London Olympics – Week 1 Review

We have enjoyed the first week of the Olympics in our home this week. As Americans we typically rally around our home team, but the week started off with us being sad about the Men’s Road Race in cycling. We were all cheering for Mark Cavendish, but after his effort in the Tour de France he was unable to medal in London.  We enjoyed the diving competitions as we spent many years at the pool cheering on our son during his high school diving career. The U.S. has done well in the medal totals and we’ve cheered on Team GB as we love England and our friends across the pond.
The rest of this blog is for your viewing enjoyment – faces and photos from the first week. Click on each picture for a companion article from a multitude of news agencies.

Mark Cavendish at the finish of the Men’s Road Race for Team GB

Women’s Skeet Test Firing medalist Kim Rhode is the first American competing in an individual sport to receive a medal in five consecutive Olympics.

Michael Phelps now holding the record for most Olympic medals

Women’s Gymnastics scores gold in the team competition

And now some pictures just for fun

It Happens Every Four Years

It happens every four years – the Olympic Summer Games. In our household the Summer Games hold special interest to us as we watch sports that our children have competed in and spent many hours sitting beside a pool or a track rooting for them. As well, there are several cycling events and, as you’ve read here before, professional cycling is a shared enjoyment of our whole family.
So Friday night we sat together as a family (without one our team) and watched the opening ceremonies. We have all been to London at least twice, a couple of us, three times. So we love England and the English people. Sitting here on Sunday after the ceremony I’ve read many comments that people were not impressed with the opening ceremonies. All I have to say is I loved the forging of the gold ring in the stadium and how the other Olympic rings came into the stadium to form together. And once the rings formed, the sparks flying from them were pretty cool. In addition, once the games were announced open and the fireworks went off spiraling around the top of the stadium and then larger fireworks filled the air was worth a couple of “wows”. The copper petals representing each country joining together to create the Olympic cauldron was extremely original.
From other parts of the ceremony I liked the Queen and Daniel Craig’s James Bond skit with them skydiving near the stadium. In an unusual scene the Brits did a skit dedicated to the National Health Service – not sure something like that would ever happen in the U.S.
The two memorable things about this segment were the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (we saw the play while in London and I would tell you if you ever get the chance to catch this musical – do it!) and the light up blankets on the children’s beds. I definitely think I need one of these to be able to read at night. Or to provide additional light to watch television for the next two weeks catching all the Olympic action.

 

Go Team USA!