Been Waiting Four Years...... LETS GOOOOOOOO!

I have been not so patiently waiting for the 2024 Summer Olympics to return and tomorrow the Opening Ceremony will air from Paris France at 12:30 pm CST. From tomorrow to August 11th, my daily activities will be scheduled around whatever sports are televised from the Olympics. I have loved watching the Summer games every four years for decades, starting in the 1960's. As a young child I remember the buzz of excitement in Nashville when Ralph Boston, a Tennessee State University track star, won a gold medal in the long jump in Rome in 1960. I'm certain that this was when my love for the Summer Olympics began.

I was a tall, lanky, clumsy young child and teenager who had zero athletic ability. My PE teacher in junior high, Ms. Briggance, actually sent me to the bleachers and banned me from participating in the tumbling exercises because she feared that I would "break my neck" (her words). While I didn't participate in any sports, I sure loved watching those who were good at them, and I still do. That's why when the Summer Olympics rolls around every four years, I'm in heaven. I've watched them every four years since childhood except when the United States boycotted the Summer games in 1980 to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. My heart broke then for the athletes who had trained for years but couldn't participate.

I get caught up in the back stories of many of these athletes from all over the world and while I cheer for the U.S.A, I also cheer for small countries with one or two athletes who represent their countries so proudly. While I remember many Olympic athletes from the past like Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Flo Jo, Evelyn Ashford, Michael Johnson, Michael Phelps, and many more; I'm excited to be introduced to a new group of dedicated athletes who've worked hard and dedicated themselves to their respective events, some that might last less than eleven seconds.

I'm purchasing my snacks today, and researching the event schedule to set my calendar for "what and when to watch". I really wanted to buy a larger television just because of Olympics, but I talked myself out of it for now. Maybe I'll get a new one for the Super Bowl next year. Yeah, I love football too. GO TITANS! USA! USA!

Marilyn