Now that the Olympic games are over...

I did not keep up with the games. So much seems to be outside the pattern of the sports original intents. I do not for a moment think it will change for the better.

I watched them. I respect anyone who can dedicate themsleves and put in so much time to something at such a young age. Good going USA

I'm not much of a sports fan anyway...The show was a technologic success, it looked great in the pictures I saw.

OH Wow! Some folks really missed out, to watch Michael Phelps as his relay team won that 8th gold medal to break Mark Spitz' record was worth it all.

Better yet was, the look on his face... and in his eyes........of pride and of a job well done and long struggled for, and of patriotism while the National anthem was being played after they put the last gold medal around his neck. I cried and everyone in my house did as well....

.........and the strangest thing happened while that anthem was being played.... my 175 pound black Lab, Scarlett was lying on the couch seemingly asleep... until she heard that athem being played and in the middle she lifted her head just ever so slightly, never opening her eyes... and she half barked , and half howled , this long soft howl . We all just died lauging as I reached over and laid my hand on her and called her a good and patriotic puppy. even my dog could get this one right- LOL

One of my favorite parts of the olympics was watching the chinese people. They had never seen americans or other foreigners. They had never seen feedom like we have.

The games were for those who had worked so hard, many many records broken and hard work paid off. Thats what it was about.

Very proud of our athletes...and do hope they all played fair.

This summer Olympics is just one more reason that makes me proud to be American.
Our athletes represented themselves in a manner that should be appaulded by all.
I'm very proud of all of them.

I had refused to watch the olympics because of where they were being held... But my 20 year old son is such an athlete, a ARMY ROTC Ranger cadet who won first place in the Ranger Challenge physical fitness contest for the southeastern conference, a decathletes- running ,swimming and bicycling, and I think may have dreams and aspirations of going to the olympics one day.... he made me see BY his ethusiasm, that it was not about China, or the IOC ,or me or any political issue.

it was about those young athletes , who spend their youth training ...for years at a time for those few seconds that they compete in the Olympics... and to represent their home country as the best we have to offer ... we sorta have , in my view , a moral obligation to watch and to appreciate all of their efforts .

Way to GO USA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say 'several medals' is such an understatement. We watched quite a lot of the games. I put aside politics although I have a real problem with the amount of money spent by the Chinese government with so much poverty in the rural provinces.

The opening ceremony was nothing short of amazing. I can't watch the basketball and other sports with pros because I think it flies in the face of the spirit of the Olympics, but my husband enjoys it just for the competition. My favorite is gymnastics. It never ceases to amaze me what these athletes are able to do with their bodies.

Ahem

As with all of Dave's Garden, political discussion is not allowed. Let's please stick with the subject of the Olympic athletes and events, and not get into a debate about any country's political structure.
Thanks!
Terry

Our Olympic Athletes did an amazing job, and while their medal count was not as high as many others, we still came in 13th in the World standing. We are very proud of them here in Canada. :D

I watched a little, and what I did see was pretty inspiring. Our young ladies winning that relay nearly had me out of my seat! And what can you say about Phelps!?!

The opening and closing ceremonies were amazing, the skill and discipline the Chinese people demonstrated are lessons for many of us to learn. They are proud people and wanted to show the beauty of their country. The costumes were amazing, such variety and beauty, it was dazzling.
I am also very proud of the American athletes, even though I am not a sports fan I did watch a lot of the competitions because I feel that such extraordinary efforts need to be recognized.
All in all, I think it was Grand.
Josephine.

Both myself, and my DH thought the Olympics were amazing.

The opening and closing ceremonies were an incredible technological feat from a country that a mere 40 years ago the people were working in fields mostly.

Watching the joy and astonishment on the faces of athletics who broke record after record in accomplishing and surpassing their goal was wonderful. Hearing the incredulity in the voices of the announcers as the participants attained feats not believed humanly possible was simply goose-bump producing fun.

The change in China was extraordinary to behold...and while they may not be up to all the standards some would prefer, they are headed in that direction and I applaud them for it.

