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mercy_angel_09They said it couldn't be done. With three relays on which he had to rely on others to help with the gold count, Michael Phelps swam into history and the heart of America, and the world, with eight gold medals. Mark Spitz's record held for 36 years. In 1972 he set the record, which few doubted would ever be broken. Eight medals in one Olympic games? Impossible.
Well, we'll finish out the week and see what happens. Here's to the games!
Apparently Michael Phelps lives for the impossible. He did it all with a smile on his face, and an intensity held only by ADHD people. Really, I think the whole of America could learn a thing or two from him. Don't medicate when you can find a healthy outlet. This is not to say that medication is bad, it means that most Americans would rather medicate rather than find alternative treatments that are ultimately more beneficial.
Phelps is also an all around good guy. He takes time to talk to fans and press, donates a portion of the money he recieves from endorsements. A good character that seems to be sorely lacking from other athletes. Other athletes who think that if they don't win gold, they were wronged, that somehow SOMEONE else screwed up.
Take the Athens games, for example. The USA men's basketball team, after being the Dream Team for twelve years, suddenly there was a case of EPIC FAIL. Rather than dominating like usual, they won the bronze behind Italy (silver) and Argentina (gold). Egos were too big, overconfidence tripped them up, and for the first time NBA pros were humbled on the world stage. Did they really own up to the fact that basketball's popularity had grown and that other countries were going to try their darndest to dethrone them. This year, the pros are making the most of the experience - going to other events, cheering on other athletes, and all and all rooting on their fellow USA team mates. I think part of this goes in part to Kobe Bryant who's been seen cheering on other atheletes, and has been seen at most of the other major events. I've seen him at swimming, beach volleyball, arena volleyball, and women's basketball.
China, as host, is of course dominating the gold medal count. However I have to wonder how much of it is actual competence in the event versus favoritism by the judges. So many things have suddenly come to light about China in the Olympic games. First there was the opening ceremony. Extravagant by even Olympic standards, the world learned shortly that all was not what it seemed. The foot print fireworks were computer generated. This was done citing the inability to safely record them from a helicopter. Okay, that makes sense. Frankly, I'd rather watch CGI fireworks than hear that someone died trying to record them while flying. Then there was the news that the little girl who sang the Chinese anthem was lip-synching. That the girl whose voice we heard was actually deemed "not cute enough" by the government and replaced at the last minute by someone who was "cuter." Then the Chinese women's gymnastic team looked half-and-half. Half teenager, half little girls. It's bad enough that most gymnastics teams are a pedophile's dream, but China took it to a whole new level with their team that looked like they ranged between ten to sixteen. Do I doubt that they were all the requisiet 16? Oh yeah. At least half of them had to be between 12-14. I understand that Asians tend to look younger than, say, Americans, but honestly these girls looked ridiculously young. However it's up to the IOC to formally complain about the ages of the girls. They instituted an age limit to try and keep the girls from permanently injuring themselves. At a younger than 16, serious damage can be done to the joints and growth plates doing the level of gymnastics that's done at the Olympics.
All and all I've been enjoying the games. Not all of it has been bad or riddled in controversey. I just felt like making some observations...
Phelps is also an all around good guy. He takes time to talk to fans and press, donates a portion of the money he recieves from endorsements. A good character that seems to be sorely lacking from other athletes. Other athletes who think that if they don't win gold, they were wronged, that somehow SOMEONE else screwed up.
Take the Athens games, for example. The USA men's basketball team, after being the Dream Team for twelve years, suddenly there was a case of EPIC FAIL. Rather than dominating like usual, they won the bronze behind Italy (silver) and Argentina (gold). Egos were too big, overconfidence tripped them up, and for the first time NBA pros were humbled on the world stage. Did they really own up to the fact that basketball's popularity had grown and that other countries were going to try their darndest to dethrone them. This year, the pros are making the most of the experience - going to other events, cheering on other athletes, and all and all rooting on their fellow USA team mates. I think part of this goes in part to Kobe Bryant who's been seen cheering on other atheletes, and has been seen at most of the other major events. I've seen him at swimming, beach volleyball, arena volleyball, and women's basketball.
China, as host, is of course dominating the gold medal count. However I have to wonder how much of it is actual competence in the event versus favoritism by the judges. So many things have suddenly come to light about China in the Olympic games. First there was the opening ceremony. Extravagant by even Olympic standards, the world learned shortly that all was not what it seemed. The foot print fireworks were computer generated. This was done citing the inability to safely record them from a helicopter. Okay, that makes sense. Frankly, I'd rather watch CGI fireworks than hear that someone died trying to record them while flying. Then there was the news that the little girl who sang the Chinese anthem was lip-synching. That the girl whose voice we heard was actually deemed "not cute enough" by the government and replaced at the last minute by someone who was "cuter." Then the Chinese women's gymnastic team looked half-and-half. Half teenager, half little girls. It's bad enough that most gymnastics teams are a pedophile's dream, but China took it to a whole new level with their team that looked like they ranged between ten to sixteen. Do I doubt that they were all the requisiet 16? Oh yeah. At least half of them had to be between 12-14. I understand that Asians tend to look younger than, say, Americans, but honestly these girls looked ridiculously young. However it's up to the IOC to formally complain about the ages of the girls. They instituted an age limit to try and keep the girls from permanently injuring themselves. At a younger than 16, serious damage can be done to the joints and growth plates doing the level of gymnastics that's done at the Olympics.
All and all I've been enjoying the games. Not all of it has been bad or riddled in controversey. I just felt like making some observations...
Well, we'll finish out the week and see what happens. Here's to the games!
