Hello, my name is Heather and I am an Olympics Junkie. Admitting it, though, won't change it. I love, love, love the Olympics. Once every four years, I care about sports like fencing, water polo, synchronized diving, cycling. I plan my life around it. I lose so much sleep staying up late and getting up early to watch.
There is just a great spirit about the Olympics - hearing the stories of teenagers like Missy Franklin poised and dominating in their sport while millions watch and the stories of Dana Torres who is my age and still competing. Your heart goes out to the athletes who train for years and in a split second lose it all and then your heart fills with joy to the "little guy" who pulls off a great feat of strength or skill and surprises the world.
Anyone who knows me won't be surprised that I cry a lot during the Olympics. Each time I hear the US National Anthem, I get a little teary. I cry watching parents. I sob watching teenagers. I get emotional watching heartbreak.
All photos are from nbc.olympics.com
Opening Ceremonies 
- Watching a 100 foot Voldemort get taken down by Mary Poppins.
- Props to the Queen for participating in the ceremonies via video and even sky diving into the stadium :-)
- Wondering what anthem the "Independent Nations" delegation would use if they won a Gold - "Celebrate" by Kool & the Gang?
- Mr. Bean playing the single Chariots of Fire note - funny stuff!
- Coolest Cauldron made of copper leaves - think it's my favorite.
Day 1
- After hours of racing, watching a US cyclist get 4th get a fraction of a tire length
- Ryan Lochte getting the first men's gold
- US Men's Gymnastics qualifying in first.
Day 2
- Nice Story - a near perfect score skeet shooting - Kim Rhode
- Jordyn Wieber - broke my heart!!! Crushed at missing her chance to make the All-Around. Struggling between holding her own emotions and trying to be happy for teammates. NBC couldn't figure out how to move the camera angle to avoid having her bawling in the background while interviewing the ones who won!
Day 3
- Watching the home town Brits get a medal for gymnastics!!! Very few will remember who won the Gold. Even Prince William & Harry got in on the action.
- 17-year-old Missy Franklin crying after seeing her parents reaction to her winning the gold! Hearing her story giving up a lot of money to stay a "normal" teenager.
Day 4
- McKayla Maroney with THE best vault I've ever seen - hands down! (Kerry Strugg gets the best vault with an injury)
- The Fab Five bringing home the Gold in gymnastics. Congratulations ladies. It's a huge accomplishment.
- Michael Phelps - most decorated Olympian ever. So nice to see that classic smile again - way too much pressure from everyone about his performance to date.
Day 5
- Badminton controversy? The only controversy is why this is still an Olympic sport!
- Nathan Adrian - winning 100 free by one-hundredth of a second
- Danell Layva with the Bronze in the Men's All-Around with an amazing high bar routine!!!
Day 6
- Good day for Americans - Bypassed the Chinese for most medals!!!
- USA Men's Basketball - 156 points and 26 three-pointers?! No wonder the world hates us!
- Great story about a US Olympian Kayla Harrison who won gold in Judo who was sexually abused by her coach but came back!
- Gabby!!! What a great job to keep the streak alive for the US All-Around! I shed a couple of tears for the Russian who got silver and Aby being shut out of the medals. Don't know why they can't just give two away. Is it really that hard to make another medal?
- Duel in the Pool! Phelps wins his first individual gold. Fantastic Olympics for Lochte!
Day 7
- Missed a bunch due to my class reunion
- Awesome match between Federer and Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 3-6, 7-6, 19-17. The match lasted 4 hours and 26 minutes - had to check the last set from work.
- Phelps Three-pete - another individual gold in the 100m butterfly - coming back from seventh at the turn?!?!
- Track Cycling - the short speed track skating of the summer Olympics - CRAZY!!!!
- Katie Ledecky - 15 years old and a gold medal. At 15, I was thinking about getting my driver's license and where my locker would be. Congrats girlfriend!
