I wish I was in Vancouver

I am not sure why school is in session this week, nor next week for that matter: the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing.

My fiancé and I kicked off this memorable fortnight with a let-us-eat-cake-and-watch-the-opening-ceremony party, at which we sampled wedding cake possibilities and (*gasp of shock and surprise*) watched the 2010 Winter Olympic opening ceremonies. From the moment the Canadian snowboarder Johnny Lyall glided through the Olympic rings my pulse began to quicken and it has not slowed since. Daily I find myself spending all free moments in front of the television watching athletes compete, professional commentators state opinions, and newscasters interview medalists LIVE from Vancouver.  

I do not have a favorite winter Olympic sport—I sincerely enjoy them all. I am as amazed by each calculated throw of the rock in curling as I am by the strength it takes to toss a seventeen-year-old girl high enough in the air that she can rotate three times before landing perfectly balanced on one ice skate. I am as mesmerized by Apollo Ohno’s speed on the ice as I am by Hannah Kearney’s balance on the moguls. I am as thunderstruck by athletes who fly down the iced track feet first in luge as I am by those who fly head first in skeleton. All around, the winter Olympics have a pull from which I can not break free.

My addiction to the Olympics reaches beyond the sports themselves. While running errands or driving to work I commonly find myself humming the Olympic tune: sometimes I even sing aloud the words of this technically word-free song. (This is the Olympic theme song: it has no words so I had to make them up! This is the Olympic theme song: time to compete and watch athletes on TV. [repeat] The Olympics, the Olympics: it’s time for the Olympics. The Olympics, the Olympics: this is the Olympic song.) They may not be the best lyrics I have written in my lifetime; nevertheless, they run through my head daily this time of year. Additionally, I love the commercials run during the Olympics. Thus far this year my favorites have been spun by Coke: the world’s best athletes breaking out into an impromptu snowball fight always makes me smile, as does being told that with each Coke I have ever purchased I have helped fund the Olympics. The competition and skill pulls me in, but the whole experience of the Olympics is what I am captivated by.

Alright, maybe a full two weeks off from school is too much—it’s simply never going to happen…but two weeks of early releases seems reasonable. 

Image found on washingtonpost.com