Friday, February 26, 2010

The Olympic Games.....a retrospective....


I love the whole idea about the Winter Olympics. There’s an aura to it that I find appealing, including the gut drumming song that accompanies each opening segment on TV. 


And, of course, the games.


OK. Most of them I get. Ice skating (ice dancing, figure skating, racing, .....), skiing (nordic, cross country, jumping....), the fairly new snowboarding (whatever...too new to me to interpret), and ice hockey.


No prob.


However.....


Please. Come on. 


For example....


....the Luge?


Lying on a little sled, face up, feet first careening down an icy track at 87 miles an hour while clad in spandex? 


And then, AND THEN .....there’s the DOUBLE luge!???  Two men lying on top of each other on same sled, in the same slippery spandex with no seatbelts! WHAT is holding the second man in place on top of the first?? I shudder to think. 


(yeah, I know, women do it, too, but they’re probably cushier.) 



sigh....


And then the Biathlon. 


(The following is a re-enactment of the founders deciding what this event should be in  the 1924 Winter Olympics .)


Olympics President: “OK, we know we need to use ice or snow in this event, but what should we do?”


Olympics trustee: “Pour raspberry syrup on the snow, eat it, and call it a day?”


Olympics President: “No. Come on. This is serious. These are the Olympics, you know, Athens and all....just in the winter.”


Olympics trustee: “I know. (thinking)  Well.....(more thinking).....maybe they can SKI!”


Olympics janitor: “Brilliant! Now let’s go out to lunch.”


Olympics President: “No, no. Wait. I think we need more than that. Something to......”


Olympics trustee: “I know. I know! Let’s have them carry rifles on their backs while cross country skiing mile after mile and then have them stop every so often to lie down on the snow and shoot at a target, get up and ski some more! Let’s make it a race!!!”


Olympics President: “I. SAID.THIS. IS. SERIOUS! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”


True story.


And then there’s Curling......


Don’t even get me started on that!


Sidebar:  You know about Dubai? In the Middle East? The place that is LOADED with money?
THEY have an indoor skiing facility. Look for yourself......

They should apply for the Olympics. 

11 comments:

♥ Braja said...

Too much snow...

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Good perspective - but you forgot the most "uninteresting" sport - they "ski", or slide down a ramp on some sort of slick surface - wearing full skiing equipment - go roaring up and big incline and it throwns them up in the air - flip flip and into - are you ready for this??? Water - a big fat pond of cold water - not that took brains. I think it is such a dumb sport that they haven't even named it - I just don't get it - but I did see it with my own eyes - well, one guy doing it - and that was enough for me. Surely I couldn't have dreamed this. Nah - no one could make that up.

Lili said...

Sounds like I missed some real dusies! ~Lili

Unknown said...

As I looked at the picture of the double luge, I think it occurred to me what keeps the top guy on.
That was a hilarious post!

brattcat said...

I'm rather partial to 'curling'. Great post, E.

Kathleen said...

I love the olympics, and don't know what I am goiing to do after tonight. Curling is a big mystery to me too. Those brushes and all that yelling. Luge, how about Skeleton sled races. On this one, the rider is HEAD first. Crazy. Only Dubai could afford an indoor ski slope. Hugs, Kathleen

Deb Shucka said...

So funny! I saw the Dubai facility on Amazing Race - it's amazing.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Cute Elenka.... I watched ALL of the Olympics also --at least every night. I loved it --even some of the weird ones!!!!

When I started reading your thoughts, I thought that you just HAD to talk about Curling.... Wonder who EVER came up with that!!!??????ha ha

Hugs,
Betsy

Julie said...

The world uses many of its resources in a way that befuddles me.

Debbie said...

That was so funny Elenka! I have always been confused by the curling! Did you happen to catch Saturday Night Live's take on the olympics? It was hilarious and yes...curling was in one of the skits!

Lili said...

Elenka...Just popped back to tell you I remembered to check the type of flux we use in stained glass class to solder. It's called Glastar Glassflux. Sorry it took me so long to remember that! ~Lili