Day 8
- Serena Williams - SMOKED Sharakova!!! 6-0 6-1 She was extremely happy to win - even did a little jig.
- Best irony of the games - when the national anthem said "And our flag was still there..", it wasn't - it flew away!
- Canada wins its first gold - women's trampoline. Good job, eh?
- Seeing what the Olympics is really about. The 100m run by the small countries like Marshall Islands who are just thrilled to be there. Good lesson for a win-hungry country like mine.
- Watching Oscar Pistorious became the first amputee to compete on the track at an Olympics. Gotta think what a major barrier that is - like the first females, black, anyone with major disabilities. Congrats on just competing
- Holy bump, set, spike - I left with the Men's VB team having the game in hand, and they lost?!?!
- We won a fencing medal? Awesome!
- Watching the crowd sing "All You Need Is Love" spontaneously waiting for the medals ceremony for three Brit medals - Sir Paul McCartney was in the crowd!!!
- Michael Phelps winning what he says is his final medal - Gold in the 4x100 IM. I am privileged to see this man compete during my life. I hope it's not the end. Swimming needs him! And I'll miss his mama!
Day 9
- Andy Murray winning Men's tennis - probably cried the hardest so far here. I've watched him for years be disappointed in Wimbledon play. YEAH for him.
- Watched a shoot out for the Water Polo match between China and Australia. Pretty exciting!
- Malaysia gets the silver in Badminton - normally wouldn't care, but I have friends in Malaysia who were crushed as that would have been a Gold for them.
- Poor McKayla - it was a rough night for women's vault with a lot of falls.
- Destiny Hooker? Great volleyball player, but her parents should just be flogged for giving her that name. I thought it was bad when my mom wanted to name me Penny (Rich)!
- Watching the winner of the 400 semi track to switch their name tag with Pistorious after he lost - inspirational moment!
- 100m - Bolt is freakin' unbelievable. He is so dang fast.
Day 10
- Boo - no more US men in the Beach Volleyball.
- There is now a controversy about the outfits (or lack of them) from the women's beach v-ball players. But, I'll take those over the men's diving and rowing. Holy junk, batman!
- Some US judo guy got kicked out for eating a pot-brownie. He said he didn't know. Who is the moron who gave an Olympic athlete marijuana?
- Chinese diver face plants - I don't think I've ever seen that happen (especially from the Chinese)!
- Jenn Suhr gets Gold in the high jump - I swear this pole is going to break!
- Okay, Day 14 - a guy's pole breaks. So I am not crazy!
- I love gymnastics, but why have they dragged out the event finals to like five days. Something tells me that ratings are involved in that decision.
- Finally - I got to hear Elfie says "The landing is the last thing the judges see". It isn't an Olympics without it.
- Kirani James - Gold Medalist from Grenada - first medal ever! Inspiring story.
- Sam Mikulak - what a great display of sportsmanship duing the vault finals.
Day 11
- Watched the Chinese and Japanese women in V-Ball this morning. So much for the stereotypical docile, subserviant Asian women!
- Today I was good and didn't check ahead of time who won the events.
- An All-American Beach Volleyball finals for the women!
- Aly Reisman - she's had the high of highs and low of lows. Congrats to her on a spectacular Olympics and an amazing floor routine!
- Great job USA hurdles - Silver & Bronze to Harper & Wells. Lolo Jones in 4th. Someone should have tripped the Aussie :-).
- I thought the faceplant dive was bad - this dude landed on his back!
Day 12
- If I were a diver, I'd choose to dive off a lower platform - too many stairs!
- Speaking of divers, how can so many of the female divers and swimmers have such long, pretty hair? Mine would have fallen out!
- "The Golden Girls" - Misty and Kerri! Congrats to them! 42-1 in sets overall and perfect in games. Bittersweet as they have been so iconic and that's the last match. April & - terrific match to everyone!
- Track & Field - great night for team USA. 7 medals tonight
- Speaking of girls - this Olympics is for the girls! So far, the women are kicking tail! Twice as many gold medals as the men!