I was very proud of the Canadian athletes. Summer games are not so much our sports and many have minimal or no funding but after a slow start they started to come thru and ended with the highest summer games medal count the Canadian team has ever had. And many more athletes may not have come home with a medal but were in the top 5 or 10 . I think that must be pretty exciting for them!
My favorite was Eric Lamaze winning the individual show jumping after 10 years of fighting back from a double suspension.

USA medal count-- 110 gold,silver and bronze
China totals-----------100 " " " "

China-- 51 golds
USA-- 36 golds

Success is how you look at it ,I suppose.!
Poppop

Nothing else for me to add. Great going for the athletes. I hardly watch any marathons but found it very interesting to see the winners of this one. I couldn't leave the room until the finish. Amazing in record time.I am totally proud of all these great athletes that gave so much of their skills and efforts for the whole world to view.

I often think , watching the competitions ,that it is a shame so much focus is on the big medal winners ( country and athletes) and little attention paid to other athletes who may come from smaller or relatively unknown countries for the opportunity to compete and do the best they can. They too should be celebrated.

I was an athlete throughout high school and college but I don't usually watch sports because it feels like sitting the bench. However, I do love watching the gymnastics and diving because I am always amazed at the things they can do! I feel that they were truly awesome as were all the athletes! I am proud of them!

Absolutely!! One World One Dream! And now it's time for the Paralypians to shine...

Here is a story. My 4 year old nephew was throwing a screaming tantrum when Michael Phelps came on t.v. The little boy paused and said in a reverent tone, " Michael Phelps!" He was quiet for a minute; then went back to his tantrum!

I think your athletses did very well, but mine did too, I am English and next time I shall go back and try to get some tickets to go. I used to live near all the East London Venues and they were building the Stadiums when I left, I was not old enough to appreciate the 1948 Olympics, but have always been a fan - in UK you don't get adverts in the middle of the Games, you can sit for 3 hours solid and watch the marathon and you will be given the results of all Gold medals not just yours.

I tried hard to avoid them, which was difficult. I mean, really, what kind of Olympic sport is beach volleyball??
Why was Federer allowed to play tennis for his country, it was supposed to be for amateurs...yet boxing was not able to send professional boxers...
I don't know, when I did watch all I heard was complaining about the judging.

Savage - loved your report - esp your dog!!!!!!! What an incredible memory that is to add to the emotionality of the events.

I didn't watch all the Olympics--but those events that I did manage to catch were riveting. I was inspired by the grace of the athletes' performances, the beauty of their toned bodies, and the intensity of their concentration and discipline.
And my five-year-old granddaughter who loves her swimming class at the "Y", adamantly refused to go to bed until she had seen Michael Phelps and his team win the 8th medal.

Despite early criticism and stumbles, I thought China did a great job as hosts and accomplished their mission of showing off their capabilities.

(not making a political statement here, only remarking on the pagentry and efficiency of the games)

I started off not watching much but ended up not being able to help myself. I thought it was a great showing and am really looking forward to London's hosting of the next games.

I watched what I could, but didn't record any and play back later. Very proud of the Canadian showing but I often wish medals were awarded to the top 5 instead of the top 3. So many end up in 4th or 5th place with a minute fraction of a second separating them from the Gold medal. It really is the luck of the day in some cases.

Tend to agree with Threegardeners about some sports, but what about the men's 8 in rowing (where we did take gold) or the long distance mountain bike race (women's) or the men's marathon or the amazing Jamaican sprinter. All I can say is Wow!

Ann

I don't watch much TV anymore - no time. I did catch a couple of events or parts of them, mostly during lunch on workdays. I learned one amazing thing about myself -


It is next to impossible to sit still while watching trampoline gymnastics!

^_^

I enjoyed the television coverage of gymnastics, swimming, track and field, and several other sports. I have really appreciated being able to watch videos of some of my favorite events, the equestrian competitions, on my computer screen. Granted, the videos were posted on "NBC Olympics on the Go" a couple of days after the event, but I still got to see all the dressage and show jumping I wanted to. If you missed anything you wanted to see, try that site. It is probably there!

