It takes all types

Thursday I watched the USA’s women’s 8 team take gold in rowing. There are actually 9 women in an 8 man boat. Mary Whipple sits in the coxswain position in the boat. She’s 5’4″ and 106 pounds. The stroke position in the boat, the rower right in front of her, is Caryn Davies who is 6’4″ and 181 pounds and has done competitive ballroom dancing. All of the rowers are about Caryn’s size, a foot taller than Mary. Mary barely comes up to their shoulders.

Friday the track and field started. Reese Hoffa threw shot put for USA. He is 5’11” and 324 pounds and took bronze. In his spare time he juggles and solves Rubik’s cubes in under a minute. He weighs more than three times what Mary weighs.

Mary, Caryn, and Reese are all Olympic athletes. I love that they come in all sizes.

I love the variety of the events too. There’s something out there for everyone. You’ve just got to find the sport that fits you.

The commentators Thursday said that you can’t just go in the backyard and play kayak. They were commenting that several of the athletes came from kayaking families and had that advantage. I’m going to take that as a challenge. One day I’ll let you know how I’ve figured out how to go into our desert backyard and play kayak. It’s going to be Olympic!

A true Olympic moment: This morning I watched Oscar Pistorius run the 400m qualifying heat, and qualify. Which doesn’t seem all that special until you know that he’s a double amputee. He lost both legs just below the knee. A man with no legs is running in the Olympics. And there are those who think he has an unfair advantage. If he can do that, I can at least run around the neighborhood. Make your dreams happen.

At least my run around the neighborhood is more scenic than the women’s 10K yesterday. I ran on tracks in junior high, but never for 6.2 miles. Twenty-five times around a track is too much hamster wheel for me. I prefer road races. Although you must admit that a 5 minute mile over 6.2 miles is a very impressive time.