FOMO

You may be here because you have a fear of missing out (FOMO). Well, I admit that I get a little overwhelmed with the number of activities I would like my family and to experience. I do not wish there were eight days in a week. Nope. God intended it to be seven, and seven is what we get. 

HOWEVER!

We can control the length of summertime or summer break. It used to be eleven weeks. Now? The break from school lasts nine weeks. Hey, don't knock the two-week slice. Some of us love longer summer breaks for stay-cations or travel. We get to experience our area at a time when the schedule is more relaxed. Maybe these remedies can help:

1) Are there any short trips you can take during the school year? - It's more difficult for families who have rigorous sports schedules or extra-curricylar activities to achieve this feat.

2) Can you visit nearby museums or zoos? - Ah, more feasible. It does not suffice if you have long athletic weekends, however.

3) Can you visit an amusement park? - First of all, the summer is too hot to wait in line for 1 to 3 hours. Then, there's the summer crowd. Again weekends can promote difficulty with crowded athletic and extra-curricular schedules.

4) Can you go on a joy ride? - Perhaps the easiest of them all. Just be careful. The road is full of bad drivers, unsafe drivers, and the worst...drunk drivers. Please, everyone...drive safely! You can drive and explore or enjoy with a busy athletic or extra-curricular weekend schedule. Just go. Relax.

5) Plan for the next time. I know... it's difficult. So, let's call it OOMO - Opportunity Of Matriculating Onward. 

What else can you think of?

For me, for you, for others,

Derek 

🥇Paris Olympics: Day 15 - Recap

It's almost time.

Team Handball - The gold medal game between France v Norway (women). Norway pulled away and did not look back.

Sport Climbing - Brooke Raboutou 🇺🇲 did her thing in Bouldering to capture the silver. Rock climb more. It's good exercise.

Triathlon- Watched the mixed relay on replay. After participating in one, I know how it feels. Basically, if athletes can get a lead, keep it. If they fall behind, then hope for tremendous speed and VO2 capacity from an athlete. A short or sprint triathlon is one event in which you do not want to fall behind.

Marathon Swimming - The manner by which the athletes receive water...cool. Freestyle stroke and sip as the water pours out of the bottle from a pole.

Modern Pentathlon - I never really paid close attention to it in the past like I did this year. The MP has its own games...separatr from everything else with its own pool, shooting, running, and horse areas. But, I did not see MP-Fencing. Best part: running coupled with shooting.

Men's Marathon - Watched a little on replay. Any kind of record at this distance is solid. Tola of Ethiopia 🇪🇹 set a new Olympic record. My goodness!

Five Rings,

Derek

🌍Paris Olympics: Day 16 - Recap

The Women's Marathon. What could you learn from watching this event? 

Preparation to run a marathon. 

Grit. Did you see the final sprint between Hassan 🇱🇺 and Assefa🇪🇹?

Siffan Hassan was a beast in the Olympics! Gold in the marathon. Bronze in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. A true track athlete.

Perseverance. Many individuals quit without a plan. So, you never get the urge to see what perseverance is like when watch part of a marathon? You only need to observe a few minutes and, "Phew!"

A few minutes. That's all. If you can't watch a marathon for a few minutes and work with the urge to move or to do something out of your ordinary, then maybe you're watching it incorrectly. The Women's Marathon was my last Olympic sport of the Paris Games to fulfill watching every sport. Not every event in every sport but...every sport. 

I love watching these games and have loved it since Seoul 1988. But, the enthusiasm kicked in the most in Barcelona 1992. However, Paris 2024, with its ease of access via PeacockTV, made these games watchable at its highest level.

Hopefully, everyone knows about most or all of the sports included in the O-Games. Please know about smaller market sports such as, Team Handball, Fencing, Badminton, and more. Broaden your scope instead of watching the same sports over and over and over...and over again.

Five Rings,

Derek

⚽️Paris Olympics: Day 13 - Recap

Full of fun and learning. But, exhaustion sets in. Watching the Olympics feels like a sport in itself. You find yourself yelling and cheering with endorphins oozing. Suddenly, the replay on PeacockTV has helped out a lot.

Track and Field - My goodness! The races for gold have not fallen short of glory. Watch them all!

Sport Climbing - Search for it on replay on PeacockTV and watch. Bouldering is strategic and precise. Speed climb is all systems go!

W Volleyball - USA 🇺🇲 beat Brazil 🇧🇷 to play for gold. Everyone, practice your volleyball skills at cookouts. Volleyball is fun. You have to be athletic and gritty!

