In what Olympic event would you like to compete?

Let's say that you have the innate talent needed and will be given the best training as an Olympian. It's a guaranteed go for the next games. What event would you choose?



It's hard for me to choose, but it would probably be swimming. I love being in the water and I was on the swim team in 5th grade. I really liked it, but the attitudes of the adults were crappy which is why I stopped swimming.


Now you.

:hi:

box covers.

Yeah! Honor, glory and major checks!

(That's dressage, cross-country and stadium jumping for those non-equestrians out there).

Those were some beautiful horses! I think Irish Jester was my favorite in coloring.

and that's about the only part of the Olypmics I think I'd watch this time around :D

I always looked at the dressage and stadium jumping as what you have to put up with in order to ride those wonderfully gnarly cross-country courses.

Maybe we could be a team. :P

I thought you wrote cross-dressing at first.

With my reading, I'd likely get blessed with an inane talent instead of an innate one.

Maybe a gift for synchronized swimming combined with extreme anti-social behavior, like refusing to be part of a team.

I love running and cycling the best, but I'm not what you'd call "aerodynamic"!!! (kinda like putting a Clydesdale in with a bunch of Arabian race horses) So I would be best suited to volleyball or rowing.

Either one is pretty cool. I love anything physical.

I've never been in an area where it was a big sport.

Beach or indoor volleyball?

Besides, I want a team of eight others, not just one! It's more exciting to watch, too, with more people.

As for rowing, I did it for a bit 10 years ago, and it just wipes you out! You have to be in good shape all over, it works a whole bunch of muscle groups. But it's another team sport, so it's fun because you can share it.

He said the hardest part was maintaining technique while working to complete exhaustion.

I guess I would go with gymnastics.

I just know it. ;)

an Olympic sport and I would be right there with Team USA. Gymnastics would be my second choice, followed by some sort of diving I guess.

i.e., "I can do that!" Eventually, you find out that you can (or can't) LOL. There's only a short period where you nearly kill yourself. :-)

allow for stupidity because it would look really bad if I let the kids kill themselves. LOL We do a lot of handstand and bridge training in the hopes that one day they will get to the point of being able to do a back handspring. Here in Maine that makes the difference between Varsity and J.V. in the better cheering schools, so I am trying to help my kids prepare themselves for when they move on from our teensy 55 person school up to high school. (One of our girls transferred out in 8th grade and she made the cheer team at her school, and 3 more either cheered J.V. or Varsity at their high schools. And I just found out that one of them finally got her BHS and made All-American at UCA camp. :^D)

This is my team from last year. http://aescougarcheer.com/photogallery/photogallery.htm We were K-6. I am hoping to pick up enough bigger kids this year that I can peel off the K-6 ones and make them into a Pee Wee team, but it is really hard in such a tiny school. If it isn't the kids turning up their noses at being cheerleaders, it's the parents putting their foot down either because it's too "dangerous" or more often because the kids are overextended. Most of my team also doubled up with soccer and basketball sports-wise, and several of them do reader's theater and drama as well. Phew! It's a good day when we are ALL at practice. LOL

Your girls look like a lot of fun! I was partially joking about the stupidity. I was one of those kids who decided to try a back handspring at three without any fundamentals, so it's more likely I'm speaking from my experience, LOL. I was not exactly a brain trust. :-)

Speaking of the JV/Varsity angle, that was the case way back when, even for me. I made Varsity my first year of high school mostly because of my tumbling skills. I was also a dancer and quite coordinated so I guess they figured I was trainable to the sport. Back then only a few girls on our squad had any tumbling skills, so those of us who did were used often in transition moves. I was also a flyer for larger mounts/stunts and did quite a bit of gymnastics-style dismounts from those as opposed to the more commonly used cradle dismounts. It was a lot of fun.

I was back at my old high school for homecoming last year (goddaughter is a cheerleader and wanted me to come see her). I was actually a bit worried, to be honest. Some of the stunts seemed (to me) clearly beyond some girls' skill levels, so I see where some parents may see it as dangerous. I know that if it's trained correctly, it's as safe as the majority of sports. Sounds like you are a good coach to train them right from the beginning; that will make a huge difference in the long run. Enjoy your squads. You know they will remember their experiences as cheerleaders forever. :-)

a chance to coach, you should try it. It really is almost as fun as being out on the floor yourself. :D You won't get to use those cool dismounts, though. Not sure if any of them are shown here but you can check and see. Lots of fun stuff in them anyway.

