Our tv may be in shock...

We've been having a great time watching the Olympics coverage this week. The tv hasn't gotten this much exercise since I was post-surgery last year. :P

This is the first time I've actually paid attention to beach volleyball, really, but you just can't seem to turn away from Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh when they really get going. They just dominate every set, and we've really enjoyed cheering for them.

I used to watch gymnastics a bit, but in recent years, my attention has waned, so every name is new as I watch both the men's and women's this year. What's also new is this weird mother instinct in me that makes me want to reach out and comfort so many of these young girls when the stress of this level of competition shows so plainly on their faces. We may call them women's and men's gymnastics, but these kids are so plainly kids! Watching the coaches step up during potential fall points when the girls are on the uneven bars or the men are on the high bar or rings reminds me of those moments as a parent that we have to stand by and watch our children do something on their own for the first time. We stand nearby, nervously cheering them on in our own way, ready to catch them if they fall and so very relieved when they don't.

Aside from the controversies involving age and the new scoring rules, it's been riveting to watch. I found myself gasping at the falls last night and cheering for Yang Wei, Jonathan Horton, and holding my breath for the US women's team a few nights ago. It's been a very exciting sport to watch!

And what is there to say about swimming but Michael Phelps. I've never had any interest in this sport before, but Michael's made me a fan. (Although part of me suspects he may be either an alien from a kind of fish planet or a robot. Dude is scary fast and unbelievably good.) He's so driven and so accomplished, and he's not even done yet!