Olympic Fever--Catch it!

Are you guys as crazy for the Olympics as we are Chez Moxie? Thanks to the miracle of the DVR, we can record lots of the coverage and then just go through it until we find stuff we want to watch. Women's beach volleyball was a hit with both boys, plus swimming and gymnastics. My older one can name all the US swimmers of both sexes, and is also a new fan of Park Taehwan.

Not as much interest in fencing as I'd have anticipated from the kids, but they are both awed by synchronized diving. Have you seen any of it? It's insane. Who got the idea to ask two people to do the same difficult, daredevil dives at the same time with the same cadence and angles and movements?

My older one made it almost all the way through the opening ceremonies on Friday night, falling asleep just before the passing of the flame. We watched all the countries enter together, and realized we don't have a world atlas! I had to haul out the Risk board to try to explain where all the countries were, but that was only moderately successful. So that's something we need to get to have an educated household.

Quotes of the games so far from my children:

The older one, in a flash of realization: "Hey, President Bush is in China at the Olympics! That means the country can do whatever we want while he's gone!"

The younger one, trying to inject himself into the conversation the older one was having with my mother about Michael Phelps winning a gold medal: "An' den he got a quarter on a nucklass!" (Bless my mom for understanding that "a quarter on a necklace" was the Olympic gold medal coin on the ribbon around his neck.)

Are you watching the Olympics, too?

Comments

[michelle]

We are all over it. Water polo- not a huge hit. Team handball went over much better, and my daughter (4) really enjoyed the gymnastics and the field hockey.

I didn't even know there was such a thing as team handball.

[Shannon]

I like swimming best, because I used to swim competitively in high school. Key words: used to. How the hell is that Dara Torres doing it? She said in an interview that moments after giving birth, she grabbed the doctor's coat and asked when she could get back to training for the Olympics. I don't even REMEMBER the moments after my child's birth.

I like gymnastics, but I have very mixed feelings about it. Those poor little girls are robbed of a chance at a normal life, their growth is stunted, and they're placed in a culture of very unhealthy body expectations. All in the hopes of becoming that one person who earns Olympic fame and glory. Because let's face it, it's hard enough to make the Olympics, let alone to stand out as the "it" gymnast of the Olympics. I think most of us can count on one hand the number of famous Olympic gymnasts we can remember.

[rudyinparis]

Shannon, you're so right, there so much good and bad with the gymnastics... Eldest takes tumbling, has for a couple of years, and this fall will most likely move into gymnastics... We love it because it teaches her how to fall, and values strength, and avoids the whole dance school debacle I see too many parents get mired in... yesterday afternoon she saw some clips of the gymnastics coming up later in the day and she was totally fascinated and excited by seeing it. I just want her to be healthy and strong. I hope for the best.

My sister lives in Japan, and I love hearing about the difference in the specific sports coverage and the way things are covered... in Japan, for example, it's all judo, all the time. You don't get much judo coverage here in the States.

[hedra]

Olympic level fencing is probably more fun if you play it in slow motion. Way hard to figure out what happened if you're just watching at regular speed (and even harder if nobody is telling you what the rules were, and why, and... anyway, did I mention that the reason my DH's handle is epeepunk is that he was an epee fencer? Took me a while to be able to understand what I was seeing even when someone was narrating the activity... what do you mean 'right of way' and I can't tell who got the touch - didn't they hit simultaneously?)

Mm, fencing. But it's way more subtle than flashy (compared to, say, stage fighting), which means it's harder to understand until maybe age 9 or so.

[caramama]

I'm SO into it! Unfortunately, the toddler is still in a sleep regression, and is now needing us to cosleep with her sooner and sooner. Thank goodness for DVR. I may or may not have gone in late to work today because I got sucked into watching the gymnastics recorded from last night when I was putting the baby to bed and then having to go to sleep with her.

Having done gymnastics and swimming when I was younger, I especially love to watch those. And I enjoy the diving and beach volleyball.

@Shannon - I won't argue the problems inherent in the gymnastics world. There are major issues of health and injury with any sport, but I think the issues in women's gymnastics is especially difficult because the competitors are so young. But I do know the names of most of the top gymnasts from perhaps the late 80s on, and the big names prior to that. I love the sport. I love to watch it and even read about. It is simply amazing what the human body can do. And many of the world champions and Olympic atheletes go on to have very healthy and good lives after competing (Kerri Strug is one great example).