Cheering in the 80s part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vLCI6DVQak

Cheering in the 80s part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvH29Aj5_A

And yes, I remember the days of old well, LOL. Thanks for sharing those with me!

I'd love to coach, but I'm in the midst of a career transition. Worked 20+ years in the automotive industry, and am starting a chef's apprentice program next month. So my time is severely limited. I love the idea, though, and thought about it not too long past.

Those cool dismounts hurt my knees, LOL. But they were fun at the time, just the same. I wouldn't trade a minute. I had a blast in gymnastics, then I had a blast in cheerleading. Both taught me amazing team skills that I employ to this day. :-)

give you enough space to get involved in either sport again some way.

...on our local access channel. They're just so excited and energized! It's really a great thing for them to learn positive teamwork skills and (also importantly) how to move on after an error. Stuff happens on the floor and in life where you need to learn how to pick up and move on as we all know too well.

I've enjoyed chatting with you! :hi:

I've done it before in my youth, and I found it exhilarating! I love to watch swimming, but I never was good at that.

I've only tried it once, but it was a lot of fun!

but I had to pass swimming, first, and I was not at all good at that, either, had to repeat it...:shrug:

and if you live anywhere near a university town you probably can, it's worth a go.

-- fencing evangelist lefty

Thank you...:hi:

I almost did, then I dislocated my knee four days before the trials.

I haven't watched the Olympics since I didn't make it. In part because I would still be going now.

:cry:

That's got to be really difficult. :hug:

Then that damn Olympic year rolls around and I get weird.

The fact that I am out of shape right now does not help.

Thanks for the :hug:

just for the heck of it. It was a lot of fun and faster than I thought it would be.

It's a lot more important to have fun with something than to be good at it. :)

Yeah, we had fun. The gym we were in had climbing ropes so we'd usually be swinging from them, slashing at each other with out foils when she would walk in.

That's exactly how fencing should be -- swinging from ropes, and yelling "ARRRRRR, matey!"

It wasn't my time. I wasn't rich enough to do it right. I had a good run. It was worth it.

And I'm still happy for whoever medals, because I know what they sacrificed.

It's all good.

:hug:

Are you a climber?

I'm even doing my dissertation on it.

I did quite a bit of it when I was younger. Belonged to the Mountaineers and learned on the same rocks John Roskelley did. Mostly alpine though, Cascades mainly.

Belay On!

While a bit south (and nowhere near as accomplished as) the Great John Roskelley, I am rather fond of the alpine myself.

On belay!

:P

:P

No jumps or anything jarring.

And being a musician I have a tendancy to skate with music playing anyway. :)

YUM!

and do something to a rock song. :P

I see through your evil plan now!

:rofl:

:)

Did you ever see his "Godfather" routine? Another good one. Hell, I just loved Phillipe Candeloro LOL. :-)

He is such an entertainer; I could never look away when he was on. You never knew what he'd come up with next. And I loved D'Artagnan(sp?), too. ;-)

I miss his charisma out on the ice. His D'Artagnan was flawless.



Is it getting warm in here? :rofl:

:loveya:

Scorpion Bowl Team



13 seconds.... 2 people



We were going to leave the Soviet Team in the dust.



well, now there is no Soviet Team

:shrug:

Sounds exhausting. :rofl:

I suck. But I play anyway.

I loved playing volleyball when I was younger. I was mainly an outside hitter but could play middle blocker in a pinch. There are few better feelings in sport than a solid spike.

Modern Pentathlon is kinda cool: Shooting, sword fighting, swimming, running and horse jumping (with a strange horse).

Canoeing/kayaking would be choices as well.

I'll have to watch the modern pentathlon. It does sound really cool.

Two man means more ball handling, which is kinda fun and the intense camaraderie you feel playing any doubles sport pales in comparison to being part of a larger team.

Jumping out of sand is extremely difficult however and I didn't have great height or hops to start with. At my best, I could just touch a standard height basketball rim, so my most crushing spikes came on hardwood. But you don't need killer spikes to win in sand, ball placement being is much more important.


Modern Pentathlon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_pentathlon

Schedule:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/schedule?discId=30

It looks like the team is young. A lot of Olympic debuts.

