The Winter Olympics are over, time to start blogging

A few friends have been nagging me for years to blog. I already do Facebook and Twitter, so why do I need to blog? Well, as the Olympics were unfolding, I remember night after night finding some story or event amazing, and wished I could preserve it. Sure, NBC put its emphasis on things as it saw fit, but I realize a blog may be the way to help me remember the things that I liked in these games.

For example, there was opening night. NBC kept wondering how it would compare to Beijing, and then they kept talking about how that fourth arm got stuck in the floor. Me? I loved the whales. And, I thought that kid "running" through the wheat fields was just amazing. Ditto for kd lang. Finally, there were those unmentioned extras who were dressed in white pants and white jackets and white hats, dancing while the countries marched in--they were just funny.

Captivating me the first few nights were the Freestyle events, starting with Hannah Kearney vs Jenn Heil in the Women's moguls. After Heil's run, it looked like the Canadian National anthem would finally be played on Canadian soil. Kearney came down the mountain last, and it became clear when she reached the bottom that Canada would have to wait one more night.

Then there was the Men's snowboarding cross. Good ole Seth Wescott from Sugarloaf, Maine, and winner from Torino. Early on it didn't look like he was going to repeat, as he just about spun out on his first run. In the final, he again looked in trouble, as he was in last place for a good part of the race...then he moved into third...and then second, and then he took over the lead, holding onto it at the finish line, while steering off an attempted pass at the end of the race.

Finally, there was Men's moguls. Who wasn't rooting for Alexandre Bilodeau of Canada? What a great win, and a great sight, as he ran over to his brother as soon as his scores came up with him in the lead.

What I really liked about these performances were not just the races themselves, but the way they acted and spoke afterward:
-Wescott on the Today show 'earned' himself a hug from Matt Lauer, as he held the flag that belonged to his grandfather, a WW II vet;
-Kearney, her competition complete so early in the games, talked about her fondness of both the US and Canada, and then about how she was going to catch as many events as she could over the next week or so and be the team's biggest supporter;
-Bilodeau, talked about the inspiration that he receives from his older brother, who has CP.

They did us proud on this continent.


Ok, I like this. I'll probably do this a few more times to get through the rest of the winter games, but I will try to be briefer...

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