It's the Olympics of TV watching and I've seen so much I'm starting to cramp up. After sprinting up the dial from 4 to 27 to 34 and 46, I do a triple-back salto to 27 then nearly dislocate my thumb trying to avoid a commercial. When the final results are in, I learn I could've placed if only I'd vaulted over to channel 73.
I'm watching the best Olympics ever. I have four or five channels to choose from - but only on weekends. Primetime coverage during the week is limited to Channel 4 so we have to watch commercials and all the events NBC thinks we want to see. Fortunately, some of the commercials aren't half bad (though repetition doesn't do anything for them,) and the events shown have been exciting and probably what I'd be watching if given the choice.
It's Michael Phelps' Olympics this year. He's now tied with Mark Spitz for the most gold in a single Olympics and has already won more total gold than anyone else. He's broken 6 world records with his first 6 gold medals and only the Olympic record with the last win. Each time he swims there's excitement in the air and I've been fortunate to see many of his races live in primetime. He's so amazing he's broken two world records within an hour or two on more than one occasion, and never seems out of breath.
Phelps usually surprises by coming from behind to win it in the last few meters. The four-man freestyle relay was a nail-biter because Phelps wasn't in the anchor position and France led most of the way. Fortunately Americans were in the lead where it mattered - in the end - and they succeeded in helping Phelps in his ultimate goal of 8 gold in one Olympics.
They said last night's 100-meter butterfly would be close. It wasn't Phelps' best event and he was swimming next to the record holder in the event, Serbian Milorad Cavic, but the way Michael's been swimming there should be no worry, right? If Michael were to have a chance at 8 gold he'd have to win all eight of his events, including this one. Cavic lead the entire race and, as you've probably heard, was edged out at the end by a fingernail's distance, 1/100th of a second. Phelps took a risky half stoke while Cavic glided in on a too-long full stroke. Unbelievable.
I've never seen so many world records fall. (The green world record graphic line is so cool.) And I'm sure I've never seen a closer race than yesterday's 100m butterfly. Even though the results were contested, high speed video was slowed to a ten-thousandth of a second to confirm the win.
If I don't write more about the seeming obsession of cameras in the faces of American women gymnnasts while they're waiting to perform, instead of them focusing on something actually happening... If I don't write about volleyball so competitive that the ball hardly volleys at all... If I don't write about the winner of the men's 50 meter swim who didn't seem to take even one breath in the twenty-two seconds it took to finish the race... If I don't write about the athletes with local ties, like the Hamms and Chelsie Memmel, who I wanted to see more of but couldn't because of injury... If I don't mention 41 year old swimmer Dara Torres who wins races against those 25 years younger... It's because I'm watching the Olympics!
