If you know me personally, you know I’m a bit of a sports
fan, so spending two whole weeks watching athletes on the flat screen was right
up my alley! There are some things I observed during the world’s focus on
London and things that I loved about the 2012 Olympics. I took notes here and
there and I’m piecing them together. Sorry for not having direct references or
links for you to see for yourself, but I’m lucky I remembered to write down
what has inspired me!
First of all, the Fierce Five were incredible! Those girls
knocked my socks off with their performances and camaraderie. Once I learned to
look past the “like” as every other word coming out of their mouths during
interviews, and the mousey pitched voices (just some pet peeves of mine), I saw
the amazing feat that is the US Women’s Gymnastics Team. They are all teens and
have dedicated their lives to the sport. I saw that they were appreciative of
their families and skills that enabled them to be in this position, confident
in their abilities, supportive of teammates, critical of themselves and as well-spoken as teens can be. Overall, the way they carried themselves on and off the floor was quite impressive.
My heart went out to Team Leader Jordyn Wieber when she didn’t
make it to one of two individual spots for the all around final. I could see the
pain and disappointment in herself. When she was finally composed enough for an
interview, she was as gracious as she could be in the eye of defeat, yet so
proud and supportive of her teammates who advanced. For such a
young woman to show so much poise and clarity after a loss on the world’s stage
is simply incredible.
I perused some articles briefly after hearing about Olympic
Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas’ criticism regarding her hair. This young woman
just made history being part of the gold medal team AND winning the coveted
all-around title! And people have nothing better to do than criticize the way
her hair looked?? That saddened me, but her response made it all just go away.
She ignored them. That kind of criticism is far below what this young black
female has accomplished and she knew it and stayed above it!
Some other Olympic moments that made me smile were when the
Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, played Olympic tennis together and earned
the gold medal. Track athlete Manteo Mitchell broke his leg in the 4x400 relay.
He broke his leg and finished his race so he wouldn’t let his team down!! Hotty
swimmer Michael Phelps holds the all-time record for most Olympic medals won.
These athletes are amazing!
Misty May-Treanor and her Beach Volleyball partner took the
gold for the third time!! When the cameras were on Misty in between sets, she
was shouting, “Go Dodgers!” because her husband, Matt Treanor, is on the team. In his pre/post-game interviews, he talked
about was his wife and how he wished he could be there with her, carrying her
bags, doing whatever he can to show his support. This couple and their goals of
winning their respective sports do not hinder the love they have for one
another. It was the sweetest thing to watch and still brings a smile to my face
when I think about it!
2012 was my daughter’s first time watching the Summer
Olympics. This girl was hooked on the gymnastics. She thought they were
beautiful and strong and she wants to be just like them. She even told her
Daddy and me that she wants to be in the Olympics when she grows up. As long as
she has role models like the Fierce Five to look up to and aspire to be, I have
no problem with that at all (I’m looking for some local gymnastics classes
now!). Now that the two weeks is over, I struggled with Olympic withdrawals,
but I’m back to my Nook or catching up on my DVR until Rio 2016…
