, absolutely glued to the television as Team USA was Vaulting, and Dominque Moceanu did the unthinkable and sat down the landing on both of her vaults. At this point, things were tight in the competition, we didn't know where things really were, it was close with Russia and Romania. We had another great vaulter up though- Kerri Strug.
At this point I could not sit down, and I think I was standing about a foot away from the TV. We could do this, we had to do this, we just had too!!! Kerri took off running towards the vault, hit the vault, flipped around as gymnasts do. It was looking great, just stick the landing, Kerri, just stick it!! She did not stick it, she also fell. As she got up, we noticed a limp.
oh no, oh no, oh no!!!! no!! you can't be hurt, we need you you have to vault, you have to do this!!! the Russians will win again!!!
I really didn't want Russia to win again. It seemed impossible, but with Bella Karoli yelling "You can do it!" repeatedly in his strong Romanian accent, no one was going to argue with that. Kerri lined up and ran at it again. How the heck she ran like that on that ankle is beyond me. She hit the vault and it was amazing, and then How on earth will she land this!!!!! She landed it, ON ONE FOOT, and she STUCK IT!!!! and then she hit the floor in the awkward horrible way that says, I did it, and now I am in such pain I want to die!
I have a lot of count downs going on right now, count down till I go home to Utah to visit my family, count down till I need a new roommate, count down to half a dozen marriages, receptions, bridal showers, etc, and of course my count down to the London Olympics. According to the two Apps on my phone- London 2012 fan app, and Team USA app we have 12 days, 1 hr, 59 min, and 30 ish seconds, much less by the time you are actually reading this blog.
My goal to blog my way to the Olympics everyday has, thus far, failed, but I am not giving up , I will keep trying to get there. Yesterday I discovered a new Youtube Channel to feed my mania, the Team USA channel. My favorite feature so far on this channel is "Gold Medal Moments' if you would like to cry, watch that channel. My favorite story on the channel, is Kerri Strug. 1992 was my first Olympics I remember, but 1996 was my favorite Summer Games of all time. Greatest Sound tracks, and of course- THE MAG SEVEN. We will never have a Magnificent Seven again, because they have cut team sizes down to five, but honestly, who could compete with that moment?
It was the Women's Gymnastics Team competition night. No one had beat the Soviet Union/ Russia in the team competition since the 1950's, and the best the USA ever did was a bronze medal (In 1992, thank you very much Shannon Miller and the Gang). I remember sitting with my mom in our living room, absolutely glued to the television as Team USA was Vaulting, and Dominque Moceanu did the unthinkable and sat down the landing on both of her vaults. At this point, things were tight in the competition, we didn't know where things really were, it was close with Russia and Romania. We had another great vaulter up though- Kerri Strug.
At this point I could not sit down, and I think I was standing about a foot away from the TV. We could do this, we had to do this, we just had too!!! Kerri took off running towards the vault, hit the vault, flipped around as gymnasts do. It was looking great, just stick the landing, Kerri, just stick it!! She did not stick it, she also fell. As she got up, we noticed a limp.
oh no, oh no, oh no!!!! no!! you can't be hurt, we need you you have to vault, you have to do this!!! the Russians will win again!!!
I really didn't want Russia to win again. It seemed impossible, but with Bella Karoli yelling "You can do it!" repeatedly in his strong Romanian accent, no one was going to argue with that. Kerri lined up and ran at it again. How the heck she ran like that on that ankle is beyond me. She hit the vault and it was amazing, and then How on earth will she land this!!!!! She landed it, ON ONE FOOT, and she STUCK IT!!!! and then she hit the floor in the awkward horrible way that says, I did it, and now I am in such pain I want to die!
It was both wonderful and horrible to watch. No one likes seeing someone in that much pain, but its one of the things that I love the most about the Olympics, someone by sure determination accomplishing something amazing. It turns out Russia messed up and we didn't really need that vault to win, but I think the world needed that vault, to realize what amazing things humans can do when we set our mind to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRYiOa5lM8&list=PL874F6C0E03BBECE4&index=1&feature=plpp_video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRYiOa5lM8&list=PL874F6C0E03BBECE4&index=1&feature=plpp_video
The US Women's Gymnastics team won its first ever team Gold that year, and US Women's gymnastics became a force to be reckoned with, not just the underdogs that we hopped would pull out a win or a medal here and there. We had a deep team, and every member of that team made it count. The names Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps became forever engraved on my memory as true Olympians.
This year in London, its the men's turn. We have the Deepest men's gymnastics team since 1984, if not ever. I expect this year we will have the fantastic five (they cut the team sizes to five members). We are expected at least to get a Silver. This should be our best team ever in a fully contested Olympics (the USSR did not compete in the 1984 Los Angeles games due to Cold war issues, just as we didn't compete in MockBa /Moscow in 1980).
Learn these names, watch them, and be amazed. Jake Dalton, Jonathan Horton, Danell Leyva, Sam Mikulak and John Orozco. 12 days people. LETS GET EXCITED!!!
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