Cycling - The team pursuit was seen earlier. The Omnium event confuses me and everyone else lol. Fast, crowded, and energetic. Who else wants to try track cycling? Just me?

Five Rings,

Derek

👟Paris Olympics: Day 14 - Recap

Are we there yet? Because it has been fun!

Canoe Sprint - Definitely a sport that I would lile to try. If you have never seen it, then get in on it now. The way you and I canoe for leisure is a lot different than canoe sprint. I discovered this event in the 2016 Rio Olympics and was hooked!

Rhythmic Gymnastics - beats are cool. Movements are difficult. It's entertaining. Plus, you have fun imitating the sport at home lol.

Sailing (Kite) - Finally! Man, these athletes really rely on the weather to have their event. Kite sailing has to be the coolest Olympic sport. It's surfing on extra protein.

Track & Field - An Olympic Games in itself. All of the races for its own channel. Some names, you should know: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; Gabby Thomas; Grant Halloway; Ryan Crouser, Jessica Moore, and more. Congratulations to Canada 🇨🇦 on winning the Men's 4x100 Relay and to the USA 🇺🇲 Women's 4x100 Relay team on winning gold.

Weightlifting - My goodness Indonesia 🇲🇨! What a lift - 72.5kg athlete lifting 198.2kg in the split jerk - Rizki Juniansyah!

Basketball - France 🇨🇵 vs Belgium 🇧🇪, Women's semi-final match. I also like to see other countries mix it up and show crowd support. Belgian and French flags waving in the air. Well...USA vs France in the finals. 

Breaking - Finally, it has arrived. The much anticipated dance sport. I have mixed feelings. The movements were athletic. It missed some spunk. It needed more of a battle all around and extra skills. Nonetheless, B-girls Ami 🇯🇵 and Nicka 🇱🇹 battled well in the gold medal match. Categories...those are the skills needed: pop-locking, crumping, etc. Put them in to the break dance.

Five Rings,

Derek

🏐Paris Olympics: Day 12 - Recap

 Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 |Day 13 | Day

Weightlifting - Look...clean all you want. But, the power clean is legit.

Taekwondo - Kicking. All kicking. Some punching but all kicking. These legs are so flexible and quick that you miss head shots. Shoutout to the coaches who get head shot reviews - lightning quick and flexible.

Sport Climbing - Yes! Spiderpeople on display. I like this sport a lot.

Sailing - Delayed again due to weather. Found other sports to watch. Lol.

Rowing - I can't believe I missed all of the rowing. Lol. Replay is helpful. Watching it reminds me of its high cross training sport propensity. Try it out if you do not row.

Track & Field - Alright, I lost track (pun intended) of where I am as I back track days on here. A lot has happened in track. But, did you see Quincy Hall for the 🇺🇸 hawk down the fleet to win gold in the Men's 400m? My goodness!!! What a race and effort. Bravo, Quincy!!

Five Rings,

Derek

🏑Paris Olympics: Day 11 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

The Olympics, though only a few days left,, have some heavy hitters still on tap. Some are mentioned below and others will be observed Wednesday and beyond:

W Platform Diving - China 🇨🇳,  North Korea 🇰🇵,  South Korea 🇰🇷...they're all good. It's like throwing a penny in the water. No splash. All flip.

W Soccer - Good finish 🇺🇸.

Equestrian - If there is one event I can look at the most in Equestrian, it is jumping. 

W Team Volleyball - Team Volleyball is easy to watch. Exciting, hard hitting, athletic, teamanship.

Sailing - Look, give me my sailing! C'mon, weather.

Synchronized Swimming - Difficult sport. I respect the strength and endurance needed to pull of moves in the water without touch the bottom. Everyone has to sync up. There's a reason why these athletes have lean bodies full of strength and control.

Track & Field - What a day. Track has the distinction of the sport with the most consecutive "wows". Everyday, something extraordinary happens. Well, the Men's 1500m race was no slouch. Fantastic finish by Hocker 🇺🇸, Kerr 🇬🇧 , and Nugese 🇺🇸. They hawked down the final stretch to win gold, silver and bronze respectively. Then, Gabby Thomas! She is the 200m. She looked incredibly strong during her race to win gold. Wow, Gabby!

