Olympics

As I was flipping through the channels this evening, I noticed that NBC once again has the Olympic rings under their TV emblem and it brought a little feeling of excitement and pride tingling into the pit of my stomach. I'm usually a bigger fan of the summer Olympics but I do enjoy the winter Olympics as well. And the excitement of the Olympics is even bigger this year with them being in Vancouver, so much closer to home than Beijing for the summer Olympics. The first time I can remember watching the Olympics was the '92 summer games in Barcelona. I remember my mom let me watch them with her in her bedroom so that we could watch without my brother annoying us to death. We sat on her bed and watched gymnastics which was her (and soon became my) favorite sport. I must have been about 7 years old. Shannon Miller became my idol (and still is) and I asked my mom to sign me up for gymnastics that night. I have dutifully watched the Olympic games ever since with a sense of pride and excitement that seems to make me feel as if I am part of something bigger. As if these athletes represent my personal hopes and dreams along with their own. I remember the Magnificent Seven team that brought home Team Gold in Atlanta and that my gymnastics coach got to go watch these. I remember the disappointment at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. And the awesome Hamm brothers in Athens. So although I am partial to the summer games, I go into these winter games in Vancouver with a sense of hope. There are many things that have changed in my life and I feel a sense of renewal and feel as if positive changes are coming. I may just be swayed with the excitement of the games but that's what the Olympics is all about.