Go Olympic Person!

Some more thoughts from our Olympic commentating team of Brett, Amanda, Iddo, and myself. This time from Friday through Tuesday.

Friday

What’s with all the websites doing stories where they act like athletes giving glory to God is an unusual thing? It’s God and Mom and always has been for athletes.

Lisa: The women’s 10k was awesome. I didn’t know they did it on the track though. That’s crazy.
Amanda: Go Ethiopia! That would be too many laps around the track for me, but it was a cool race.
Lisa: I’ve thought a 5k on a track was too many laps.
Amanda: If you’re running that far, you might as well be going somewhere.
Lisa: Exactly. That’s too hamster wheel for me.

I like the South African rowing uniforms. They’ve taken the stripe of their flag from their leg up their torso.

NBC Commentator: Does it get more exciting than equestrian? Neigh!
Amanda: Terrible.
Lisa: I give it a gold tomato.
Amanda: Heh. Works for me.
Lisa: More sports should require top hats.
Amanda: Maybe. But I’m having a hard time coming up with any other sport where they wouldn’t look totally ridiculous.
Lisa: Maybe that’s the point.
Amanda. Heh. Fair enough. I’m in.

The US almost lost to Serbia in basketball. Commentator saying they are uninspiring and not playing like a team. Just what I was saying about the whole NBA.

Amanda: Photog helped the shot put winner get a flag from her dad. :heart:

Men’s 100m butterfly – Wow!

Amanda: I like the Italian sports bras more than the American. The American ones just seem so inefficient.
Lisa: A good sports bra is key for us chesty athletes.
Amanda: Seriously. I love mine.
Lisa: I had to get a new one and we’re still working out our relationship. It rubs my collar bones wrong.

Amanda: Johnny Weir, your hair is dumb. Also, everything I’ve wanted to happen tonight in the Olympics has happened.
Lisa: Sounds like a good night.
Amanda: It has been. I’m especially happy about the men’s 50m. But I’d rather watch Mary Carillo than Johnny Weir/Tara Lipinkski anyway. I don’t understand Weir’s fashion choices at all. But maybe they are the right choice to tell us about samba and Carnivale. The only thing missing is why Carnivale is celebrated at all. Isn’t it right before Lent?
Lisa: It is.
Amanda: Yeah, they left that part out.
Lisa: It’s Fat Tuesday.
Amanda: I thought so. So they ignored the religious aspect. Though some/many of the celebrants may ignore that part too.
Lisa: Oh, they do. Everyone is non-practicing Catholic down there.
Amanda: As in they do ignore it? And just party?
Lisa: Yup.
Amanda: Same with New Orleans probably.
Lisa: Exactly.
Amanda: Alas.

Saturday

Amanda: The French just had an awesome save in indoor volleyball.
Lisa: We figured out that “flipping swimming” is diving. Iddo was glad to see it. I liked watching the water spiral out of their hair as they put themselves through the spin cycle.
Amanda: Heh. That is fun. And Iddo’s name for it makes sense.
Lisa: It’s more descriptive.
Amanda: It’s true.
Lisa: Just finishing the first set of the France/US volleyball game.
Amanda: The cool save is in the 4th set.
Lisa: You’re only 2 hours ahead of us on broadcast.
Amanda: My brain is too melted to do that math, but that’s possible.
…
Lisa: That was definitely an awesome save.

Amanda: Mo Farrah gave a shout out to his 4 kids.
Lisa: I like Mo.
Amanda: I like him too. His race is a good one tonight.

Lisa: Soccer players can’t sing. But they do.
Amanda: Can you hear them singing?
Lisa: You could hear the Columbia and Brasil players singing their anthems before their game.
Amanda: Ah.

Amanda: I don’t understand why there is not a women’s 1500 swimming race. I like that the bell is an actual hand bell and Blake noticed that every swimmer gets their own bell, which makes sense.
Lisa: The commentators were commenting on the distance thing too. I could go to the Olympics as a bell ringer. I can count.
Amanda: I would join you for that.

