2012 SUMMER OLYMPICS!

If you know me you KNOW I love the olympics. 2012 has not disappointed. It's been as exciting as I hoped from day 1.  The thrill of the competition, the pride of winning, the heart break of broken hopes and dreams and the love of the olympic spirit. So many Images from the start and all throughout. So many images that were striking and burned in my memory.  I think my first Images s of the Olympics Logo itself.   I always hope the Host Country does well because it would totally be lame if you hosted the olympics and your olympian were crappy. I hear  Great Britain is having some of their best Olympics Yet!. Well done, GREAT BRITAIN, WELL DONE

Anyway, take a look at what my mind hit on the last 2 weeks. Let's see if any of them match yours.

 It looks like a puzzle from my preschool days. I don't get it, but I think ti's cool anyway and I really like the version below best.

Here are some of my favorite images and stories for these xxx olympics: 

   I laughed so hard at Mr Bean. And Typically I don't even like him. But now, I think I love him and am looking forward to going back and watching some of his work.

 Michael Phelps disappointments his first couple days of competition. He looked hard and didn't appear to be enjoying himself at all.  I even questioned... "Why are you there, you just don't look like you want to be there?"

And then Phelpsy Showed up. There he is. Even his countenance was better. As if he decided to have fun, and enjoy it to the fullest instead of just to win. Remember this guy?  He is THE most decorated Olympian OF ALL TIME!!  

Best of luck in your all your future endeavors!!!

So what next for the U.S Swm Men's Team?  Lookie at who I'll be watching in the pool:

      

   

Nathan Adrian and Cullen Jones!

 What about this guy, you ask?

 Not impressed. To me he came off as an arrogant grill smiling pool pissin ass. Y'all can have him! 

Let's talk about more of those great images.

 Little Sista Gabby Douglas in mid flight!  

  Dear Martin Luther King. You had a dream. And it's come true! But black folks keep hatin on each other. Little sista Gabby  won the CROWN JEWEL of the women's summer olympics event and all black folks could to was talk about her hair did. Help us, Dr King to keep hope alive.   I cry  looking at this picture becase black foks are known athletically for playing basket ball. We're  "supposed to be "scared of water, scare of heights, scared of 'insert whatever here.)   Within the same 4 years a Black American President (that doesn't mean i did or did not  vote for him) and a  Black Gold medal  Olympian in Gymnastics.  I'm loving it!

 Icing on the cake: Im a Kelloggs Kid. Born and raised in Battle Creek Michigan. My Grandfather retired from Kelloggs. My Father retired from Kelloggs. Seeing this tops it. It's Gggrrrrrreeaattt!!

How about  Little Miss Missy?

I tried to find a picture of her NOT smiling but i dont have that kind of time.  I love EVERYTHING about this girl. She refused endorsements so she could continue to compete on a high school level with her team. Not too many teens would have done that. She also  turned down moving out of her home state and finding a more ""notable" coach. So she could train better. She said, why fix what's not broken.   She gives all the hometown girls next door a model to look up to with the perfect attitude.

                                                             Situations with tearful smiles are the best situations ever!

  What did you think when you first saw this guy?

Yeah ME TOO! about 100 different thoughts went through my mind. The first one was..."What the....??"

The second one was  Oh hell yeah, that's fantastic!"  the last one was... WOW, and he's handsome too!.

 I know some where in there I probably grabbed the remote to make sure I was on the right channel and not watching the Paralympics. He stole my heart, the little theirf. And ran around a track with it.

I cried when I saw this:

Here was a paragraph from "THEGAURDIAN" online news magazine: "All eyes in the Olympic Stadium were still on Pistorius, though. Even those of the winner, Grenada's Kirani James, who made a point of swapping name tags with Pistorius after the race, the pair sharing a warm embrace.

"Oscar is special," said James, the world champion, who ran 44.59. "It's a memorable moment for me to be out there competing with him."  

In an athlete spotlight documentary it mentioned he was born without a Tibia in both legs so at 11 months both were amputated below the knee. As a kid his mom would tell him and his older brother:

 "go outside and play." She’d say, “Carl, get your shoes on” and “Oscar, get your legs on.” When they would go outside to play, his mother would tell him, “If your brother climbs a tree, you climb it too.”  

 To the average person, it sounds like no big deal. When you look at Oscar they are some of the 

most powerful words spoken.

South Africa Call him "THE BLADE RUNNER"  This African American calls him AMAZING!!

  

I didn't think I liked Usain Bolt. I found him arrogant in the face of alll those left behind to eat his dust.

But it really is no different than when The U.S.A held the fastes men on Earth. Something changed my mind about this Jamaican.

 During a live interview with a spanish reporter, The USA National Anthem begin to play for our Gold medal winner. The reporter expercting to interview through the presentation was stopped midsentance by "the Bolt."

http://www.videotruffle.com/2012/08/06/usain-bolt-stops-tv-interview-in-deference-to-the-national-anthem-of-the-united-states-of-america/

If you can't click the link, copy and paste it. It's worth it.  This was a really great move in the spirit of the Olympics. To the fastest man in the world. I commend you! Thanks for the respect and for living the true 

Olympic Spirit..."

