I love watching the olympics. I will admit the winter olympics are my favorite because I love the downhill skiing and iceskating events. But I do really like the gymnastics and the swimming events in the summer olympics.
I always watch the gymnastics and pretty mcuh anything else that comes on. Softball is near and dear to my heart because I made the first cut for the 1996 Olympic tryouts. Didn't get past that but it sure was an amazing experience. As a result, I love to watch it now because I have such an appreciation of what those girls go through to get on the team
Wow Stacie! That's amazing. I worked for a local TV station in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Games. I lived in Duluth and took MARTA in everyday! That was when I could get gas for 88 cents in Buckhead!!
We are faithful Olympic watchers at our house. I am blown away by the extreme talent of swimmer Michael Phelps. With the grueling schedule that he is keeping every day it is amazing that he makes each race look so easy. It's to the point where I think everyone expects him to win every race he is in and if he didn't it would be shocking. He is fun to watch and apparently rejuvenating the sport of swimming. I read that swimming schools all over the country are seeing a huge jump in new students that want to be Olympic swimmers.
Phelps is part fish. He is amazing and I can't help but wonder what goes on in his mother's head as she watches her only son make history... time and time again.
I love the gymnastics as well. Shawn Johnson is just adorable and Nastia Lueken is so elegant and poised. It's sad that the other three were hurt and could only compete in the parallel bars. I think people will only remember Nastia and Shawn as the USA team.
I'm just glad Shawn walked away with at least one gold. There was so much hype about her winning everything and very little about Nastia then Nastia ends up winning it all. Maybe the media exposure jinxed Shawn. Then again it didn't do much to distract Michael Phelps.
What do you make of Phelps' and his dad's strained relationship?
I really wondered what the story was with his father. I watched an interview that they did with Michaels mom. She spoke about Michael as he was growing up and touched briefly on the fact that she and his father were divorced. She didn't really say much more but it was clear that he wasn't a big part of Michael's life and that he bonded more with his swim coach as his father figure. It is easy to see that there would be some strain because he is so close and so protective of his mother. He and his two sisters and mother seem to form a very tight family circle. I never really heard much about the father. Is the relationship strained because they divorced when he was a child or was there more to it?
Posted: 30 August 2008 06:02 AM
[ Ignore ][ # 11 ]
I read that the relationship went downhill following the divorce. But I don't know what the custody arrangement was and why he didn't maintain the relationship... or maybe he did and the kids didn't want anything to do with him????
