I have a post over on Writes of Passage today (Monday is my blog day over there), and I blogged about the Olympics, adding just a touch about the games' modern history. But I wrote that post last night before the USA team swam its relay.
Oh my word! Did you see it? One of the most exciting things I've ever seen. The US team was in second place for much of the race, a race that had at least four teams ahead of the previous record. When the fourth US swimmer, team captain Jason Lezak, entered the water, it looked like the French were going to do exactly what they had said they were going to do — beat the US (although their words were more "inflated" than that).
I was in the bedroom preparing for bed. Poppet was on the bed, waiting for me to join her. Then came the second half of the fourth relay. And as Lezak began gaining on the French swimmer, I started hopping up and down and saying to the TV, "Go! Go! Go!" Poppet started barking, since hopping up and down in the bedroom while yelling at the TV is not a usual part of my nightly routine. Then I really went nuts when he touched the wall first, by 8/100th of a second.
The photo of Michael Phelps says it all. His team's valiant efforts not only won them all a gold medal but they kept alive Phelps' dreams of taking home a record number of golds in a single Games. I hope he does it. He seems such a nice and caring young man that I can't help rooting for him.
What a difference 8/100th of a second can make.
-rlh-