:hide:

Bacon is meat candy! :)

My paternal grandfather nicknamed me after pork fat. I kid you not. :-)

One of those really athletic type sportin' events. :rofl:

:rofl:

I am a legend in my own mind with Texas Hold 'Em. Thankfully I understand I'm delusional, so I don't bet the farm. :-)

They've given up so many other things in their lives to spend hours every day in a gym or pool or track etc.

I can't imagine doing that even if I'd had the talent. I didn't have the greatest of childhoods and adolescence, (that's putting it mildly) but some of the good times involved grand, leisurely days when my friends and I did exactly what we wanted to do.

But if I could just be instilled with the talent for a moment or two I think it would love to be able to do just one platform dive and spin and fly.

That looks like a total rush.

Not one of the jumps where the back of your head clears the platform by a centimeter though.

:hi:

And I totally understand what you mean about the not-so-great childhood that getting away with friends was exactly what I needed. I wish that a lot of us had the kind of childhood we deserved rather than what we got stuck with. :hug:

I tried diving when I was on the swim team. I was too much of a chicken because I was POSITIVE I was going to hit my head and drown. I'm sometimes hyperbolic. :rofl:

:hi:

Not sure I've got it exact.

"I've never again had friends like the ones I did when I was twelve."

Not that friends today aren't dear in their own way, nor that I'd give them up for anything...

But that line is so true it brings tears to my eyes every time.

My friends were so much like that movie, even though our group was mostly girls.

We never found a body... :D ...but we would go off for hours or even overnight with our parents only having a vague idea of where we were.

I don't know that many kids today get a chance at that anymore. Everyone is in a state of near panic at imaginary bogeymen.

I think kids are missing out on a lot by being over protected.

I was always a "good kid," but my oh my did we do things our parental units would have cr4pped over. Ah; memories. These days, kids have few experiences that force them into the role of the "thinking one." Their thinking is done for them. I'm not a parent, so I can't say what I might do differently, but I do believe that in our stupid excursions we all looked to a leader in our group (or someone like that) to think it all through for us. And we usually learned something from it. Ah, memories again. :-)

Used to do it competitively (elite) until I had to drop out because of a neck injury at 16 (I'm fine now, but it was dicey back then). I'd love to flip again. I miss it a lot. I always likened it to flying. I sometimes still dream about it; it was awesome. Of course now I'm a just a couple decades too old LOL. :-)

on edit: duplicate word

Gymnastics saved her son's life. It's such a great ending to what could have been a sad story.

ETA - Not amazed that she can still do it, but amazed that she is being allowed to compete. She did a great vault the other night.

I agree with the broadcaster who mentioned just how difficult it is to stay in that kind of shape for so many years. When I was young, it was easy enough - I had energy to burn. But standing on the other side, what she has managed to do is unbelievable. I am so happy for her that she was able to use gymnastics to help get her son the medical help he needed. And yes, her vault was fantastic, and that for any age. :-)

Elite gymnastics is amazing. You must have fallen on your head a BUNCH. (I mean this in the total sports way, erm, um, you know what I mean.) You are one gutsy woman.

WOW.

Glad to hear your neck is OK now. I understand bad lingering sports injuries all too well.

WOW.

True story: the entire reason I ended up in gymnastics was because I would attempt to do backflips in the living room at age three with 1) no mat and 2) no training. My parents (rightfully) felt that if I was going to do it anyway, might as well put me in a tots gymnastics club where someone would be spotting me and hopefully I'd avoid a few concussions. They didn't expect me to stick it out another 12 years. Psych. :-)

My injury actually was a secondary issue; I had viral encephalitis the year before that caused neck muscle damage (unrealized at the time). Luckily my neck injury was "fixable" in that both the neck (hairline fracture) and musculature healed over time, and so went back to mostly normal. It's still stiffer than I imagine others' necks are, and when it rains I certainly feel it. But I was lucky. As a matter of fact, I had a terrible flashback during the Sydney Olympics regarding my injury - I don't know if anyone remembers, but they set the vault too low from standard, and several girls nearly injured themselves seriously before it was discovered. My injury was the result of a similar situation; the vault trainer forgot to move my springboard to the proper distance from the apparatus and I missed my mark, hitting my neck and shoulder. I think that's the reason they are being given equipment tryouts this time around before starting a rotation; that's a seriously good thing.

on edit: subject fix

I hope you're tremendously proud of yourself for your accomplishments, and I'm glad you've (mostly) recovered, too.

