By: Cathey Meyer“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” were the famous words of one, Jim McKay, ABC Sports commentator for many of us back in the days of four channel television. The opening sequence of ABC’s Wide World of Sports showed athletes in the prime of triumph and the anguish of loss. The Olympics of the 1900’s was simple in their presentation and broadcast live no matter the time zone of the country. No tape-delay back in the day. It was your choice to alter your sleep pattern and learn who won what medal in a collection of sports that were traditional and easy to follow.
Change is inevitable in all aspects of life, but the Olympics are changing faster in their every two to four year appearance than the shades of blond that find my roots every three months. With the passing of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, I am not so sure I am ready for the 2028 games in Los Angeles. In a pledge that we would not fall prey to the call of these most recent Olympics, we found ourselves in lock-step with the live broadcasts from across the pond. The excitement of watching in real time that was not in the middle of the night made it simple to cheer on our ‘amateur’ favorites. The addition of multiple cable channel broadcasts made it possible to witness almost every competition—and this is where we got lost.
The Olympics have been around forever—literally. I am no historian, but brief research filled me in on those early religious events that featured sports involving running, jumping and throwing. Those would include most track events, horse stuff, and heaving heavy objects. Things they did daily to survive back before cell phones. ‘Modern’ Olympics added water events, games with sticks and baskets, events with wheels and targets. All these events were doable for the common man—not at an Olympic level, but easy to participate in at the local park. The events were relatable even if the athletes were unicorns.
The closing of the most recent Summer Olympics left me pondering what truly qualifies as Olympic talent. Those skateboarders that tear up our local walkways, zip passed us like they own the sidewalk and cannot decide how to wear a baseball cap are now Olympic medalist. I actually stayed up way too late one night watching the spider monkey competition as wall climbers raced to the top of wall in under five seconds. I blinked and missed several races. As a basketball fan, I am all in on the traditional basketball games, but why are we subjected to 3 on 3 basketball competition? Shouldn’t that be 1 on 1 playing H.O.R.S.E.?
As a very average swimmer, I admire the racing and relay events, but I am at a total loss on Artistic Synchronized Swimming or Team Diving. How do you know which athlete to watch? I need some guidelines and I am not watching brainless television to have to do homework. The kayaking events, yes there was more than one, were very confusing. Why did the kayaker get dropped from a platform to start the race? Was this kayak diving with a distance finish? Do not get me started on the surfing event. Nothing seems fair in a sport where you rely on Mother Nature to provide the venue of a rad wave to ride to the finish.
The equestrian events were way out of my pay grade. The sport of using horses for competition purposes has a deep history, but after watching horse after horse take tiny steps sideways, I fell asleep and missed all the scoring. I briefly watched the other horse events. There was a lot of jumping and whispering, but the course had no logical flow and even the horses looked bored. Fortunately, professional golfers were allowed to compete in the Olympics, so I got my nap in a traditional sport I understood. When I woke up, a familiar face won their gold medal.
Track and field is a guaranteed engager of competitive sports observation. That is where I learned the value of a millisecond, a good body lean, and too much preparation for too little glory. None-the-less, I was fascinated by the stylish approaches to the start of each event. The hair; the nails; and oh, the bling. I would think most of that extra accessorizing would slow that average athlete down, but then I remember these were not average athletes. A few ounces of gold and karats of diamonds just add to the need for speed. And finally, let us note that Break Dancing was an Olympic event this year. What?! I have no words.
Every Olympic year I claim I will not be watching, and every Olympic year I dive right in and drink the Gatorade. I do miss the true four-year performances of Winter and Summer Olympics in the same year. 2026 will come soon enough and I cannot wait to witness what is defined as Winter Olympic events. Always a thrill in victory and the agony is just whining about change.