Women's Sport Climbing - On replay. Who remembers this sport from Tokyo? Wow, is sport climbing fun to watch. Talk about spiderwoman. They climb the grips like nothing. I feel sorry for athletes who reach the top, slap the timer pad,  ut the pad does not register a time. It means they tapped it too lightly. Blah. Give them the time! Great efforts.

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🏓Paris Olympics: Day 10 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

Overwhelmed in watching or keeping up? Well, keep going! 

Kayak Cross - Yes, yes, and more yes! I like how Kayak has included the same adrenaline rush in these cross events like BMX and Snowboard Cross (winter). The crowd is in to the entire race, and the athletes work very hard to jockey for position.

Skeet Shooting - Pull. Pap-pap! Try it out. You may find yourself at pigeon clay range for hours.

Track Cycling (Team Pursuit) - The fast sport that you are missing. If you cycle, as I do, you like it. If you understand strategy in sports, you will like it. Watch it on PeacockTV replay.

3v3 Basketball - Whoo!! USA 🇺🇸 won bronze for the women. They bounced back from starting the tournament down 0-3. Was cheering for Hailey Van Lith from the beginning. Take this bronze into your college season, Hailey! Tune in to 3v3 Basketball next time. It's fast, demanding, and difficult.

Wrestling - Freestyle and Greco-Roman are both good. Start crouched or start in close combat. Wrestling, an old sport, was on the chopping blocks in 2013. Let's not go down that path again. It's popular.

Team Volleyball - Volleyball already had me cemented. The points arrive fast. The sport has plenty of athleticism and precision. Watchout Poland, the USA fellas are coming for ya!

Platform Diving - Dropping. No. Slicing through the water from 10m above has its merits. It's remarkable to look at the skill needed to create a bare minimum splash!

Shooting (Rapid Fire) - Pap-pap-pap-pap-pap! Five shots in four seconds. Get it in and with accuracy. Italy 🇮🇹 and China 🇨🇳 were up here again!

Track & Field - T&F is an entire mini Olympics of its own. I need to catch up on events on replay. But, what has been fun today? Women's 800m...missing Athing Mu 🇺🇸. But, the Great Britain 🇬🇧 runner did her thing. Men's Pole Vault...Mondo Duplantis of Sweden 🇸🇪 with the world record to end the night was fantastic! See, field events have many merits. Swedish meatballs for everyone! Women's Discus... I had to watch the replay. Valarie Allman 🇺🇸 used her athletic build to the fullest in capturing gold. It was interesting seeing a few athletes fall short of the 60m minimum line or hit the net. Men's Steeplechase...hurdle and splash, that's all I got. Because who wants to jump over a hurdle and into water after running for a while lol? But, it keeps you engaged as a spectator.

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🏋 Paris Olympics: Day 9 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

Certainly could not watch a lot but had to watch the essential, Men's 100m, which did not disappoint from its heats to the final!

Track & Field - My goodness! My goodness! What a day. I have to go back and watchbfrack replays because the entertainment has been on full display. Hammer throw, women's high jump, every other event in between, and the men's 100m sprint delivered! Noah Lyles 🇺🇸, Kishane  Thompson 🇯🇲, and Oblique Seville 🇯🇲 looked like they would form the top 3 in the final. But, others lurked (Kerley 🇺🇸,  especially). We deserved a photo finish because all of the competitors wanted the gold!

With Lyles finishing with his chest, gold landed in his hands...er feet. He and Thompson ran very well. Heck, the entire eight-man field in the final sprinted well. 12/100th of a second separated 1st from 8th. Very good job! The 4x100m relay will be fantastic. For the first time in 20 years (Justin Gatlin, Athens, 2004), the USA 🇺🇸 has the fastest man title).

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🏇Paris Olympics: Day 8 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

Trampoline - When you have a daughter who loves to flip and move like gymnasts, trampoline is watched. Sky Zone and others have nothing on this sport, or is it the other way around?

Road Cycling - Does anyone else imagine him or herself in a road race while riding? I do too. As a matter of fact, it would be nice to afford the bikes each athlete rides lol. 

Track & Field - Oooh-wee! Julien Alfred winning the women's 100m was electric.. Proud of her for winning the first medal ever for St. Lucia 🇱🇨.  Proud of Sha'Carri Richardson 🇺🇸 for putting in her all in the 100. Proud of Melissa Jefferson 🇺🇸 for her bronze medal finish. I feel like Alfred knew she would win gold after her semi-final sprint. My wife even said, "Wow, she looks serious." She did. No one hugged her. Stoic look. Was about business. Alfred got out of the blocks well. The men's shotput...shotput has plenty of action. I remember Crouser 🇺🇸 from Tokyo 2020. In winning a third consecutive gold medal, he has plenty to celebrate. The yelling and skill to execute the throw are perfect for the sport.