[marci]

well, maybe two hands, but i'm with you on the stunted part.

i'm surprised at what's an olympic sport, too. curling in winter, team handball in summer - intro to unusual sports. kickball next? ooh, synchronized scuba! i know some teams who could qualify!

ever think about if olympians were more made (gymnasts keeping their body weight so low they don't have enough estrogen to grow - or would they have been tiny women anyway?) or born (swimmers with those looong arms)?

[caramama]

@marci - I believe with gymnasts it's a bit of both made and born. The gymnastics scouts take into account growth records of the girls they see with potential as well as the bodies of parents and siblings to estimate how big the girls will be when they are old enough to compete. But certainly a lot of what they do and how they eat helps form their bodies.

[pennifer]

I'm DVRing a fair amount of it, but it's so hard to find time to watch it. I am watching/taping all of the equestrian events specifically.

I'm excited that there's so much available on the NBC website, but I'm afraid to go there for fear of spoilers - I want to be excited while watching the taped stuff.

Not sure how long I can hold out on that, since there's stuff I want to look up.

As always, I'm really frustrated by the commentary. I couldn't watch the opening ceremonies for long, b/c of it.

Oh, and it really really makes me angry that the Olympics come along so infrequently and are so special, and yet whatever network has the broadcast rights shows so little of it on TV, preferring their usual money-making crapola. And heavens forfend you not have cable/satellite! I had to upgrade two levels on our satellite tv in order to get the other channels.

But yes, love the Olympics!

[attiton]

I'm really not sure what's wrong with me, but I haven't been "into" the Olympics since 1984. When I was but a wee lass, lovin' "Jump" by the Pointer Sisters.

It's something about the move from "all amateur" to "some amateur." It's something about the inflation of the number of events. It's something about the advertising. It's something about the gross nationalism of it all. It's something about how many of the sports treat the human body as something to be martyred.

I dunno. Am I alone here?

[Julie]

I just posted about this this morning! Mainly, the difference between single me: Crying at medal ceremonies thinking, "What if that were ME???" and Mommy me: Crying at medal ceremonies thinking, "What if that was MY child???"

But lots of emotional tears regardless. And not to open up a political can of worms, but watching the opening ceremony I felt very pleased for China....much in the way I would feel pleased for one of my students who habitually made very poor personal and behavioral choices rising to the occassion and really shining. Yay for the people of China. It was stunning and beautiful.

[Cathy]

We've been watching quite a bit at our house - La has decided that she would like to be an olympic athlete. And that she likes the men's gymnastics better than the women's (she likes the high bar, although she did like the uneven bars too. Not so much with the floor exercises.)

We saw some synchronized diving last night that I was surprised was an olympic sport. Neat to watch, but never heard of it before.

[Cathy]

Oh - and this is probably the most Olympic coverage I've seen since they split it up so that there were olympics every two years.

[Madeleine]

My daughter enjoyed the boxing way more than we did -- DH and I had a little post-bedtime "What was up with that?" conversation about it. She is not us, is all we came up with.

She also liked soccer, basketball, and swimming. Neither of us understood the Judo, but our guy won the round we watched. Woo!

[Moxie]

No, there are some aspects of it that are disgusting, for sure.

But, I found out that a friend of mine almost made the Olympic team 8 years ago. Missed it just barely. And it still haunts him. And once I started thinking of it from the side of the athletes who do their absolute best to train for years and years to get there, it makes me want to watch. And hearing LeBron James tell the announcer that the Olympics was the biggest game he'd ever played made me realize that even for the athletes who make millions of dollars, the Olympics is still It.

A friend of mine was telling me the other day that he is sad that there's not a lot of mythology left anymore for kids to learn. I think the Olympics is a form of mythology, land would like to pass that on to my kids.

[JB]

My daughter (3) is adopted from China, so we have spent hours in front of the computer and TV pointing out who is Chinese and who is, say, Korean or Japanese or Thai, and what they're doing, and why this is so exciting for the Chinese people.

M. loves weightlifting. I have no idea why. She begs to watch it. Every time, she watches the jerk-and-lift routine, and then exclaims with total satisfaction, "That was HEAVY!" We've also been loving the swimming and gymnastics, though the latter I can barely watch for the tension. Handball is new to me and great fun.

[Mel]

DH DVR'd the Opening Ceremonies because DD passed out (I did too, but that's okay) and she desperately wanted to see "the big candle". So Saturday morning she watched it and has been talking non stop about "The little candles", "The guy flew mommmy!", and "The big candle and fireworks".

