On Sunday, I watched basketball, a little badmitton, some volleyball, both indoor and beach, water polo, swimming, rowing, highlights of skeet shooting, gymnastics, synchronized diving and table tennis. I completely missed the US women's second soccer game. I also mowed the lawn, vacuumed the bedrooms in my house, went to the grocery store, swam 2000 meters, ate three meals, and spent a little time playing with my kids. I swear, driving into work today I felt like the last time I was in my office was a month ago. I appreciate NBC trying to show everything, but I can't keep up. This is ridiculous. I remain exhausted.
I was thinking about what I needed to do what I want. If I want to watch everything I have even a mild interest in, I need 4 more weeks and three more TiVOs. I also need the ability to shut myself out from the rest of the world for those 4 weeks. As I have, maybe 10 people relying on me for information and entertainment, that is obviously not possible. So I could use 3 clones of myself instead of 4 weeks. If I also want to keep my job, I need another clone. To keep up with my new motivation to exercise, I need another clone. And to be a father and husband (and not have to take my "Watching the Olympics Advice" #1), I probably need yet another clone. So 5 clones, and let's add another TiVO to make it 4 TiVOs. I could also use a few 75 hour days. But, instead I will have to push through with drooping eyelids, sore arms and frustrated family members.
Speaking of family members, I have learned that as much as Middle wants to talk about basketball, it still ranks behind iCarly on the priority scale. After spending several weeks talking about Olympic basketball, asking several times when the game was on, and complaining that we weren't watching at 8:00 Sunday morning (because the game didn't start until after 9), Middle asked to watch iCarly about 6 minutes into the game. We made him go to the grocery store instead.
I did get a few proud parent moments. Eldest was very into the women's volleyball game v. Korea and is enjoying beach volleyball. This morning he was even disappointed that I had to leave for work before the beach volleyball started. I told him it was recording and we could watch some later. All three boys enjoyed watching Ryan Lochte win the 400 IM. After it was over, Middle was shaking with excitement. I think this year will go well, but 2014 and 2016 will be even more fun with the boys.
Today's Olympic Story Line - Kim Rhode. Rhode became the first American to win an Olympic medal in five straight Olympics, by winning gold in the women's skeet shooting. She now has three golds, one silver and one bronze medal. And she is only 33, so presumably she could go for six. She also won in record fashion, being the first Olympic shooter to earn 99 points, meaning she missed one of 100 shots. She collects classic cars and rebuilt a 1965 Shelby Cobra. I don't know what that means but it looked really cool on TV. According to this article there are now eight American women with at least five individual Olympic medals: speedskater Bonnie Blair and track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee each have six; swimmers Shirley Babashoff, Janet Evans, Amanda Beard and Natalie Coughlin, and gymnast Shannon Miller each have five. Go look at a picture of Rhode and tell me you wouldn't love a photograph of these eight women.
Reflections on What Has Happened (Focus for this will be on US sports and
medals, but we will touch on other stuff as time permits) -
1. The Men's 400 free relay was disappointing. That pretty much sums it up. We didn't choke. Lochte didn't swim badly, he just got passed by a better sprinter. The other three swimmers all swam well. Everyone at the Olympics is beyond great at what they do. In this case, we got beat by someone who swam better. It hurts that it was France, but, then again, it is a little poetic after 2008. I thought Lochte would hold on. I was wrong. Although, as the Wife pointed out, this makes my predicition correct (see below.)
2. Love that Dana Vollmer won the 100 fly and broke the world record.
3. As much as women's beach volleyball gets the hype for their outfits, the indoor volleyball uniforms are even more borderline pornographic. I can describe, in intimate detail, every contour of Logan Tom's ass. Those "shorts" are more revealing than any underwear outside of a thong, and there is no way any of them are wearing underwear, unless it is a thong. As for the games, nice opening win for the women's volleyball team over Korea. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings continued their run of NEVER LOSING A SET in the Olympics. That's right, 15 matches now, 30-0 in sets. My Volleyball Insider tells me that is incredible. He's also given me some more tips which I will share as beach volleyball moves into the medal rounds.
