What is your favorite Olympics memory? I remember Mark Spitz and Nadia, Kathy Riggs, Bruce Jenner! Boy, has he changed!
He was really cute then!

I’m editing this to include some pictures of competitors others have remembered. I remembered that a girl in my class in Long Beach was a Silver medal sculler in the Olympics–Joan Lind. Nice person.

Rulon Gardner:

I thought he was our former sheriff. He was nice about it.

FOR MARTA, Shun Fujimoto:

Greg Louganis: SO admire his courage….

I was disgruntled when Russia boycotted our games in LA. Mary Lou Retton won gold that year. I probably like to watch winter Olympics more because I enjoy figure skating, but I’m glued to these summer Olympics!

I’ve pondered the situation where a world champion (Jordyn Wieber, Ryan Lochte) doesn’t perform their best at the Olympics and are devastated. I feel for them, but hope they retain a perspective that life is full of ups and downs.

I have never been an athlete–my younger sisters were all “jocks” but I wanted to lay around and read more. I had the build for some athletics and was fairly coordinated, but not the fire in the belly. I do remember having a great PE teacher in sixth grade who taught tumbling. I could do a back flip with no hands! I ran a pretty fast 50 yard dash, but pooped out quickly. But my worst athletic failing is I had no competitive spirit. I didn’t care if I lost.

I’m watching the athletes compete with injuries, sacrifice and exult in their participation. They care if they lose! I believe that those who excel—at anything are those who work harder, rather than those who are more talented. And I wonder if that athletic spirit of dedication to winning is part of all who are the best in their field. I also wondered “Would Michael Phelps have been a great artist if he’d wanted to be? Is his true talent concentration, devotion and reliability?” I don’t know.

I was watching the male gymnasts from England perform the other day and Daniel Purvis—red hair, green eyes—-had overcome tremendous odds just to walk, let alone flip his body all over. He was just okay by Olympics standards, but if I ever saw him do that in person, I’d think he was a god. And 42 year old Yoran Yovchev from Bulgaria?? Young enough to be my child, considered an old man in Olympics standards, he was terrific.

Are you watching? What are your thoughts? Favorites? Anybody remember Bruce Jenner? He’s had too much plastic surgery and is kind of a joke now that he’s a Kardashian, but that guy had it going on in his day. Michael Phelps made history—-go USA!!