Living the Olympics spirits

We stole the flame from London Olympics cauldron and the warmth is felt everywhere: bike route and thirteen miles dirt trail around the Quail Hills are filled with  residents hiking, biking, walking and running. I bumped into an equestrian today at the trail and he was struggling to keep his stature and composure when the horse under was powering his dreams. The jolts from the horsepower, naturally delivered directly to him, looks nothing like a ride in Ford Mustang but you can only judge from a distance. Strangers on the trail found it strange that there are Coyotes, deer and bunnies on the trail and the animals hang-out long enough for a facebook picture.  At the pool, now I see two lanes converted for lap swimming. Butterfly and backstrokes are common. In family area, a number of brand new swimming aids are floating with and without their owners. Kids are home with synchronized diving and two and a half summersaults. At least they seem to pretend.  While driving to office, the sidewalks are  energized with runners wearing the same fluorescent foot wares that garnish the Olympics tracks.


At home, we are proud of our recent electronic acquisition. A Samsung LED that brings crispy fresh images from the stadium to our living room. We think our Cox provided DVR is a cool equipment because it lets us record the events when we are at work and also gives us 8x speed to forward the boring events. It’s not just Biking and boat races; swimming and gymnastics at times need a button push.  There is one new game I get hooked to these days - Women’s volleyball- Thanks to Destinee Hooker of the US team, you are destined to hook.  This 6ft 4 inches former high jump champion delivers every spike with such grandeur that impresses even her rivals.  I still wonder how the Brazilian team managed to upset them in the final.

An event that fell out of my favor is Beach Volleyball. Not because England’s chilly weather forced California stars Misty and Kerry to use jumpers and leggings.  I think it takes more than two people for a better court coverage and then please, please play on a warm day to preserve the base membership. Also, it was an all American final and I could probably watch one game here in Huntington Beach where they practice for Olympics and its just 9 miles far.

We followed Gabby Douglas in every gymnastics sequence and reminded people around us that she went to Chow’s Gym in West Des Moines, the same facility where former Olympian Shawn Johnson was trained. Then we spill out the fact that we lived in West Des Moines for three years and reminisce how wonderful the life there was. We thought Gabby is our own girl and we always forgive her small mistakes. Our three year old is into some gymnastics too. Hanging on the dining table, diving from the sofa , splitting and stretching legs  are commonly performed  at  the living room as we watch the events. She is also demanding a hula hoop for rhythmic gymnastics numbers!

There is something addictive about watching people running.  Following Kiprotiches for two hours and eight minutes to watch them finish their marathon runs confirms it.  Wilson Kiprotich from Kenya was leading the pack throughout the race but Uganda’s Kiprotich ran a brutal 4:42 minutes 24th mile to pull apart from the leading Kenyans and finished first. It was also a tour through London streets passing through London Tower, St.Paul’s Cathedral, The house of Parliament and the Buckingham Palace. Usain Bolt has proved again that he is the fastest runner ever . We also heard the yellow yam he eats is available in the Chinese grocery store here and this weekend we are getting our share.