So we've watched "the big candle" three times this weekend. She makes us stand whenever "the little candles" enter the stadium until "the big candle" is lit.

I love 2.5 year olds!

[michaela]

My girl is a bit too young to care much about the Olympics - she's just a bit over 2, and not that interested in watching tv. But I am totally sucked in... and hoping to use the evening broadcasts to finish the blanket I've been crocheting for the girl's cot at daycare. There's nothing like the Olympics to provide a good background for crafty stuff....

[m]

Nope. I guess I'm a wet blanket. Maybe when the boys are older? But I've always been a bigger fan of the winter ones. I know I'll be caring for the 2010.

[LazySusan]

I just love when you post quotes from your boys. My husband and I still laugh over "Chewbacca nursed because he is a mammal, but that was before he met Han Solo". Priceless!

[Michelle]

we are and with gusto and pride.

[ccr in MA]

Oh, when the cat's away! I love it. I wish we could do whatever we wanted when he was out of the country!

I too was amazed at the synchronized diving. I enjoy watching the swimming and gymnastics the most.

[jessica star]

Along with Reporter Without Borders, I supported the boycott of the opening ceremony because of the situations in Tibet, Darfur, and China. All in all, I find myself avoiding the whole thing out of disappointment and disgust. If only the beauty of the world coming together in a positive way wasn't overshadowed by China's human rights atrocities.

[hush]

Awesome. Loved women's cycling - beautiful views of the landscape & monuments. Drama involving torrential rain and people running each other off the road (but no one injured!)

Also had a laugh at L. Bush's awful open-mouthed yawning during basketball.

Bela Karolyi (sp?) was interviewed - gives me the CREEPS!

[ames]

My husband was so excited for the Olympics that I was almost mocking him for it. Now three days later, I'm just as addicted as he is. I agree with pp that there are some yucky things about it, but for me, there is still some sort of mystique surrounding the Olympics that make it so compelling. Plus when they do those mini-background stories on an athlete - makes me want to cry sometimes!

[SarcastiCarrie]

I believe Bob Costas had an interview with President Bush on last night (around 8pm CDT). It was fascinating to see how a world leader in a non-confrontational situation (you know, not international negotiations) takes his seat at the opening cermonies and happens to mention to the guy next to him (Prime Minister Putin) that he should, you know, stop bombing Georgia and let the South Ossetians do whatever Pro-Georgia/Pro-Democracy/Self-Determination thing it is that they want to do.

And we like "swimming races" where we see who touches the wall first. Chuckles is not so fond of those girls who jump (floor exercises in gymnastics, but he does like the uneven bars and the vault). Is it just me or did they change the vault from a horse to a kind of slanted platform?

I saw the synchronized diving and I just kept thinking that they needed identical twins to win! (This reminds me of some SNL skit from the late 80s on synch swimming.)

Windsurfing is an Olympic Sport. I keep wondering whether it is a style/form sport or a speed contest. Hopefully, they'll show it. I'm dying to know whether they got the red tide out of the harbor.

[mo]

I really enjoy most of the summer sports - not a big fan of the track and field but love the swimming, diving and gymnastics. I'm a bit frustrated by the coverage - my husband and I DVR'd it and watched it after the boys went to sleep. They showed the American men gymnists qualifying round and only included 3 apparti (is that the correct plural?). Huh.

We don't let the boys (3 yrs old) watch TV or movies but I was thinking they might get a kick out of seeing the men gymnists since they are in gym class and get to go on the beam, bars, trampoline, etc. I too am not sure how I feel about the extreme levels of gymnastics so I want my boys to enjoy their gym class, learn the discipline and body control from the early years and then get out before they totally damage their bodies, mess up puberty, etc. That said, those guys are so impressive - the rings where they can control their body while staying in a still cross position. I wouldn't even be able to pull my body up an inch for a second.

I really enjoy seeing the sports you don't get to see too often other than Olympic years. While I enjoy beach vollyball, I skip over that in the Olympic coverage cause I can see that all the time out here in CA. Same thing for the b'ball. But diving, gymnastics, swimming are so much rarer to see.

As a PP said, now that I am a mom watching the Olympics, when they show the medal ceremonies I too tear up and think how proud their parents must be. I think how it would be for a parent to watch their child who has been training for their one event for years and they come in 4th. Thinking how proud I'd be that my child was the 4th best in teh world but how sad for them not to win a medal.

