Olympical Musings

I doubt "Olympical" is a word. But it sounds cool. Plus, if it's not, I can say I invented it. Like Bush/Will Ferrell with "strategery." So, as we enter yet another day of the 29th Olympiad, I am filled with random thoughts:

• Michael Phelps deserves every amount of praise being heaped on him. Even though he is not quite to 8 gold medals, to be able to do what he has done is simply amazing. He is dealing with huge expectations, the highest level of competition, and that all-important mental battle. The physical toll he is going through is something to behold, but let's not forget the mental battles an athlete must go through. He has to fight off the media grind, the emotional toll of event after event, and being mentally strong enough to fight through what his body may be telling him. So all the credit in the world to him, and here's to three more golds.
• It's sad that this is the final year for baseball as an Olympic sport. Softball is also off the table for 2012, but may be back on in 2016. For those who know me, you know how much I love baseball. So there is that bias. But also keep in mind that baseball's growth in the last several years has not been in the U.S. It has been in Asia, Latin America & even Europe. Baseball is being taken very seriously by several nations because of what the sport means.....the national pride it induces, the team concept, yet with the chance for individual glory....baseball is too important globally to be ignored. Let's hope the IOC changes it's mind...
• The controversy surrounding the Chinese women's (girls?) gymnastics team is unfortunate. If you haven't heard, there is an age requirement for women to participate in gymnastics...the athlete must be 16 during this calendar year. But there is strong suspicion that most of the Chinese team consists of girls who are 10, 11, 12 years old. Innocent until proven guilty, I say...BUT...if they are guilty of this, it becomes a sad, sad reflection on sports. Admittedly, I am in the business of helping kids of all ages become better athletes. But to force an environment of "win at all costs" on a child that young is too bad. Even worse that it pervades the highest reaches of their government, for it is these folks making the decisions. Let a kid be a kid. Sports can play a huge role in their physical & emotional development...but keep it fun.
• I love being able to see random sports we never see in mainstream American sports media. Look over the list of sports being played.....team handball, field hockey, shooting, trampoline....wait, trampoline? I did say this was a list of sports, right? Oh well....point being that we get to see a lot of gifted athletes do things at the highest level. No matter the "sport."

Keep rooting on our athletes...

BJ