Every Olympics, I go through a sort of funk. The type of funk that is typically reserved for a 50-year old male who's facing a sort of mid-life crisis (complete with a yacht, motorcycle and pair of deerskin chaps).
Don't get me wrong. I completely enjoyed the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding saga. (My fingers were crossed for Tonya--I found her to be prettier), and watched EVERY MINUTE of the 1996 US Women's Gymnastics team competing in Georgia (and kicking butt!), feeling nothing short of happiness and pride.
But I also felt something else.
The funk officially hit during the 1998 Winter Olympics when Tara Lipinski blew everyone's mind and took home the women's figure skating gold.
And I wanted to die.
Here was this tiny girl, only a year or so older than I, wearing an Olympic gold medal around her neck BECAUSE SHE WAS THE BEST FIGURE SKATER IN THE WORLD.
And me? The most I ever had to show for my efforts was a free personal pan pizza coupon from Pizza Hut that I won because I was able to read 20 books over the summer.
Leave me alone. I'm pacing myself. I mean, there has to be something wrong with achieving your life's goal at eighteen years of age.
Ask any high school basketball team captain.
Or Evgeni Plushenko*.
*At 19 he won the silver medal in men's figure skating at the 2002 olympics in Salt Lake. At 23 he won the gold. He then retired.
But now he's back. And 27 years old.
Two medals? At least I've never retired.
Friday, February 12, 2010
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AMANDA AMANDA AMANDA! me too!!! im a nutcase when it comes to figure skating!!!! and skating in general like michael Im an excellent figure skater mommy put me in ballet class and skating when i was very young and i take skateing seriously....you saw me aat christmas banquet :) but thats my section of the olympics... Apollo Anton ohno!!!! who won dancing with the stars in season 5 and Apollo blew everyone away in 2002 when he got the gold medal for speed skating. he was the michael phelps of thos games :)
ReplyDeletewe were hanging out with my brother-and-sister-in-law last night who were home for the weekend, and he was telling us about how he just met a 2002 olympic gold medalist in speed skating (i think) and now he was SELLING INSURANCE in MILWAUKEE. talk about an olympic funk.
ReplyDeleteJulie - I'm so glad you shared this.
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