The One with The Olympics...

I am watching the Olympics right now and enjoying it so much! A Canadian Ice Dancing Team just did a really cool skate to "Everybody Dance Now!" Oh, it was SO cool! And so much fun to watch! I used to ROLLER-skate to that song when I was a kid--I spent almost every day in the (roller) skating rink around this time 20 years ago--my goodness, it has been 20 years. Wow! Anyway, the skate was for Original Free Skate and this Canadian Duo did so well! Seeing more of B.C. Canada has been awesome, it's such a beautiful place, I wouldn't mind seeing it someday. Watching this duo skate brought back a lot of great roller skating memories for me and made me realize just how much I've truly loved the Olympics this year!

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics have been fantastic! They started out rather rocky (a Georgian Lugger died on while making a practice run on opening day--had several disasters since--The Lindsay Vaughn/Julie Mancusto Battle, Apolo Ohno being disqualified last night, Canadian Skate, Joannie Rochette's mother dying of a sudden heart attack this past Sunday--her courage since has been truly amazing! A wanna-be Olympic skier dying in Tahoe on Thursday and a Canadian Athlete being questioned by Police), but since then, they have been so much fun!

Watching Shaun White, Shanni Davis, Apolo Ohno and Lindsay Vaughn--they make me proud to be an American. Watching all of the nations come together and strive for something wonderful--i's awe-inspiring!

The Olympics are special because it's the one time every four years where (most of) the world puts their crap aside, and just gets along. Sure, each country is going for the Gold and the ultimate goal is to kick ass and win the most medals. But, an athlete is an athlete is an athlete and there's a certain camaraderie among them. It's very cool.

I love how all the countries pile into the Olympic Stadium during Open/Closing Ceremonies and live in close quarters throughout the Olympics. I love how you see each team helping each other, encouraging each other--feeling one another's passion, enthusiasm and the agony of defeat. The Olympics are one of the oldest customs Planet Earth and one of my favorite things about them is that The Olympics display humanity as its best!

Humanity in the sense of spirit, love, hope, joy and pride! Humanity in the sense of strength and togetherness. And humanity on a physical level--and the amazing things a human body can do--and the downright miraculous recoveries it can make! Yes, indeed, The Olympics are humanity as its best!

My favorite Winter Olympic sport is Bobsledding/Sleighing. I know, my mother (and my grandmother) would want me to say Figure Skating. I grew up watching, living and breathing Ice Skating year round. There was a time in my life where I could have named the World Champions and Olympic Medalists two Olympics back. So, I should say "Figure Skating," but I won't. Colin likes the Speed Skating and Skiing. Those are fun to watch too! But...

My most favorite Winter Olympic Sport is without a doubt, Bobsledding. It just fascinates me! A part of me cannot comprehend why someone would willingly barrel themselves down sheet of ice at 90mph. But, the other part of me thinks "hey, they're enclosed in a sled/sleigh and it could be fun." It's one of the few sports I can think (Winter of Summer--except for Rowing) that is done sitting down. I think that's why it fascinates me so much. They sit down and go down that sheet of ice making twists, turns and curves. Part of me thinks it could be fun, and part of me wonders just how on earth they do that? I mean, seriously?

What kind of athleticism does it take to steer a sled down a sheet of ice when you're clocking in at 4 G's? It truly amazes me! And that's why it's my favorite. It's also my favorite because it's one of the most dangerous. ALL sports are dangerous--there is always room for error and the possibility of catastrophe or even death. I'm not trying to be negative, but it's true. But, with a Bobsled/sleigh--there's not much between you and that sheet of ice and unlike other sports, there is NO room for error. There's no split second to correct it, you slip up ONE TIME and you're ejected from the sled, sliding down the sheet of ice like a human cannonball. It's absolutely thrilling to watch! And tonight, four USA Bobsledders made me very proud--because they won GOLD!!! Right on, GO TEAM USA!!!!

I think another reason I like Bobsledding so much is because the movie "Cool Runnings," was one of the first movies I ever sat through in its entirety. It's a true story of a Jamaican Bobsled team and it came out when I was about 4 years old. It was a great movie, and even though I'm not a Sports Enthusiast, for some reason, I love Sports Movies. (A League of Their Own, is one of my all-time favorite movies!). And I must admit, this year, I got INTO the Super Bowl--it was so much fun to watch! What a game! Perhaps I am becoming a Sports lover...we'll see.

