Losing sleep...Olympic's On My Mind...

I'm not usually such a fan of the Olympics. Professional sports are not really my thing. But for some reason, the games this year have caught my attention. Even Mr. Fix-It, who is definitely NOT a sports fan, has enjoyed our nightly dose of athletic prowess. I couldn't believe my ears the night I heard him in the living room cheering on Michael Phelps and the relay team. How can you not love the excitement generated by 8 Gold medals?

With that said...I do have a few "other" questions. Can you help me out here? Feel free to answer in the "comment" section (hint, hint)!

Considering each national team has a huge contingent of coaches (i.e., strength coach, dance coach, massage coach, toe-point coach, etc.) ...how come they don't seem to employ a "Fashion Coach"?

Really. Who picks out the eye-makeup these gymnastic girls wear? Could maybe 'somebody' tell the Chinese girls that the bright blue is kind of ...ummm...UGLY? Sorry, but Nastia's 'gold' eye shadow wasn't really doing it for me either.

I have real modesty issues with some of these 'sports' outfits, too. Why must the gymnastics girls wear leotards with their hineys hanging out and the men wear long pants or shorts? Don't they pretty much do the same splits and twirls and twists? Doesn't sound quite fair to me. How can you concentrate on doing a triple round-off to a handstand double front twist on a 4" inch piece of wood when your leotard is climbing up your rear?

Why do the men wear shoes on the floor exercise and the girls go barefoot? Hmmm...

Another question. Why do the swimmers get to wear their warm-ups to get their medal...yet, the gymnastics girls have to take OFF their sweats to get their medals in their leotards? Aren't they cold, too?

Look at Track & Field athletes. Once again, why do the men wear these long spandex shorts and tank tops and the girls wear the briefest...briefs... they can? Do their legs move better? Do they need MORE movement than men? Yes, their thighs are tight and muscled but they are so big they must rub together once in a while...wouldn't the longer shorts offer some relief?

I thought it was interesting tonight that of the 3 American women competing in the hurdle finals --2 had very cut-out tank tops, yet the girl that won actually had sleeves! The interesting tops must not have helped them run faster!

Can we talk Volleyball -- my favorite sport?

Beach Volleyball. Seems interesting to me that the men wear loose sleeve-less shirts and shorts -- yet the girls must see how brief a bikini they can get away with. Why wear anything at all? The sand in those bikinis must be absolutely awful! Does the bikini help them play better?

Why do they only play American music at the Beach volleyball games? Have you seen the girl dancers come out in their bikini's for the time-outs? Doesn't seem very Chinese to me.

Team Volleyball. Same clothing issues here. The men wear loose shorts --yet the girls wear the tight, creep up your butt spandex. Is this fair and equitable treatment for women?

Swimming outfits seem to be a bit better this year with that fish suit they were all wearing. Maybe I should get one...or maybe not...they zip up the back. Could Michael Phelps torso be any longer? I liked watching his mom as much as I did him!

Maybe all the wardrobe issues come down to who wants to watch...or who they WANT to watch.

So enough with the wardrobe issues... tonight I watched grown men riding little boy's bikes. I cannot believe this is an Olympic sport! They looked so funny pedaling...kind of like the Flintstones.

Have any of you seen any of the Equestrian events? Do these sportscasters have something against horses? Maybe we've just not stayed awake quite long enough...Bex is distraught. Here's a thought...maybe they are afraid of showing the starving Chinese people where all the horses are?

I was also blown away when we watched the Badminton finals. Did you know badminton was an Olympic sport? Whew! What excitement!!!

Now that Ping Pong --really exciting! Just what athletic exercise do you need to do to get yourself in shape for this event? Hmmm...they probably train like the marathon runners!

Before the next Olympics we are definitely going to have to make a better plan to record all these late night shows. This staying up late is just about to get to me. I'm glad it will all be over soon. I just watched the US Men's Beach Volleyball team whoop the Georgians. The guys from Georgia were named Geor and Gia. Really creative, huh! Dalhouser and Rogers beat them easily and will now move on to the Gold medal round against one of the Brazilian teams. Wahoo!! Go USA!!! (Sorry, Kelley!)

Even though some of these "issues" don't seem to add up for me -- it's so hard not to get caught up in each athlete's story. These folks work so hard, for so long, to compete for just a few short minutes. I can't imagine how hard it is for those who mess up in that brief moment. I've cried with the best of them during the last 10 days.

The night that Dara (the 41-yr old swimmer) got her Silver medal, she had to go to the medal ceremony, then run to make it to the relay she was to swim next--7 minutes later. The commentators were talking about how she couldn't get emotional on the medal podium because she had to focus on her next event. I wanted to telepathically tell her not to worry...I was emotional and crying enough for us both!

I've always admitted to crying when I hear the Star-Spangled Banner...I've even cried at other country's anthems...I just get caught up in the moment thinking about how proud their mom's and dad's must be. Having a young athlete in the family kind of brings this all home... Do any of you admit to crying when they get their medals? Maybe I'm just weird. Bex thinks so.

Tonight I'm up late...it's after midnight on Tuesday...but that is because I'm baking bread for Mr. Fix-It's birthday tomorrow--I mean TODAY! After making a big deal in my last post about not cooking him breakfast...he will wake tomorrow to his favorite fresh Egg Bread with way too many candles in the top!





Stay tuned.