Appreciated: javelin, a little triple jump, and every other event shown between events.

Pretty much summed up this day. Couldn't watch a lot. But, that's what PeacockTV replay is for.

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🏃‍♂️Paris Olympics: Day 7 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

In my pursuit to watch at least every Olymlic sport one time in these Paris Games, I am reminded of 1992 Barcelona. In those Games, I truly became a huge fan of the Olympics. In that year, I watched everything on the Red, White, and Blue TV package for anyone who remembers that TV deal. With more teams, more knowledge of the body and movement, as a coach, as a former youth, high school, and college athlete (it was non-NCAA ice hockey, which is still competitive), as performance professional, and as a dad, the Olympics hit in a different manner. Sports watched:

Team Handball - Sweden 🇸🇪 kicked butt over Croatia 🇭🇷 . Germany 🇩🇪 vs Spain 🇪🇸, with its high-scoring marks was entertaining. Remember: please do not leave these Olympics without knowing or without watching Team Handball.

Boxing - Packs a great punch. I agree with short bouts in the Olympics. Boxing can tend to have the best sportsmanship - Let's bash each others' heads in. Then, let us congratulate and lift our arms in the air as a unit!

Fencing - Did anyone see the Egyptian 🇪🇬 fencer who won while seven months pregnant? Not yet. Also: please do not leave these Paris Olympics without knowing or watching fencing.

Badminton - Denmark 🇩🇰  vs Chinese Taipei (no flag emoji)...exhilarating, fun, competitive. Badminton is the new backyard sport you have not played. But, like my client from yesterday, we both had sets as children. If you grew up in the 1980s, you had a set.

Track & Field - I missed the 4x400m Mixed Relay, the one everyone is upset about because Quincy Wilson did not run in it. Stay calm. They set a world record. You have   appreciate the skills of deathless, having the ability to do everything track & field. Athing Mu did not make the Paris Olympics, but the women's 800m race competition still has its merits. Women's disc

BMX Racing - Talk about an event I'd see if I attended the Olympics as a spectator. I have always liked BMX racing. One of the, if not, the most exciting and adrenaline pumping sport/event in the Olympics. Constant cheering. France 🇫🇷 locked in. 

Trampoline - Ever been to Sky Zone or any other indoor trampoline park? Yea, Trampoline in the Olympics is different. Talk about springy plyometrics.

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🤸🏿‍♀️ Paris Olympics: Day 6 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

Racewalking - Turn your treadmill to 9mph and walk. That's what the commentator said. These athletes push it out to racewalk 6:27 mile paces. My goodness! Not a boring sport to watch. Just learn from it, and the next time you walk on a pool deck (no running)...you should be OK.

3v3 Basketball - We've been exposed. The rest of the world is here. The USA 🇺🇸 is 0-4. They can make a comeback, but we have to adjust. 3v3 basketball does not wholly play out like regular playground 3v3 basketball (slower pace) that these players are probably used to. The Olympic version has more movement, is paced faster...it only stops for free throws.

Golf - Watch the green acres and sleep if you can. Skilled club stingers. It's. Just. The. Greenery.

Sailing - Wind is important. So, play or sail was suspended for a bit. I wish I had participated in sailing camp when I was younger. Had the chance - it did not interest me. Now, it does. Bet the day out on the water would be nice.

Gymnastics - Simone Biles is fantastic! Simone Gold, Simozoned, Simone Zone. No matter the name you have for Simone Biles, she delivered for the U.S. Shout-out to Sunisa ("Sunni") Lee for her bronze medal - la médaille de bronze - after face planting on the uneven bars. 

Gold - Biles, after overcoming criticism for dropping out in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Silver - Rebecca Andrade of Brazil 🇧🇷, after overcoming three ACL tears. Bronze - Lee, after overcoming two bouts of kidney disease. Fantastic perseverance, ladies!

Field Hockey - My daughter plays field hockey, so I am a field hockey dad as well. The Olympic level provides a lot of entertainment. Great Britain 🇬🇧 kicked our 🇺🇸 butts today, 5-2. But, the action and movements are worth seeing. Have you ever seen a game in-person?