[Dr. Scientist]

volleyball is awesome! I wonder if they have a dancing Olympics... enter David Elsewhere for the gold! check out his moves on www.motorola.com/e8

[pnuts mama]

yep, we're big olympic watchers in this house- we were away this weekend but still managed to see a bit of it here and there. pnut already is into the 'big kids in the pool.' i need one of those body shaper swimsuits! suck in this squishy kangaroo pouch...

of course we are as horrified and appalled as the rest of the world over the human rights and environmental atrocities that continue to happen in and around china- however we choose to support the gifts and accomplishments of the world's finest athletes in a truly worthy venue. for as many things as are wrong with the olympics, there really are so many more things that are right- and of course, as a parent and a member of society you can take the wrong stuff and use it as teachable things for your kids and anyone else who might be interested.

[Amy]

Love, love love it!!! How did I miss synchronized diving??? A gold medalist in the sport is a pal of mine and lives down the street (but is in Russia right now visiting her parents). I guess I need to get up on the schedule of events!

[Mrs. Higrens]

We're not watching. DH decided he didn't want to watch based on trying to send a message to China (which is a surprise to me that he's so invested in something I've never heard him talk about - could be a convenient excuse to not watch them as he finds most televised sports boring). I'm more of the opinion that you aren't watching to support the host country, but to support the athletes from your own country. But I have to agree that China isn't one of the places I have warm fuzzies about.

I'd rather spend time with DH in the evening than watch the Olympics, so I haven't made a big deal of it.

[Girl Jen]

Liz is 15 months old. So far, her only interest in the Olympics has been swimming...she sees people in the water, says "splash splash splash!" and then grabs the diaper bag and hands it to me. She wants to go to the pool!

At work, we're all hooked. I watched water polo for the first time today...holy violence, Batman!

[ada]

OMG....the swimmers! I forgot just how beautiful those men are! sigh....

[Shannon]

I agree with pnuts mama that it's not so much about the politics of the host country as it is about the athletes. Like, some of the countries in the parade of nations got booed because China has some beef with them. Is that really the fault of the poor individual athletes that have the misfortune of living there?

[epeepunk]

We're not watching them much because the kids aren't interested yet - which is really frustrating to me because I want to recreate my happy memories of my family gathered 'round the TV during the '76 Summer Olympics. I grew up watching Wide World of Sports, and I've played some of the sports (track & field, soccer, volleyball, wrestling, fencing, my siblings swam) so I can appreciate the sports. But they'd rather watch Clifford. Sigh. I should start TiVoing so I can skip through and watch the good stuff.

And maybe next time they'll want to watch.

[bandwidow]

I'm also kind of weary on the whole China hosting issue. I think the IOC had a golden opportunity to address the atrocities that go on in that country. Also wonder how many athletes will have their bodies affected by the smog intake, especially those who suck a lot of air while they are competing and have to do it outside.

Swimming was great, the mens 4X100 free relay was exciting. We watched the womens gymnastics and some boxing last night. I still want to watch synchro swimming, individual gymnastics, and the triathlon.

Go Canada!

[Katie]

I LOVE your boys' comments.

I agree--fencing wasn't as interesting to watch as we thought it would be. The action was too fast, almost imperceptible.

Anyway, husband and I are loving the Olympics; the little bits our 3yo son has seen he has liked.

[JB]

I'm getting kind of tired of hearing about China's human rights violations when we have so many of our own. Yes, China's government has its problems. Hello, so does ours. Yes, China has poverty; the cost of the opening ceremony could probably have been better spent somewhere else. Well, I wish we would spend our outrageous budget on our poor people, too. I don't even want to get started on environmental impact and what our leadership should be in comparison to China's. I guarantee that if the IOC had chosen to have the Olympics in the US, the international community would have had reservations because of our "atrocities." Boycotting the Olympics isn't going to do anything to solve China's problems. Helping them be part of a democratic community will. Though democracy is no guarantee either, obviously. My hope is that providing and strongly supporting a forum for peace can only help.

Sorry for hijacking, guys.

[Jill]

We are loving watching the olympics, but I am glad President Bush is headed home today. I have tired of seeing him.

[Shelley]

I visited Beijing in 2001 (in fact, managed to be there on Sept. 11), and even then the fact that the Olympics were coming was huge -- there was a bumper sticker on every single taxi that said (in English) something about "hold great Olympics." How excited they must be that it's finally here is hard to fathom.

