The other day I spent a few hours watching television coverage of the Olympics. As I watched, I started thinking about how many years I’ve watched athletes from all over the world competing for medals. This year there are over 11,000 men and women competing. The United States has the most with about 630.
I don’t keep count of the number of medals won by our athletes; I do pay attention to the numbers when they are reported.
My best guess is this is the 12th Olympics I’ve watched – I couldn’t begin to guess the number of hours watching I’ve compiled, but it’s probably a pretty high number.
It’s fun watching the gifted athletes doing their best to bring home a medal for their countries.
I’ve always found it amazing that Olympic and world records continue to be set. You’d think a time would come when new records would be impossible, but every Olympic event proves that new records are still obtainable.
While we all marvel at the athletes and their abilities, there are other people who don’t get much-deserved recognition – the organizers. Can you imagine the coordination and communication it must take to make the events in the Olympics run so seamlessly? Getting the athletes and their supporting people to the right venue and at the right time seems complicated enough, but add to it all the meals, hotel reservations, and transportation. The organizers also have to have a way to communicate to spectators where and when they need to be so see who they want to see. Amazing, is all I can say.
I’ll keep watching Olympic events and when this year’s Olympics are over I’ll be in my 70s before the next ones begin. Since I’ve never been a fan of big crowds I’ll continue to watch from the comfort of my home and will very likely never attend any Olympic events in person.
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A few days ago there was a report on one of the news channels here that informed watchers that high school students will be eligible to be paid for their recognition – whether that be for athletic abilities or other talents.
I admit that I was a little surprised when college athletes gained this right, but now I wonder if things haven’t gone a bit too far. Is it really necessary to pay high school students for their talents? Shouldn’t they count their blessings that they get to perform as individuals or as team members without expecting to be paid? I think so, but then I suppose I’m a bit old-fashioned.
Have A Good Week!
