Friday Question #201
What is your most vivid Olympic memory? Or if you don’t have one, which event are you most looking forward to seeing this year? Or if you don’t give a crap about the Olympics, tell me why!
Woo hoo, Opening Ceremony today! We’re having a party (for two) at our house.
My most vivid memory is from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. I think it’s because that is the only summer Olympic year I was old enough to comprehend what was going on and actually spent time watching TV. In 2008, all I did was hear about Michael Phelps and his 2,478 gold medals. I remember sitting in a bad Chinese restaurant in Stockton, IL, hearing it on the TV.
Way too detailed, Kim. Way too detailed. Well, there will be a lot of that in this post. First, I will answer my own damn question though.
I most vividly remember the USA Women’s Gymnastic Team of 1996. The Magnificent Seven! For some reason, I knew the name of every woman on the team. And I watched A LOT of it on TV – I think I saw most of the events, and of course, Kerri Strug’s vault on her injured ankle! Who can forget that?! And the team gold medal! Woo hoo!
This year I hope to catch as many events as possible – particularly track & field, soccer, gymnastics, shooting, and diving. We’ll see what happens. We don’t have a DVR, and I am not home that much to watch TV – I will be relying on the internets – that means you (okay, and websites) – to figure out what is going on.
So, I was wondering what photo I should used for this post and decided I had to share a picture of the MOST AWESOME PANTS I EVER OWNED:
How’s that for being patriotic?! American Flag pants?! Aww yeah. I got them at Old Navy, summer of ’01 or ’02. Some man once offered to buy them from me. When I was wearing them. WEIRD.
I used to wear them with this sweet 2008 Olympics shirt, to be SUPER PATRIOTIC. Sadly, my pictures of that are not that great. So just imagine it.
Also sadly, I do not have either item to wear now. What will I wear? WHAT. WILL. I. WEAR?!?!!?
Anyway, I was looking at this picture and wondering why I have pajama pants on when Steven and Christina are dressed normally.
Oh yes.
That was the time I decided I needed to give my sister a piggy-back ride, slipped on a transition strip, landed on it, and had a nail rip through my pants and skin. I still have a scar on my knee. We sure know how to have fun!
And also totally not related, these pictures are of my freshman year of college, and are dated 2002. I have been out of high school for ten years. Craziness.
Themocracy
Um, I went to my 20 year reunion, like 3 years ago. Ahem. I am old 🙂
I watched so much gymnastics that year too! But I think my most vivid Olympic memory is the whole Tonya Harding Nancy Kerrigan debacle. Probably because we got to relive it via every tv station about 50 gajillion times…
Ha! How could we EVER forget that?!
(and I CANNOT WAIT for the women’s marathon this year!)
A bad Chinese restaurant in Iowa? I don’t know what you speak of…
I remember watching the games at my grandparents’ when I was in elementary school and soaking in every minutes of gymnastics. I begged my mom to let me become a gymnast, but for some reason, that never panned out.
Derp. I just realized I wrote IA and meant IL. Ha ha ha. Will fix!!!
Isn’t it amazing that these gymnasts start SO fricking young? Man, parents would REALLY have to be on board with that. Like… the only ones on board to start, I am sure 🙂
Kerri Strug clinching the gold was so awesome! Sweet pants! ;). I’ve been out of high school for twelve years- I feel old!
You guys look like babies!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, love, love watching the Olympics! Gymnastics in the summer and figure skating in the winter are among my most favorist sports to watch during the Olympics. I have lots of fond memories watching the Olympics. I remember a lot of Lillehammer in 94 and Barcelona in 92. I have wanted to visit Barcelona since that time.
Let’s go to Barcelona together! It is one of my top fave cities in Spain 🙂
Well I get to age myself pretty good here but my first Olympic memory is Miracle on Ice. I was 8 so um yeah. LOL. My 20 year hs reunion was a few years ago as well. Damn I R Old.
I very clearly remember watching the women’s gymnastics and the Dream Team in 1992 at Barcelona. Barcelona is such a gorgeous city and those Olympics were paramount!
Awww, that picture of you and Steven is so cute!! And I wasn’t trying to figure out why you were wearing PJ pants when they were wearing normal clothes… I was trying to figure out why your sister was wearing a coat and backpack! haha.
I haven’t given a crap about the Olympics in recent years but I do recall watching a ton of the gymnastics coverage in ’96 like you mentioned. I also recall the winter olympics when the whole Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding ordeal went down.
I think I’ll follow it a bit more this year. Partially due to social media. Between blogs and twitter, I’m way more interested in the olympics this year. I can’t wait to watch the marathon!
If it makes you feel better, it’s been almost 10 years since I graduated college.