And I'm glad they're checking the equipment now. I don't think a lot of people realize how incredibly hard gymnastics are on the human body. Screwups on the equipment side are not an option.

I had a roommate in college who was the level below elite (level 4? I don't recall correctly, seeing as it was 20 years ago) and I was awed and inspired by her dedication. Gymnasts are simply a cut above everyone else when it comes to sticktoitiveness.

Back then, I believe you're right - Level 4 was just below elite, but I'd have to check. It's changed quite a bit since I was last in (25 years ago) from what I understand. I haven't kept up with how they track it now. I do know that elite for me back then was nothing like what these athletes do now. Some of the tricks I see these athletes throw just blow my mind. I love to watch it, still. I'm a gymnastics junkie, and I don't regret ever doing it. It's fabulous training for not only the body but for concentration. My specialty was balance beam, but I competed all-around as well. I liked everything. There is a dedication to it, but you really don't mind when you're in it; there is something zen-like about training your body and mind that way. You find a different place in yourself. IMHO, it's a good place. :-)

I hope you're tremendously proud of yourself for your accomplishments, and I'm glad you've (mostly) recovered, too.

And I'm glad they're checking the equipment now. I don't think a lot of people realize how incredibly hard gymnastics are on the human body. Screwups on the equipment side are not an option.

I had a roommate in college who was the level below elite (level 4? I don't recall correctly, seeing as it was 20 years ago) and I was awed and inspired by her dedication. Gymnasts are simply a cut above everyone else when it comes to sticktoitiveness.

this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK9UWDHgskY :)

I did go into cheerleading! My high school squad was well-regarded, and we placed in the top 20-30 at nationals for the years I participated (for our class: all female, twelve girls). i always loved that rush; it gave me an out for what I missed with gymnastics. It's a great transition, and I loved it because it was team oriented in ways gymnastics couldn't always be. :-)

no nationals allowed. They have only just started to allow a tri-state regionals in the last couple of years.

You don't say how old you are, but back when I cheered we had big hair and even bigger poms. How about you guys? :D

But all my friends did LOL. I had a classic bob when everyone else was teasing theirs into the hair band (mid-80s) style. Actually, embarrassingly enough, for competition, those of us with longer hair wore two braids - one on each side of the head (done as a ponytail at top, braided and ribboned at bottom). It sounds (and looked) stupid when we were just standing around, but they were very effective when doing sharp head moves - their movement actually enhanced our routines. A few other local schools began copying it. It was the rage for a time! Weird, huh?

Cheerleading was a letter sport for us, but we were allowed Nationals back then. As a matter of fact, our school was like the one in "Bring It On" - the cheerleaders were the most decorated of all the sporting teams (our football and basketball teams stunk). We had fabulous, really visionary cheer coaches. Some girls from other schools within the district actually transferred to our school to take advantage of the program, which was very unusual back then. Ah memories. :-)

pulled back and french braided. We didn't have matching accessories, though. I did a nice blue and white bow at the base of mine, because my hair was barely long enough to french braid so I was covering that up. LOL

We never would have done well at Nationals. Heck when I was in jr. high only a few years before we started competing we were still doing the jazz style of cheering. It wasn't until I tried out for Varsity in Jr year that we switched to the snappier clean style. And stunts and jumps were something new to us as well. Still, we picked it up well enough to win the small school division at the first ever state competition, so we got jackets and medals for that. (Can't fit it, but it looks way cool in my closet. LOL) I was very lucky to be in the tiny school I was in. Had I gone to a bigger one I never would have made the team and thus missed out on all the fun.

That snappy, clean style was uber-new way back then. My coaches were kind of pioneers in that regard; all the other schools in the district were doing the jazz style (which is what I was familiar with when I tried out). It's always funny to me that I landed where I did; it really taught me a lot. I'm still good friends with my primary "base" from high school. She's a veterinarian in North Carolina now. We still talk about our experiences, just threading them into our current lives.

