February was a month of sports in our house—spectator sports.
I am an avid fan of the Olympics, so I watched figure skating, skiing, snowboarding, and curling for hours each day, and even a little hockey. I recorded events that were shown when I was asleep or in a meeting and watched them back later.
I was impressed with Lindsay Jacobellis and Nick Baumgartner, who won gold in mixed-team snowboard cross. She is 36, and he is 40. Living proof you don’t have to be a kid to excel in sports.
As is often the case, there was as much drama off the ice and snow as on. A doping scandal plagued the figure skating. And Covid kept more than one athlete away from his event.
Lost Luggage, Positive Test – History Being Written
Covid also affected speedskater Casey Dawson. He tested positive for Covid before the Games began and had to stay home. When he finally tested negative, he jumped on a plane, changed planes a few times, and arrived in Beijing 36 hours later, shortly before his first event. But his luggage was lost—including his skate blades. He was forced to race, not only without rest, but also on borrowed blades, which a former champion described as worse than skating with jet lag and fatigue. He finished 28th of 29 skaters.
Casey’s Olympics weren’t over yet. After his luggage caught up with him, he had another distance to skate—and came away with a bronze medal.
On the subject of medals, I always am disappointed in athletes or fans who look down on silver or bronze medals. Finishing just out of the gold is an achievement worthy of acclaim. Most sports figures will tell you of the pride that comes with being named an Olympian in the first place, no matter how they finish.
I heard many Olympians describe how much fun they had just participating. And isn’t that how it should be?
Not Just the Olympics
At Christmastime, my daughter Wendy and I talked about how frustrating it would be that the Super Bowl was scheduled right in the middle of the Olympics. We knew primary coverage would be on the Super Bowl, and Olympic events would be skimped on that day.
Confession time: I am not much of a football fan. (Baseball is my sport of choice). I rarely watch the Super Bowl and didn’t plan to this year.
But then! Our own Cincinnati Bengals won play-off game after play-off game and made it to the Super Bowl, so the Olympics weren’t the only sport on my TV in February. For the first time in decades, I was eager to watch the game.
No, the Bengals didn’t win (in case you haven’t heard), but my thinking is this: The Super Bowl is the gold-medal event of the NFL, which means the Cincinnati Bengals won the silver medal. Awesome achievement, guys! We are proud of you.
