Celebrating the Olympics.

Image by Mingo.nl via Flickr

Rocketing up the face of the halfpipe, fiery hair streaming as he reaches the for the stars at the top. Tucking into a a ball; spinning, dancing, flying down in perfect balance. Body poised at the center of gravity, the snow board an extension of his personality; Sean White nails the landing along with another gold medal. Watching this kid grow up over the last 10 years in the X-games then the Olympics to do what he does better than anyone else in the world has been a tremendous treat.

  In another venue the controlled push of a yellow stone down 93 feet of ice to curl into a perfect position; knocking the red stone off center to allow the Swiss curling team a come from behind victory at the Winter games. Curling doesn't have that breathtaking excitement of some of the other winter games. It's a sport of finesse and strategy rather than sheer speed and guts, but it's special for those very reasons. I don't gasp in awe, instead I think that's a sport I might have done well in earlier times. It has that regular man or women look to it. These athletes special in their own way looked liked they just walked in off the Vancouver streets to throw rocks.
  On the other hand is Shani Davis who looks like he was molded to be the fastest man on ice. Slim, powerfully built,  he glides around the ice, huge thighs like pistons propelling him around the ice with deceptive speed and endurance to capture another gold medal in the men's thousand meter, very impressive.
 Over on the womens alpine downhill, skiers were dropping one after another on the rough and untested ice. Eventual silver medalist  Julia Mancuso watched as the favorite Lindsey Vonn blew down the hill to take the gold medal. Lindsey wearing mens' ski's and  balanced on her left leg for much of the run with her bruised left leg  there for guidance but not dependable for the jumps and bumps.
  I've loved the winter Olympics for as long as I can remember. it has always been to me the more exciting of the games. Athletes competing against the best sometimes in harsh conditions. in sports that push the boundary of sanity to my mind. But it's great.
  As usual the media is pushing how well the American's are doing in Canada capturing a record number of medals on Wednesday. But for me that's not the point. The point is the mastery displayed in their respective disciplines. I always appreciate that in whatever field of endeavor a person chooses to pursue.