I don’t really follow the Olympics much anymore but I was obsessed with them when I was a kid. I remember watching every event in the 1992 winter Olympics and being sad for days when they ended. But of course my best memory would be going to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta with my family in 96. We only saw a few events but it was awesome!
So cool! What did you see?
Did you see the article online about how Zaha Hadid’s London Aquatic Center has viewing issues becausse of the sloped roof? Architectural FAIL. http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/zaha-hadid-denies-aquatics-centre-design-to-blame-for-diving-blunder/5040361.article
We saw a few volleyball matches. It was pretty cool just being there while everything was going on.
“Anyway, I was looking at this picture and wondering why I have pajama pants on when Steven and Christina are dressed normally” Looks to me like Christmas fashion show at Grandma’s maybe? Just noticed the date, early Christmas for some reason that year?
I think it was a stop there on our Thanksgiving Tour of 2002 – IA, then MO? Did you see in the second pic I have a bunch of clothes stacked up that Grandma had washed for me? LOL.
Hey! You didn’t answer the post question!
Oh man there are so many vivid Olympic memories! Like you, I also totally remember sitting in front of the TV with bated breath, watching the Magnificent Seven in 1996. Last time around I think I saw 80% of Michael Phelps’ swimming events (including the prelims) and I saw all of his gold medal wins. That included staying up very late and getting up pretty early. What can I say? I get really, really excited about the Olympics! This year I am most pumped about the marathon, both men and women. So many great contenders–I can’t wait! Another event I’m pretty pumped about is the men’s 3000m steeplechase. It looks like it is going to be a great race! 🙂
Those pants are awesome. I once had a lady approach me at a White Sox game, wanting to buy my belt (it was bright pink). Well, I was in college and wanted the money to buy beer so I obliged. I still thought it was strange. Old Navy has American flag pants again. I just saw them a few weeks ago in the clearance section if you’re looking to replace them. Just saying… 🙂
Happy Friday!
it would have to be Barcelona 1992. Voula Patoulidou won the gold medal in hurdles (I totally had to look the English word for this :-)). It was the first time in a very long time that a Greek athlete won an Olympic gold and it was a huge deal. It was also the beginning of a really good period of ten years or so that the Greek team would do really well in the Olympics. Big stuff! Not to mention the coolest quote on the podium ever.
Either I didn’t really watch the Olympics or my memory is horrible because I don’t remember any particular moment. I vaguely remember them being on when I was in high school because I’m pretty sure my parents were watching them. I probably watched something. I do remember when the winter Olympics were in France and NBC or CBS or whatever channel it was would have an “etoile du jour” and we had to look up that “etoile” meant “star”. And we had to look it up without the Internet! Thank goodness I owned a French dictionary.
Also, your pants are killer. You totally wanted to wear them no matter what everyone else was wearing 🙂
I had a poster of the Magnificent Seven (I think I can still name them all) and kept newspaper clippings from Kerri Strug.
I was gymnast growing up, so I was always obsessed with gymnastics. The Magnificent 7 was like the highlight of my life in 1996. I spent the weeks after the Olympics filling up multiple scrapbooks with all my clippings. I even got to go to the gymnastics nation tour the following fall and meet the team. I got autographs from Kerri Strug and Shannon Miller that I framed and put by my bed.
[…] Anyway, today is somewhat a busy day for me, I was asked to help with the baptismal of one of my friend’s offspring this Sunday so I have to finish all my chores that was scheduled in the weekend so I don’t have to worry about coming home exhausted and still have to tackle chores! I also have to print out the insurance sites that I found for her like the equote life insurance. She has been talking about getting another life insurance and she want to compare it with what she found. I never really thought of getting an extra one but I might consider it one day. Anyway, here’s another Friday Meme I found online and here’s my first entry for Friday Questions: […]
Okay, I did not witness these live, but what about Bob Beamons 29 ft. 2½ in. or Billy Mills as the only U.S. runner to win the 10k? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs6G8NfEyVk
I’ve always been obsessed with gymnastics – and I’m psyched to watch it this year, too. I *love* those flag pants! I totally would have asked if I could buy them, too. 😉
I’m not a huge fan of the Olympics.. They are boring to me. I did like watching Shawn Johnson during the last Olympics since she was from Iowa! 🙂
Side note: I miss Grandma’s old house so much! Waaaaaaah.
For me, (and I’m dating myself here) it would have to be Mark Spitz in men’s swimming taking home 7 golds. It’s both my earliest and best memory to date of watching the games.
A very.. very very.. close second for the best memory is the 2002 Salt Lake games. I never went to any of the events, but did go see a couple of the concerts (Sheryl Crow and Sting) as my wife (my girlfriend then) worked the games and was a driving for the men’s Norwegian curling team. She got to experience a lot more than I did.