At each Olympics, I tell myself that I’m not going to get wrapped up in them. Invariably, by the second day, I’m hooked. The winter Olympics for me is all about the ice…figure skating, ice dancing, speed skating. Snow? Too cold. Downhill skiing is like watching car racing for me. It’s all about the finish line. But show me Sasha Cohen’s stylings across the ice, or Johnny Weir’s creativity, or Shizuka Arakawa’s grace and I’m rapt. And the speed skating relays– I’m on the edge of my seat.
I love to watch the competitors congratulate each other at the end of the race…the acknowledgement that it is about the sport, not just winning. Not that winning is bad. The world should fight its wars this way– on the field, on the slopes, on the ice. Let the best man win, and let the losers return to try again.
My two weeks of guilty pleasure is almost over, then it’s back to CSI.
EDIT: There’s always one that makes that exception. Speed skater Chad Hedrick of Texas may be a winner, but his Olympic spirit (and decency) are lacking. From his treatment of his teammate Shani Davis, to his dissing of the Dutch gold medalist, he should learn to keep his mouth shut.