And i really had to check myself:

It's not really any worse than these beautiful Butterflies.

Check out this handsome dude:


 He's awesome because he got US into the 1600 meter relay Finals even though we didn't participate in the finals.


 Here's the Story from Associated Press in London:   Manteo Mitchell heard the POP! and knew it wasn't good. "It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half," he said.

The American sprinter had 200 meters to go in the first leg of the 4x400-meter relay preliminaries Thursday and a decision to make: keep running or stop and lose the race. To him, it was never much of a choice.

He finished the lap and limped to the side to watch the Americans finish the race and qualify easily for the final. A few hours later, doctors confirmed what he suspected: He had run the last half-lap with a broken left fibula.

THIS is what an Olympian looks like running on a broken leg

This is an xray of a broken fibula. And this isn't even a worse case.

  When I broke my big toe and fractured my left ankle 3 times it dropped me to my knees. I have a high pain tolerance. After all I had my daughter without any pain medication. So I can handle pain. But I can't miagine continuing tto run on a broken leg. Then again, I'm not an Olympian.




Ok this next Image is cool to me.


Felix Sanchez.
  Yeah I know,  Most Olympians cry what's so special about THIS one, you ask?

Felix Sanchez was U.S Born to Dominican Parents. He has Dual citizenship. He was raised by his Abuela. (Grandmother)  Sanchez was extremely Successful in the Athens Olympics. He hoped to and was on track to repeat in Beijing.

    He recived some devastating news on the day of his trials befor his first heat.  Abuela, the woman who raised him. The woman he loved and honored most in the world had passed away.

  his own words:'I got news on the morning of the first round in Beijing that she had died,' he explained. 'That affected me. I cried the whole day.

'I ran but I ran badly and I made a promise that day that I would win a medal for her. It took me four years."

He's lived in America all his life abut has such a respect for his Grandmother he runs under her flag to honor him.  I think it's a beautiful tribute.

Remember this controversy just 2 days ago:

Leo Manzano, Mexican Immigrant whose family moved to the U.S.A when he was 4. He said

 "I am honored and excited to represent the United States and Mexico by earning this  Silver"

Some were annoyed at  his choice to carry the flags of both his heritages. Should he be proud? I don't have a problem with it, He's sort of the American dream isn't he?  How do you feel about his tributes to two countries?

My last Image is a unique one. It's the story about a Man without a country.

Were I him, I would choose to be an Olympian without a country too.

Guor Marial is from South Sudan. He did not wish to compete for his country. He opted to compete independantly under the Olympic Federationl

If you remember the opening Ceremonies the 3 delegates under the Independent Flag Smiled, Played and Danced their way into the stadium. I feel like Immediately adopted them into my own heart.  Athletes who typically come as independents come from countries that have dissolved or are in some sort of reorganizational situation. But no The South Sudanese

 At the age of 8 Guor was kidnapped and forced into a labor camp during his countries Civil war which killed  28 members of his family Marial ran 3 days and 3 nights and was eventually able to escape into Egypt and then to the United State who granted him refuge. He has permanent Refugee status in the U.S but is not a citizen. So he does not compete under our flag. His parents survived the Civil War. 8 of his brothers and sisters did not. He was offered by the Olympic Committee of Sudan to compete under their flag. He refused.

His reasoning? "It's not right for me to do that. It's not right for me to represent the country I refuged from and "If I ran for Sudan, I would be betraying my people. I would be dishonoring the two million people who died for our freedom."  BOOYAH!!  There was a time when he ran for his life. Now he runs to compete. For the joy of it. If you haven't guessed by now Marial is a marathon runner. His event is the final event of the olympcs. He may not win a medal. But the fact that his parents will be able to see him compete is medal enough. They have not seen each other in 20 years.  I believe he will run into the hearts of many.

Did I mention it's been a most fantastic Olympics? I probably say that every year and II'll be sad to see them go.for 2 years.

 But there are words that will forever ring in my ears when I feel like giving up.

"Gold medals are made out of sweat, blood and tears and effort in the gym every day." ~ Gabby Douglas

"If your brother climbs a tree, you climb it too"  Oscar Pistorius's Mother

"" If I can help inspire children to become active and have a dream, I would feel very proud" Oscar Pistorius

Guar Marial once ran 3 days and 3 nights... for his life!

Manteo Mitchell made the olympics finals on a broken leg.

Ryan Lochte is an ass and Husain Bolt, not so much. *who knew?*

It's ok to relax, let loose and enjoy the ride. (I learned this by Watching Missy Franklin and Michael Phelps)

It is ok to be proud of all of your Heritage (Manzo & Sanchez)

Most importantly : It is possible for the Youth of the world to come together in one sandbox and play nicely with each other.