Surfing - My goodness! So much waiting for the next wave. Watched Silva vs Hinckel both from Brazil 🇧🇷. Thirteen minutes passed by with a total of three waves surfed. You must have patience; otherwise, you will tire out. Surfers are different athletes. 

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🚴‍♂️Paris Olympics: Day 5 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

The work environment, at times, provides difficulty in watching every Olympic sport in its entirety. But, the effort can be applauded:

Swimming - Katie Ledecky is simply the best at what she does in the pool. Twenty of the top times in the women's 1500m freestyle. Fantastic for the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (Bethesda, MD) alum.

Soccer - it was on but did not see much.

Water Polo - I actually love how Flavor Flav has sponsored this team. They bounced back from a tough loss to Spain 🇪🇸 to destroy their competition today.

Gymnastics - Didn't see much, but it was on. Hopefully, my list of daily viewed sports can inspire you to watch and learn.

Judo - Is very cool. But, I don't get it. See, in the men's bronze medal match, 90kg, I believe, the athlete from France 🇫🇷 was flipped by the athlete from Brazil 🇧🇷.  However, the Brazilian did not receive any points. Can anyone explain why? The Frenchman went on to win la médaille de bronze.

Shooting - Familiarize yourself with the rules of shooting events at the Olympics: Rules and Regs. It's been around since the modern Olympic Games began in 1896. So, like handball, do not leave these Olympics asking yourself, "What is shooting?" After watching men's pistol finals and shotgun trap finals on replay, each competitor respects one another. Something the world needs in shooting: respect. Check it out because rifle and clay - shot that earlier this summer, and it was fun - will arrive today and through the weekend.

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

⛹🏿 Paris Olympics: Day #4 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

Gymnastics is in its swing! 

3v3 basketball started! 

I need to pay attention to 3v3 more closely in these Olympics. I know, it's playground basketball when you think about it. But, players get exposed because only six of them play at one time. The USA 🇺🇸 women got exposed in game 1 versus Germany 🇩🇪. The squad was up 5-0 and lost 17-13. Once the game ended, the ladies did not look happy at all. Hey, it's gonna take some grit to get the gold in these Paris Olympics for the reigning Olympic champions. 

Get them back in game 2, ladies!

Archery - A small sport that is worth the watch. Watch out for South Korea 🇰🇷 , Japan 🇯🇵 and China 🇨🇳.  Or, was that in pistol?

Gymnastics -  through it all Simone Biles and the rest of the U.S. crew won gold in the Team finals. Fantastic delivery! Biles is a cheat code - she's bad out there on the floor 🔥🔥🔥. Love seeing her compete.

Rugby - So...with the USA 🇺🇸 women winning the bronze medal in Rugby Sevens, the U.S. now has never medaled in five sports (Team Handball, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Table Tennis, and Badminton). Everyone forgot about rugby. So, there were actually six sports, prior to the Paris Olympics in which we had never medaled. Not anymore! The women's team won in dramatic fashion versus Australia 🇦🇺.  Fantastic and historic victory!

Team Handball - Please do not leave these Paris Olympics without knowing what Handball is as a sport. It has been around since 1936. No more questions of, "What is this?" Go watch it. You will like it. Rough, athletic, strategic. Watch it!

Beach Volleyball - The rallies are the best. It's not as fast as team volleyball. But, it works. 

Keep watching!

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🤽🏽‍♂️ Paris Olympics: Day #3 - Recap

Day 2 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

I am fortunate to work in a profession that allows me to have the Olympics on while I serve my clients. It fits. My attention is focused towards them most importantly. But, prior to every session, I ask each client what, Olympic sport would you like to watch? See, these two weeks play like an active holiday. The Olympics should be on in every establishment, whether they are shown on a TV, tablet, iPad, or other. Well, we got in the following:

Archery - I like looking at this small sport. You have to appreciate the ability to hit the bullseye or get close to it over and over again.

Gymnastics - The USA 🇺🇸 men persevered and won la médaille de bronze! They stuck landings like insects in the summertime.

Tennis - I do not remember who was playing, but tennis inspires some solid exercises that I will post on Instagram.

Team Handball - Even though TH has been played in the Olympics since 1936 (Berlin - it was called Field Handball), individuals still do not know about it. The Olympics off a glimpse into this dynamic sport. Don't say that you do not know what team handball is. Try it out.

Basketball - I'll watch basketball during the high school, NBA, NCAA, and WNBA seasons. But, for the sake of watching every sport at least once, basketball will be watched. Now, 3v3 basketball...that's new fun to watch!