I am so very proud of our athletes....my husband and I watched many hours of the competitions.

Now that the Olympic games are over I will be watching home makeovers again.

I'm just ready to get some sleep!

Being an avid summer Olympics fan, (not much on the winter olympics, as I don't get all that frozen water stuff), I'm the type that has to see it live. I watched all of Michael Phelps wins live, and much more until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

The Volleyball all the way around was incredible, with some nail biting moments.

Watching the closing ceremony, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of the children singing looked about the same age as the Chinese "womens" gymnastics team.

:-)

Chris

Yeah, I loved that the swimming events were broadcast live for us on the East Coast. For that reason, I think all future Olympics should be held in China ;) I hate having to avoid the internet during the Olympics because of the spoilers.

I thought it was a great Olympics and I'm kind of bummed that it's over. The men's swimming relay comeback was one of the most exciting Olympic moments I can ever remember. I was also touched by the close relationship Michael Phelps seems to have with his mom and sisters.

I never really got the interest in Beach Volleyball...maybe the skimpy outfits (funny that the guys don't wear speedos with that) and the blaring music in the background is what made me not take it seriously...but when I actually watched it I gained a new respect for it as a legit sport.

BuriedTreasures - you just come from the wrong part of the continent, I guess. Give me the WINTER Olympics any time over the summer games. And we get to host the next ones here in Canada in 2010.

Ann

I've lost that lovin' feeling for the Olympic Games, unfortunately, so I didn't pay much attention to them. There's simply too much focus on commercial stuff, not enough focus on the lesser-known or less popular sports, not enough focus on the smaller stories and different countries' teams, etc. etc. I'll continue to hope for things to change though.

I would love to see coverage on the lesser known/popular sports. I was in Europe for the 1984 Olympic games, and it was a completely different set of games being shown.

You would think the cable companies would offer a package like they do for MLB, NFL, etc. I even called Verizon Fios to see if they had any, and they didn't. Someone is missing an opportunity. I would have paid they 50-100 they normally charge to see any olympic event I wanted to.

Chris

I didn't watch any......... although I heard the opening ceremonies were pre-recorded and not live PLUS having a different person shown than the little girl who actually sang...
Unfortunately a lot of it is politics, and I'm just not either a political person, nor a sports fan, so it leaves a lot to be desired as far as I'm concerned.
NOT to say I'm not patriotic - I am - I think what they're doing to further their goals and the recognition of their respective countries is terrific, but I just can't get "into it". Ah well, to each his/her own.......

BUT I LOVE GARDENING!!!! LOL
Show me a gardening show anyday!!!!

This message was edited Aug 25, 2008 6:04 PM

I am an Olympics junkie. I watched 24 hours when I could, and every moment I was not at work. I saw live 6 of Phelps' gold medal races, and all of the Women's Gymnastics except for the unven bars. The ones I missed I watched online or on reruns at night.

Sean Johnson is a real class act. She congratulated everyone, not just her team member, and showed excellent sportsmanship. She is a beautiful young lady, and in addition to her amazing athleticism, she is also an honor role student who excells in school. She is a real role model.

I absolutely BROKE DOWN when Lolo Jones fell during the hurdlas. That was so incredibly sad. It broke my heart for her as well as her mother who they showed in the stands.

I am very proud of the American atheletes, but just as much so for other countries contestants. Look at Usein Bolt. He was amazing. I can not believe that a man can run that fast. It is amazing. And the Kenyans in the long distance races. Unbelievable.

The most emotional moment for me was not exactly a part of the games, but the commercial that came on immediately after Pheps wom his 8th medal. It went something like this:
"When you win a gold medal, it is amazing. Two is outstanding. Three is unbelievable. When you win eight, well, we're going to have to ome up with some new adjectives".
I cried for ike 5 minutes.

I enjoyed the Olympics so much! I'm glad they are over but they were great while they were on. I followed them religiously!

Ann