The men's freestyle relay last night had me jumping up and down in my living room. The reaction of those kids when they won -- pure, unbridled elation -- was the best thing I've seen thus far these Olympics. Sublime.

The opening ceremony was awe-inspiring, and my 4-y-o daughter, upon seeing the beautiful women in traditional costume, gasped, "Mama! Are they *princesses*?"

[Lisa in Canada]

I'm an Olympic junkie too (how pumped am I that the next Olympics are a mere 1200 km from the city I live in!). We have some fantastic TV coverage here in Canada thanks to the CBC. On opening day, they showed the opening ceremonies live, then starting at 6 am Beijing time, they started 18 hours of uninterrupted coverage. So sweet. ;) Plus, there are hourly updates on CBC radio (which I listen to all day).

Our DD is just a bit over 2 and seems to really enjoy sports. GO! GO! she shouts at the TV. ;)

I *love* your son's comment about President Bush. ;) When the cat is away, the mice will play. ;)

[Rosemary]

I got to attend heaps of events when the Olympics were in Sydney, so now I'm hooked on the equestrian, rowing, road cycling and the beach volleybal.

But, I'm an Australian, so it's all about the swimming. But this year I'm not so into it as all the finals are in the morning and the heats are at night. What's up with that?

By the way, I watched the Olympic Opening Ceremenony here in Melbourne on Friday night. How on earth did you watch it on Friday night too when you guys are 14 hours behind us? Don't tell me you didn't get it live?

[JB]

Oh, and p.s. can anyone tell me why the beach volleyball women have to wear bikinis? Why can't they wear normal sports performance shirts and shorts like the other women volleyball players? "Tradition" doesn't count in a sport that's not exactly hundreds of years old like archery or judo.

[petiteboo]

Quarter on a necklace! I love it! We're going nuts over the Games too, even if Canada isn't on the board (yet). I was born in Korea so I have two teams to root for!
My kids are too young to realize what's going on but I'm hoping they'll enjoy watching as they grow older. I've always been an avid fan developing mini-crushes on the male gymnasts and volleyball players. :)

[pnuts mama]

thought JB made a really good point that americans certainly can't throw any stone from our own glass houses, especially when nearly 1 in 4 children are born into poverty here...again i can only say these are the opportunities presented to educate our kids (and others, if appropriate) as to the social justice issues that are happening all over the world...

this can't overshadow that i still get goosebumps for all the men and women (boys and girls, some of them, compared to me!) who work so hard, train so hard, compete so honorably, win so deservedly- how excited i get for them now, as a mama- looking at this little 7 week old, wriggling on the floor, thinking, oh the potential you have, little bean- how often you'll make me proud to be your mama! how proud the olympians and their families must be...

and side note to those not here in the US- nbc shows most of the heats and less "big" events (medal wise and ratings wise) during the day or on their 4 other networks )cable, digital) and saves the big events for primetime at night- other networks give away the results or you can go online of course, but many purists choose to watch it "live" (what a lie!!) at night and pretend to be experiencing it as it's happening- like me- sigh...

[sudru]

attiton...I'm with you! I wasn't going to read this thread because I have no interest, but I thought I'd check to see if there were any others who were turned off by the commercialism, nationalism, professionalism, who's doping who's not. Rant, rant...over.

[jessica star]

I understand that our country does wrong, and I protest accordingly. But just because my own government commits human rights atrocities doesn't mean I can't speak up on behalf of others in the world, as I do for those in my own country who suffer. I'm not condemning the Chinese people, in fact, I'm speaking up on their behalf, as I would hope they would do on mine.

[Charisse]

We are so there! Mouse loves anything with girls competing, and Michael Phelps. She's been wanting to see every race, it's really cute--I don't think it's any kind of a crush thing, she just likes the idea that he's the very fastest. More events, NBC, less yakking!

[eccentriclibertarian]

I've loved watching the Olympics since the (for me) dimly remembered 1972 Munich Games (I was 5), and the better-remembered 1976 Summer Games. Like several other posters, I especially like watching the less-common (in the US) sports like badminton, equestrian, etc - along with swimming, gymnastics, and almost all the track & field events. I LOVE seeing people from all different countries competing together - almost always displaying good sportsmanship & collegiality. As an inherently lazy person, I admire their incredible efforts, stamina, and discipline. I leave the host country politics aside & just enjoy it as a special event that sometimes lives up to its inspiring, lofty and perhaps naive goals.