I sit with two of my friends at a table upstairs in Leo’s in complete silence. We do not eat, but rather stare up at the hazy projector screen as if in a trance. One of my friends breaks the silence, reverentially saying, “That was beautiful.” We nod our heads in agreement. On the screen was men’s figure skating, live from the Vancouver Winter Olympics. During the next athlete’s program, we make comments like, “Wow, his footwork really looks on,” and “Looks like he came up a half-turn short on that triple-axle.”
Under normal circumstances, I would be angry that figure skating was on TV, taking crucial time away from a more desirable sport or highlight show, but not during these two weeks. These two weeks are the greatest two weeks of the sporting world: these are the Olympics.
As illustrated by our newfound interest in men’s figure skating, the Olympics provide a fantastic opportunity for fans to expand their sporting horizons. Normally, American sports coverage focuses on the big four—football, basketball, baseball, and hockey—with some soccer occasionally thrown in for variety. What could be a more perfect sampler to a whole new buffet of sports than a two-week marathon of events that span the array of a particular season?
During these two glorious weeks, I care if a cross-country skier gets caught from behind in the final stretch. I’m happy if a veteran ski jumper nails his final pass to win a gold on his way to retirement. I feel the pain of a figure skating pair missing on one jump and ruining their Olympic dreams. Hell, I even watch curling and get some excitement out of it. The bottom line is that the Olympics can bring genuine interest and feeling to sports that normally enjoy no mainstream recognition.
Another reason why the Olympics are an awesome two weeks is because there is always an athletic event on TV at all times. With the Olympics in Vancouver, the time difference works out perfectly, with the exceptions of early morning and very late night events. I return to my room after a late morning class and—perfect!—men’s short-track speedskating is on. I return from lunch and—yes!—USA vs. Canada women’s curling. I flip on the TV before dinner and—how splendid!—ice hockey is on. The Olympics provide hours upon hours of entertaining sports pageantry and excitement—perfect to fill any empty void in your day or procrastinate that extra few hours before heading to Lau.
If the novelty and convenience weren’t enough, the stories and drama of the Olympics provide are second to none. When my friends and I were in Leo’s, we were intrigued to see how Evgeni Plushenko would perform after coming out of a three-year retirement to defend Olympic gold. We also reveled in the spirited performance of 19-year-old figure skater Florent Amodio. Born in Brazil, then abandoned on the streets as a baby, he was adopted by a French family and is now competing under the French flag in Vancouver. Even the heartbreaking stories make the Olympics worth watching. It is hard not to feel for Lindsey Jacobellis. With the snowboard cross gold all but around her neck in Tornino in 2006, she attempted a grab and fell, postponing her gold medal dreams for four years. In Tuesday’s semi-final in Vancouver, Jacobellis overshot a landing, and in recovering broke through a gate—an automatic disqualification. Another four years until another shot at gold.
Such is the nature of the Olympics. Just as quickly as they came, they are gone, and we are left to wait two years for the next Olympic games to begin. So enjoy Vancouver while you can—London’s a long way off.