I think what I took from it all was: cheerleading, in many ways, is the ultimate in teamwork. There are things in that sport that are hard to teach in any other way. You have to trust your teammates, or you're flat on your back, LOL. Back in the 90s I used to laugh at those "team building" exercises that corporations were so fond of (go out to a wilderness area and fall backwards into someone's arms). I'm like "Well, shoot, for that kind of money, you should have been a cheerleader. That was part of the initiation!" Of course, I'm simplifying, but there is some truth there. :-)

Redstone

You want a reason to wiggle in a masculine way for sport. :P

:hug:

Redstonbe

I swear I could medal in that sport.

Back in the cage, tiger...!

:rofl:

I hate being cold or wet. I was a member of two rifle teams, so could do that, was a pretty good target shooter, and also rode horses for half of of my life. That I could do. I guess that's unusual, but those were my sports...:-)

On edit: typo...:blush:

Not unusual at all. More interesting than anything, IMHO. :)

My teachers in HS called me "Annie Oakley," since I was the first and only girl on my rifle team there. I was "second man", LOL, was the "pressure shooter," who shot last to make up any points we were missing... We usually won.:-)

BTW, I love your little kitty...:hi:

I had mostly guy friends, and living in Texas with mostly guy friends eventually leads to shooting cans in the backyard. My best friend started calling me Annie Oakley, too. So from one Annie to another, I salute you! I'm sure you're much better than I am. I'm just lucky. :)

The ultimate test of athletic prowess in the games IMO.

Twenty years ago, and in twenty years, it'll still be the same answer. :hi:

Didn't I read you just got back from vacation? Did you have a nice time? :hi:

crappy. :P

Yep, I just got back. I had a fantastic time and am ready to move. The ocean is calling me. :D




Dream on....

:D

the only one I think I might be able to do without drastically changing my lifestyle;)

I would fall on my ass if I tried. Either the stone would pull me over or the sweeping motion would send me sliding.

Good for entertainment. Bad for medal count. :rofl:

ok.. that was just to make me giggle :D

:hi:

:spank::spank:

:hi:

:evilgrin:

It's the only one I could practice while remaining a lard-ass.

I love skiing but I don't think I've ever hit 80 mph. It's as close to flying as you can get without leaving the ground (most of the time).

I am not very coordinated. I like tress, but I don't want to die by one.

:)

Indoor or outdoor.









It's not? Well... it oughta be.

licked. :rofl:

:hi:

lip service.

tongue-in-cheek.

:hide:

believe.



















Gotcha. :evilgrin:

:rofl:

slack-jawed.









:D

tongue tied!

:woohoo:

fingers.

:eyes:



















:rofl:

toes.

:scared:

:D

I say that it would be freaky.

Nyah! :P

What kind of monkey trial is this?

I say freaky.

Now. En garde!

Right! Puddem up, puddem uuuuuup!

too tired.



















Psych!!

You violate the terms of the Velveeta Convention!



FEEL the wrath of my fish!

I'ma scairt.

I know voodoo.

go do that voodoo that you do so well.







:D

I should've stuck with voodoo.

:wtf:

Haha!!

But, do you have many Monty Python screencaps at your disposal?



NO!

Python screencaps beat smilies just like stones beat scissors.

:freak:

How DARE you come into MY sub-thread and accuse ME of fabricating?!? I'm SICK of your LIES! LIES! LIES! My GOD!

Try that old routine now.

It's ok, I love you anyway.

:hug::*

and snagged a pic of Ray just for the occasion.

Well... okay, then.

:blush:

Olympic Competition Sofa Surfing. I've got a swivel-twisting, flying mega-flop that's just begging for development. And my dozing cat-nuzzle is already world class.

there is no feeling like falling...

not so much for the falling as the way up high part. :)

I was told you didn't NEED an excuse to wear a speedo.

:P

I wouldn't go to a public beach wearing one, that's for sure. I wouldn't want to poke anyone's eye out.

For verification purposes only, of course.

:P

:P

:rofl:

:rofl:

Disqualification for wearing less than a speedo.


:rofl:

:rofl:

:rofl:

What?!?! It should be an Olympic event, though I believe I'll go for the bronze, don't want to claim to be the best in bed, after all. :evilgrin:

I'm pretty good (I think). LOL...

OK, I won't go any further for fear of getting either the thread locked or the subthread deleted, but take from it what you will. ;)

an entire film called "The Year of the Sex Olympics" (1968)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv2gxbmQLl0

n/t

finish, fall over and puke. fun fun fun.