4. Speaking of beach volleyball, we saw some of the April Ross/Jen Kessy match on Sunday. My wife looked over at the TV and said "We have more than one women's beach volleyball team?"
5. More on beach volleyball - Phil Dalhausser looks like a 15 foot high, 10 foot wide brick wall in front of the net on defense. I am not a volleyball player (although I will happily tell you my glory story of the B-League fraternity championship title in 1994), so I'm not the one to ask. But I can not figure out how anyone gets the ball around this guy. I wouldn't even try.
6. US and China are fighting hard for the medal count. As of this posting we are tied, but China has a big lead in golds.
7. Archery is kind of fun to watch. And very quick. But those people do not look like athletes.
8. Badmitton is really fun to watch for 5 minutes. Then you get over the novelty and remember that it's a backyard activity.
9. Kudos to Kelci Bryant and Abigail Johnston on their synchro diving silver medal. I find diving kind of boring, but the synchro is pretty cool. Of course you have to turn the sound down because the lady doing the color commentary is unbearable. Bad voice, but really good at pointing out the obvious. When the two Italians are out of step on the walk up and half a turn out of synch in the air, I don't need you to say "They were a little off" after the dive. I know that. Tell me something I didn't know. Like how you got this job several Olympics ago and have managed to keep it.
10. Despite the fact that the basic purpose of water polo is simple (put the ball in the net), it is confusing. There are whistle all the time, but play never stops, I have no idea what is a foul and what is not, there are times when people get mauled, and times when they don't (so, ummm, why not just maul the guy all the time), and there are penalties, but play still doesn't stop and the guy just swims off to a tiny little lane line box and hangs out. I did enjoy our win over Macedonia. Why are central European countries good at water polo?
11. Defending world all-around gymnastics champion Jordyn Weiber failed to qualify for the individual all around competition. If you do a Google search for "Jordyn" the third suggested completion is "Jodyn Weiber controversy". This is not a controversy. The rules say only two people from each country may qualify, so it is pretty clear cut. But why? The US had the second, third and fourth highest scores in qualifying, but only two can make it. Again, why? If one country has three of the four best in the world, shouldn't they be allowed to go for an Olympic sweep? (The same question can be asked about swimming, in which the rule was changed specifically to prevent the US from sweeping so many events.) And doesn't this create a lovely team dynamic just a few days before the team competition? Seriously, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas just destroyed Jordyn's lifelong dream. I might sleep with one eye open if I was them. One more - why JordYn instead of JordAn? Can you not spell?
Predictions Sum Up -
1. US Women take Silver in Team Archery - Wrong - We lost to China in the quarters (China went on to win the Silver, not helping that medal count race).
2. US wins NOTHING in
badmitton - Pending - but looks good so far.
3. No one cares about Team Handball - Correct - Well, no one objected at least.
4. I can turn most of you
(well at least the males) into fans of Frederica Pelligrini (Top seed in women's 400
freestyle) - Pending - Still waiting.
5. Dana Vollmer wins 100 fly - Correct
6. US Men's 400 Free Relay can
not repeat 2008 success. Wins silver (which will be tough itself) - Correct - Sadly.
7. If I
swim 2000 meters today, I will die - Wrong - 2000 meters completed yesterday and I am here to tell my survival story. Which I will spare you.
Predictions -
1. Matt Grevers continues US dominance in the 100 back with the gold medal.
2. Lochte continues his individual run, and gets a bit of redemption, with a gold in the 200 free.
3. US gets 2 medals in women's 100 breast.
4. Missy Franklin gets her first individual medal, but not gold. She will eventually be the most decorated US woman Olympian, but we will have to wait 8 years fot that.
5. US Men do not match the women's silver in synchro diving.
What to Watch for:
1. Do I survive the next two weeks?
2. Swimming - Men's 100 back, women's 100 back, men's 200 free, women's 100 breast. See above predictions for more detail.
3. Gibb/Rosenthal and May/Walsh in beach volleyball.
4. Men's team final in gymnastics.
5. Lots of sailing, if you are in to that kind of thing.
6. Women's volleyball v. Brazil
7. Women's water polo v. Hungary
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