With the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics less than a week away, I have come down with a full fledged case of Olympic fever. I have been prescribed a lot of television watching, a trip to Van to get some of that fresh Olympic air and told to stay away from work whenever Team Canada is playing hockey. I must go straight to the bar and not return to work until the following afternoon.
There is something magical about the summer and winter Olympics. I suppose it is the chance to feel a strong sense of patriotism for a couple of weeks as we cheer on our fellow countrymen and women.
There is also something a bit strange about the Olympics. Why is it that we become rabid fans of sports that we otherwise ignore the rest of the four years between Olympics? And I am not talking about taking an interest in how Canadians are doing; I am talking about a real and true interest in the sport and appreciation for the athletes. For two weeks every four years I am the go to expert on the finer points of ski jumping, I can accurately guess a bobsled time just based on their start and I don’t find the thighs of the speed skaters to be anything out of the ordinary. Give me another Olympics or two and I might even figure out the new scoring system for the figure skaters.
My doctor has told me that there is no point trying to fight back against my Olympic fever. He even told me to feel free to spread the fever on to friends and family. The more people that get infected, the more fun we will all have. With that in mind, I thought I would get us pumped up about a few of my favourite Olympic sports over the next week or so.
I will have a number of quick hits over the next week as we race towards the opening ceremonies on Friday night. They will be a combination of some of my favourite Olympic memories and a preview of this year’s competition. I am sure I will be inspired to write a post or two during the Olympics and I have heard a rumour that the Sports Juicette may even do a guest post or two.
The Sports Juice 