Friday, August 29, 2008

What to do now

There is a void that needs to be filled since the completion of the Olympics. For the entire two weeks of the games I found myself being glued to the TV set nightly just to check out some of the action. The first week was spent watching Michael Phelps go for a record breaking eight gold medals. Pretty amazing feat. I don't know what the actual number of races were that he competed in with preliminary heats and finals but it was a lot. To have enough energy to compete at a high level daily for a week straight is incredible! I was awed by this feat and demonstration endurance and recovery abilities. I'm not much of a swimming fan, but I was during the games.

I have to say my favorite moments during the Beijing Olympics were the swimming 4x100m relay when the USA beat out the cocky French team and when Phelps won by a hundredth of a second in the 100m butterfly. Both these races were so close and intense. The fact that the United States was represented so well and was clutch in bringing home gold made a lot of people proud. This proud feeling was most evident during the 4x100m relay. After the French made an arrogant comment about coming to the Olympics to smash the USA and then being beaten and forced to eat their words, I couldn't have been happier. I was actually yelling, jumping around and high fiving my girlfriend when the French were edged out. A priceless moment.

Phelps's individual 100m butterfly was amazing in the fact that it was so close. Everyone from Michael's mother to his coach thought he took second, but miraculously he came through and won. This is an example of hard work and a little luck coming together to make a great, memorable moment. It was almost like a movie the way the race turned out. Simply incredible!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Opening Ceremonies!!!

The Games have begun! I can't believe four years have passed already, it is time to start watching the worlds greatest athletes go head to head again. It's a bummer for me to have to watch it from home, but it's a kick in the pants to get it rolling for 2012! Anyways, I'm excited, regardless of not being one of those world's greatest, to watch the games and cheer on some friends such as Mike Hazel. Gotta give it up for this guy, he is an inspiration. He works harder than anyone I know and he is driven to be the best at what he does. I wish him the best of luck as he shows off his talents to the world! Another friend I know competing in the triple jump is Shani Johnson. She graduated from the University of Minnesota a few years before I did. She is another amazing athlete. She is going to represent Minnesota and the USA well, I have no doubt. I will be turning my TV on in less than an hour to watch the opening ceremonies and see what kind of a show Beijing has in store to start things off. I'm hoping that the throwing events get some love and have at least a few throws shown on TV.



Aside from the Olympic excitement, I have been putting in some serious time at the Boys and Girls Club here in Minneapolis. Today, the kids had a special opportunity to listen to Magic Johnson give a talk. He gave a clear and positive message to the kids. He told them that they are in charge of they're futures and success. He talked about the importance of dreaming big and believing in yourself. It was a good message for anyone...I especially enjoyed it. It's good to be reminded of simple yet effective things.



After the Magic Johnson program, myself and five other employees at the Boys and Girls Club took 50 kids to the Nickelodeon Theme Park in the Mall of America. That was quite a task. My group was made up of 7 girls ranging in ages 8-11. It was difficult to keep them together the whole time, but I guess I was successful when none of my kids turned up missing at the end of the day. It was a fun day with the kids. I however was not able to go on many of the rides due to my size. I still enjoyed watching the kids have fun.



Well I have to prepare some food and get ready for NBC to start their broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games!