Anyway, I am so very, very proud every time an American takes the Gold--and I get to hear my National Anthem and see my beautiful American Flag raised in all it's beauty & glory!

It's just wonderful! I've always loved the American Flag and still do! And yes, despite its difficulties, I am still proud to be an American.

We're not perfect, we certainly have more problems than we ever intended to have. We are not exactly the most cultured country and there are very few things we can call OURS. (French Kiss, Margarita's, Italian Ice--"American Saturday Night," by Brad Paisley--it's true).

But, there's just something so special about seeing an American win a medal in the Olympics. I think every countrymen/women feel that way when their nation wins a medal. (For the record, I don't mind seeing Canada win either.)

For me, though, every time an American Athlete makes it to the Pedestal, it just reiterates how blessed I am to have been born and raised here. How much I love what this country has given me. How much I appreciate the freedoms that I have. And how much I love what America stands for--even if it often falls short of those ideals.

I think people come here for a better life and even in the midst of The Great Recession, we do have a better life here. People can work (some of them, if they can get past the startling unemployment rate) and earn a living and live in decent conditions. Maybe not perfect, luxurious ones, but compared to a lot of places in the world--certainly descent ones.

Yes, it is harder to "make it big," here in America. The gap between the rich and the poor is closing and the average American does have to choose between heat/eat or medicine. And that is a tragedy.

America is certainly not what it once was; but it's like the Toby Keith song says "I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once, as I ever was." And that's how I feel about the American Athletes who compete in the Olympics. I think now more than ever, America needs heroes--it needs someone to root for, and something to believe in!

(Okay, now I'm tearing up, damn PMS makes me so emotional!).

These Athletes are as spectacular as they are because they've been given the CHANCE to accomplish great things. Because they've had family and friends who believed in them. Because they were born and raised in a country where they could take the time to excel in their chosen sport. Where they could count on food and shelter, clothing and warm beds. yes, that can be said about a lot of the world, but every time I see an American Athlete, I am reminded of this.

Watching the Olympics has been so enjoyable and fun! I've loved hearing the stories behind the athletes, getting to know more about them on a personal level and then rooting for them--even the other guys/gals (not Americans) on occasion. I have come to respect athletes more than I ever have in my lifetime and am really enjoying learning about each individual sport!

The Olympics are also making me even more proud to be from Reno/Tahoe! As it turns out, Lake Tahoe is pretty much breeding ground and base camp for the Skiing! (Another reason I should say Skiing is my favorite, but it isn't.). I knew that growing up, on some level at least. But, hearing about how very many of these Skiers lived, trained and were even raised in Tahoe is so cool! I was raised in Reno, and Tahoe was where my Uncle & Aunt lived. I went there a few times a year, but still, we did HOST the Winter Olympics FIFTY years ago in Squaw Valley. Heck, the freeway we took to get Uncle Bob's house up in Tahoe was built specifically for the 1960 Winter Olympics! How awesome is that?! And apparently, Reno/Tahoe is vying for a chance to HOST the Winter Olympics again in 2022, I think? Sometime around then, either way, I'll definitely be making a trip back home for that! That would be so terrific!

But, anyway, the Winter Olympics are just FUN! There's always something interesting to watch, something new to learn and someone to root for! It's pretty fantastical! (No, that's not a typo, I just felt like using that word!).

I'm going to go now, but I am glad I wrote about how much fun I'm having watching the Olympics. They come to an end tomorrow with the Closing Ceremonies--those will be fun to watch too!

Here's to all Athletes everywhere--especially those on TEAM USA!!! I am so proud of you all and so grateful to you for making America look as good as you do!

So, it is with my right hand over my heart and a salute to the beautiful American Flag that I bid you all a goodnight!

Thank you, Lord, sincerely, for letting me born into a country so rich in freedom, opportunity and friendship! It is because of this fact alone that I am blessed to this day!

In Light N' American/Olympic Love,
-Sarah Liz :)