Her: Olympics

It's one week until the London 2012 Olympic Games begin, and I can't wait! To some, this isn't a big deal, but to me and many other spectators, we've been waiting for this since 2010! There's just something amazing, beautiful, and inspiring about watching Olympic athletes push their bodies to the limit. Not only that, but the fact that the Games represent a positive, peaceful, international collaboration truly make the Games exceptional.

Perhaps my enjoyment of watching the Olympic Games stems from the fact that competing in them was once a dream of mine, like many young athletes. However, you certainly don't need to be an athlete to enjoy the Games. It all starts with the Opening Ceremonies. This year, the theme is "Isles of Wonder;" look forward to seeing live farm animals in the stadium! Each Olympic Ceremonies seems to outdo the ones before it in terms of artistry or pyrotechnics, so I really look forward watching it. It can get a bit long during the parading of the athletes, but it's still fun to watch, especially when your country comes in.


After that comes two solid weeks of the sporting events. Personally, I love getting into it, cheering your country or favourite athletes on. I can still remember watching Donovan Bailey win gold in the 100m sprint in the 1996 Atlanta games. What a moment! I'll never forget that one. My favourite summer Olympic sports to watch, in no particular order, are diving, synchronised swimming, gymnastics, rowing, track cycling, equestrian, and of course, athletics (i.e., track and field). Canadian athletes I'm excited to see include Clara Hughes on the bike (and not on the ice!), Simon Whitfield in triathlon, and Alexandre Despatie in diving (who may or may not have been my Olympic crush since 2000...hehe).

Someday, I would love to go and watch the Olympics live. Missing the Vancouver Games was sad, since it'll probably be awhile before another Canadian city hosts (probably another 20 years or so), but travelling to see the world and the Olympics would be amazing too. I would probably like to see the winter games over the summer games, but really, I wouldn't care which when the opportunity arises.

Go Team Canada!