That doesn't sound like much fun, but the other parts sound awesome! :thumbsup:

the race of truth. Either you've got it or you don't. It's just you and your bike. No bullshit, no team tactics, just put your head down an push the big gears.

just looks like fun!

In high school, I would always do the most amazing yet stupid tricks off the springboard, twisting and flipping all over the place but never went into the water vertical. The school's coach saw lots of potential in me and was pushing me for months to train with him after school to get to an elite level but I passed in search of other pursuits.

Either the men's singles or the pairs.

have to go with figure skating, for sure.

A guy I beat nearly made Canada's Olympic team 4 years ago. Shit like that makes me almost come out of retirement.

on edit:

I should say I could have been good enough. I was still young when they eliminated my weight, I would have been in no way prepared to make the team then.

http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/clips/a-new-olympic-game/284583/
You have to watch a commercial first but it is worth it :rofl:
I'd like to play this game in gd.P :rofl:

I love Speedos.

I'd be the sweeper

I tried fencing in college, but they had no protective gear, and I got the fuck scraped out of my arm practicing some parries.

I will NOT be out-vibed.

Winter Olympics: Figure skating. Summer Olympics: Gymnastics.

Specifically, GS.

I did it in HS competitively and was very good.

Mainly, because I competed alot when I was a kid.

as well as being an adrenaline junkie!

awe. She can't believe humans are actually capable of those contortions, and winces in pain every time they perform some seemingly impossible move.

I wish I was athletic enough to participate in any of those events. If "taking a leisurely walk" was an option, I'd vote for that.

flexibility is hallmark in gymnastics, no doubt. I am now almost 40 and can still do the splits three ways, and hold a handstand for a minute at least. Courtesy of my first two decades of gymnastics training. It's a fascinating sport, and you DO get more flexible the more you participate. It's utterly impossible not to. The good news is it can stay with you, and I don't see that as a bad thing.

In interest of fair disclosure, the down side: touchy knees, wrists, ankles, shoulders and hips. But if you're not doing the super-competitive stuff that will likely not come into play. :-)

of fear of ending up with some terrible injury. I admire your tenacity in sticking with it for 2 decades.

I remember back in high school in the 60's in girls' gym we had to vault over the horse as part of a gymnastics unit. I'm short and utterly inflexible, and I knew I'd never make it. So I stayed at the back of the line, and as the other girls finished, I kept letting them cut in front of me. I never did do it. Some people just are not cut out to be gymnasts, and I was one of them. I do admire them, however, for their strength, dedication, fearlessness, and sheer guts.

I think beyond the fearlessness and guts is a person who just enjoys a little bit of a thrill. I know I was like that. I mentioned upthread only partly jokingly that there's an element of childish ignorance that comes into play. As a kid, I was pretty fearless. As a matter of fact, coaches bank on that; when you're that young you don't realize what injuries could happen, so it's easier to train them then. As you get older and watch and participate in your share of falls or injuries, the cold hard light of reality sinks in. Which is why many girls leave the sport once they mature a bit mentally. I really only did it competitively for 11 years, all told; then I did "quasi-gymnastics" via high level cheerleading for 4. After that, life intervened and I moved on. Still practiced at my old gym for a while, but not nearly at the level I would consider serious. I wouldn't change the experience, but you are right, too - if I were a coach or gym teacher and a girl didn't want to vault or otherwise participate, I would not insist. That could be dangerous. So good for you on knowing you wanted no part of it! :-)

never been what you would call really graceful, so if I could do any of those, I might get there. The diving is so beautiful

However, I have had many dreams over the years that I'm running, and it's the most freeing dreams I've ever had. I just run and run and never get tired. Hard to explain unless you've dreamt it, I guess. :)

I am an exceptional napper...especially on a warm afternoon, in my recliner, with the ceiling fan going...

I don't think any further training would be necessary... :D

*splash*

Sigh.

Even though they only do slalom now and I am more of a freestyle guy.

Here's a athletic footnote: I was safety boating for some junior olympics whitewater event at Wausau Wisconsi a few weeks ago. Some of those kids will DEFINTIELY go on to compete in the olympics--and I helped chase down their gear when they went for a swim. I thought that was kind of cool; enough people have chased my stuff down, I figured I owed it to karma!