Swimming - Hey, Australia 🇦🇺 get your wins in now before we get the next best generational swimmer. We've had Spitz, Phelps, Ledecky...win now, Aussies! Alright, Kayla McKeon of 🇦🇺 is pretty good.

Field Hockey - Just watch it. It's not ice hockey, but the athletes are skilled. Field hockey is closer to bandy than it is to ice hockey. 

Mountain Biking - I hope your area has mountain biking trails. The battle between the French 🇫🇷 and the athlete from Great Britain 🇬🇧 was one for the ages. Exhilarating! Britain won gold, but the pursuit had everyone on their feet!

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🏊🏿‍♀️Paris Olympics: Day #2 - Recap

Day #1 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day

Look, fencing is legit! Have you watched it yet? Have you seen the facility that is hosting fencing competitions? Fantastic! The energy is unmatched. Even the referee is exciting to hear. If you have not paid attention to fencing in the past, the game is quick, strategic, technical. The footwork, in all its marvel, resembles dance moves. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these athletes can break dance.

Other sports watched on day #2:

Skateboarding - You have to be young and very flexible.

Surfing - Though the athletes wait to catch a wave, the environment is fantastic.

Shooting (pistol) - The most steadiness hands. The intricate eye glasses get me.

Mountain Biking - It's exciting and physical when a pursuit between riders gets down to the end!

Water Polo - I've had someone show me the correct way to move your water polo tread legs. It's different.

Tennis - Great reactive sport, right?

Judo - Exhausting getting up and down all match.

Sailing - When the wind is present, the race...sails. 

Archery - More steady hands and arms.

Five Rings,

Derek

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |

🤺 Paris Olympics - Day #1 🤺

Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 |Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 | Day 14 

The 33rd Olympiad has arrived!

I thought day #1, well, the first day after the opening ceremonies hit it off the ground. It would be nice if I could attend the games in-person, but watching everything on PeacockTV has not disappointed. On Saturday, July 27, 2024, I watched multiple sports and some sports like fencing and table tennis provided four games at one time - spot screen on the app. 

Perfect.

Surfing, swimming, canoeing, water polo, badminton, and Equestrian rounded out day #1. Whoo! I know some individuals say that they love the Olympics, but I truly love the Olympics. Let's face it...I took a history of the Olympics and Sport class in college. To this day, I still keep in touch with the professor. Prior to taking the class, I already knew most, if not all, of the previous locations that each Olympiad took place. I took this course in 2002 or 2003. So, everything leading up to Salt Lake City 2002.

What attracted me to the O-Games? The 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. Watching athletes like Carl Lewis, Florence Griffith Joyner, and others. The competition and different smaller sports like team handball, fencing, table tennis, archery, and everything else. Barcelona in 1992 had me glued to three channels (Red, White, and Blue package) that my mom bought because she thought it was important for me to watch the Olympic Games.

She wasn't wrong because I absolutely loved it!

If you have not watched any of the above games from yesterday, here is a brief recap:

Table Tennis - four game split screen, so the energy was high in the arena. Having no commentary worked. Just pure play. Xia Lian Ni of Luxembourg 🇱🇺 (61yy)...she's good.

Fencing - Most exhilarating matches. Split screen in order to watch four games at the same time. Underrated spectator sport. We need more in high schools.

Surfing - Interesting. Tedious and patient sport.  minutes to gain as many points as possible. Every surfer waits patiently to hit the right wave, which they only surf about four or five times. Ideal Tahiti waves steadily arrived.

Water Polo - Jenna Flynn for the USA 🇺🇸 took it to Greece 🇬🇷 yesterday. 

Badminton - My parents used to have a set when I was younger. So, playing that in the backyard exposed me to the sport. I love how the Olympians actually play fast, the appropriate speed.

Canoeing - Change your thoughts about canoeing. The Olympians make it look exhausting and fun.

Swimming - Always a favorite. The rivalry between Australia 🇦🇺 and the USA 🇺🇸 continues.

Rugby 7's - Wish they started later. Rugby begins prior to the opening ceremonies as does soccer. The men have ended, but the women are just getting started. 

Equestrian - I saw Dressage, the haughty-taughty of Equestrian lol. They have excellent control of the horses.

Well, that was day #1. My goal is to see every sport at least once in the next two weeks. The Olympics should energize you, inspire you to try a new sport or continue one you play. It should teach you new countries and languages and show tight competition.

Have at it!

Five Rings,

Derek 

#Paris2024 | #Olympics |