Amanda: I think the yellow and green haired sprinter is wearing a wig.
Lisa: I don’t know. But I have noticed there is a difference in concerns about aerodynamics between swimming and running.
Amanda: I can kind of see hair around her ears and the nape of her neck. And yes. I’ve noticed those differences too.
Lisa: Maybe it’s regrowth.
Amanda: It looks like it’s pulled back, where the yellow hair is pulled down. Hmm. The internet says it is dyed. Okay.
Lisa: Go internet!
Amanda: A photo finish for the women’s 100m! There is definitely an economic disparity between track winners/countries and that of swimming. It’s not entirely true of everyone. Not every swimmer comes from money and not every runner does not.
Lisa: That is true. Running requires free ground, and hopefully, but not necessarily, good shoes. Swimming needs a whole pool.
Amanda: Yep.
Lisa: How many swimmers come from the continent of Africa?
Amanda: Not a lot> i think there is at least one male Ethiopian swimmer.
Lisa: One thing I love about marathons is that me, a non-entity in the world of marathons, can run in the exact same race as those who will win. You can’t do that with other sports. That’s probably one reason why more countries have track and field athletes than other sports.
Amanda: That makes sense. And for a lot of those distance runners, it’s not about winning.
Lisa: For the majority of them it’s just about finishing.
Amanda: Yep. Phelps last race!
Lisa: John Stephen Akhwari: The Greatest Last Place Finish in the Olympic History Go Phelps! That marathon story still makes me tear up.
Amanda: That’s a great story. There’s a swimmer’s story like that. I’ll find it. Eric the Eel: The Olympic Swimmer Who’d Never Been in an Olympic-Size Pool
Lisa: Cool!

Political ads, designed to divide us, should not be allowed during the Olympics, designed to unite us.

Love the heptathlete bow at the end. All the heptathletes lined up with the winners in the middle, held hands, and took a bow. It was great.

Sunday

Brett watching the women’s marathon: It’s amazing when you think what our bodies are capable of and then when you see what other human bodies are capable of, like running 12mph for 26 miles.

If you train for a marathon wearing running shorts and then race wearing running briefs, your tan lines are going to be a bit distracting.

I like that they use safety pins on their bibs just like us normal people do.

Amanda: I’m thinking Olympic golf might be a good time for a nap. Woke up in time for equestrian! Show jumping is cool.

Amanda: Aww. A US men’s gymnast’s wife washed all his gear in baby detergent before he left. They have a new 6-month-old and she and the baby stayed in AZ. But he has put up all the photos she has sent him in the room. All this is to remind him that his journey has been a family accomplishment.

Amanda: Either Bob Costas is really short or Usain Bolt is really tall or standing on something.
Lisa: The sprinters are tall.

Amanda: The 41-year-old gymnast is out of medal contention, but the fact that she is still doing what she does at 41 is amazing.

Amanda: There is a Visa Checkout commercial featuring the Eatons that I think is cute.
Lisa: I like the Eatons.
Amanda: Speaking of athletes we like – did you see Mo Farrah’s race?
Lisa: I saw it. That was awesome.
Amanda: He fell! Could have been trampled! And then he won!

Amanda: Walsh Jennings ran under the net to the other side to save the ball. They explain why that’s legal. It was cool. And their tops are a lot better tonight.

Track athletes have more tattoos than swimming athletes.

Monday

Why is there a llama in the Geico commercial with Marco Polo?

Women’s open swim is easier to explain to Iddo than wrestling. Although she does find it interesting there are people who don’t need boats in the ocean. And she wants to be in a buoy.

Iddo has decided Brett could run the steeple chase. He’s decided she could play table tennis.

Iddo isn’t impressed by or interested in hurdles after seeing the steeple chase because they just jump over things and don’t run through pools as well.

Amanda: Synchro swimming is simultaneously cool and weird.

I love Amanda’s preview of coming attractions. It threw Brett off Sunday night when I knew they’d explain the legality of going under the net as she was going under the net.

I told Iddo that synchronized swimming is dancing in the water. She did a little wiggle and asked if they danced like that. Then we went to watch it. After seeing it she said it was kind of funny. I fully expect her to demonstrate in the wading pool or bath tub soon. One of the commentators said “We’ll see if the judges liked it,” and Iddo replied “I didn’t like it.” During another routine the commentators said “There are such small differences,” about a pair and Iddo repeated “There are small differences Mom. But they have matching hair.”

I’ve never heard a jellyfish report during the Olympics before.

We watched the men’s 800m and I commented, “Go white boy.” The winners were Kenya, Algeria, and a white boy from the States.

Miller’s diving finish in the 400m! That’s commitment!

Tuesday

Lisa: I didn’t realize horses have a blind spot right in front of their faces and so when they approach a gate to jump over it that it completely disappears. I always think the jump designs are pretty.
Amanda: Way prettier than human hurdles. 🙂

Iddo has been asking for more flipping swimming and they just aren’t broadcasting enough of that for her. So I pulled up Tuesday morning’s men’s springboard for her and she was happy. Plus, it’s not every Olympics you get to see a belly flop. Defending Olympic champ even.

Poor Bob Costas having to do a time filling interview with giggly girls.