Going for the Gold

The boys of winter are here! I’ve been enjoying the Olympics coverage since the opening ceremony Friday night. If you missed that show, you missed one of the best ones (personally, I liked the innovation, learning opportunity & intimacy of this ceremony over the one in Beijing). I would not want to be the coordinator for 2012’s ceremonies, as each opening ceremony seems like an impossible act to follow. Vancouver’s director did a great job by going in a different direction instead of trying to top Beijing.

The opening ceremonies captured nearly every emotion on the spectrum, from grief over the (overexposed) death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili; the awe of watching Johnny Lyall snowboard down an anonymous Canadian slope and then through the Olympic rings in the stadium; disbelief that kd lang was barefoot while singing “Hallelujah;” fascination at the imagery in the visual floor; to the confusion on the faces of Wayne Gretzky and Steve Nash as they waited for the cauldron columns to rise from the floor.

Since then, I’ve been glued to the television, watching the coverage as much as my schedule allows. My favorites so far are the moguls and snowboarding on Cypress Mountain.

I love the interviews and profiles that pop up throughout the coverage. Some are better than others, but each serves to show how hard each athlete has worked to get to Vancouver, sometimes including odds they have overcome or obstacles that have nearly prevented them from competing. Others not only provide inspiration for the athlete in all of us, but also give us a glimpse at what inspires the athletes themselves. I’m jealous of Matt Lauer. Being able to interview athletes like this in an Olympic setting would be a dream job for me. (I wonder if NBC would provide me with an interpreter!)

Right now, I have an eye on the television, waiting for the snowboard cross final to air. Unfortunately, I accidentally saw the medal results online, so I know who wins. I’ll have to be a little more careful not to check any of the news outlets tomorrow!