- So, late night - I watched BMX bike racing. Pretty cool. My kind of cycling - powerful, obstacles, and short to avoid a bike wedgie!
Day 13
- Nick Simmons - Melaleuca Athlete - gets fifth in the 800's. We are totally proud of you!
- Crazy medal procurement - 20 in the last two days with 5 more golds today.
- Okay - I think this pic is cool with the full moon
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| from PetaPixel.com |
- Women's teams go two for two today - Water Polo, Soccer. They are in the gold medal rounds for V-Ball and Basketball as well.
Usain Bolt is insane. Wow, that boy is fast. Winning back to back Olympics on the 100 and 200?!?!? He's cocky, as you can see in the pic, but can back it up. Holy cow!!!
- Congrats to the Gold & Silver Decathalon winners - Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee. I have often thought about life being like a decathalon. In most cases, the winner of the decathalon isn't the winner of the individual events. We often see life as just winning the shotput or the 1500 meters, not understanding that doing our very best in each event may not win the event, but we may win the race!
Day 14
- Story on the original Dream Team - Probably THE greatest team every assembled. Looking at the roster, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullen, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, and Christian Laettner. Koby Briant made comments earlier this year about this team that they could beat this team - crazy talk!!!! Even watching the moves today, my jaw still drops!
- WOW - the Women's 4 x 100 relay. Breaking a nearly 30-year-old world record by 1/2 second. AMAZING!!!
- Even if the athletes don't think so, I think the USA winning silver in the 4 by 100 is pretty amazing.
- Inspirational story of Bryshon Nellum - he was shot in the leg as a Freshman at USC and now running the initial leg of the 4 x 400 in the Olympics. He was chosen to be the flag bearer for the Closing Ceremonies.
- Jimmy Fallon and Bob Costas doing "Friday Thank You Notes". Two of the funniest people on the planet together - Costas "playing" the piano and Fallon talking about "Dong Dong" the Chinese Trampolinist!
Day 15
- Congrats to the Women's Basketball team. You had the lead the whole time. 41 consecutive wins? It's an impressive streak in a sport where anyone can lose anytime.
- Another Melaleuca athlete - Lagat. He got fifth after a bit of a collison. But, gotta love Farah who wins the 5000 meters also. Wow!
- David Boudia. What a great story. I watched this kid the day before. He barely, barely made the final cut. In an event that the China basically dominate, this guy took home the Gold. First since Greg Louganis!!! He just did every dive well and it's all you can ask for.
- The night ends with relays. The 4 x 100 mens - the US was actually stride for stride with the Jamaican's, but Bolt lives up to his name. Congratulations!!! The women 4 x 400 wins with no problems - check out those abs!!!!
Day 16
I had the chance to watch some of the marathon while I was getting ready to go on my flight to Germany. I admire the athletes anyway, but there was a certain athlete highlighted that impressed me - Mebrahtom Keflezighi. His family moved to America with almost nothing from a small African country. In his family of 11, there is an olympic athlete, a doctor, and accountant - impressive 4th place finish. The race was very close at the end.
- Thank you Delta - with in-flight TV, I got to watch the entire men's basketball game. It was a good game - closer than maybe it should have been. But, I even liked Koby today.
I only got to see about 15 minutes of the closing ceremony the next day with German dubbing. Sounds like it was a rocking time. In conclusion - one of my favorite parts of a movie is from "A League of Their Own". Geena Davis decides to quit baseball and go home. Her coach, Tom Hanks, calls her out on it. She replies:
Dottie Hinson: It just got too hard.
Jimmy Dugan: It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great.
The hard IS what makes it great. So many of our Olympians make it look incredibly easy. There are always comments on how well someone SHOULD have done. Not everyone can do what Michael Phelps has done - in fact no one has.
Closing with this as it says it perfectly:
You put on a terrific show!!!!
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