By Rosie Moore

Are you watching the Olympics? I hope so. Those fabulous, sometimes nerve-wracking, yet thrilling games between the most athletic young people in the world–and some not so young are awe-inspiring.

Let’s talk about the ice skaters.  While some of them do have falling spills, most of them jump right up and keep on skating as if nothing happened at all. They are there for one purpose–to win a medal and if they don’t they still have had the most thrilling moments they will ever have in their lives.

After seeing the “twizzlers” and “Sal chows” I tended to get light-headed watching them. How in the world do they do that?

Well, as everyone knows, by years of practicing, by making their art the main focus of their lives. Forgetting about holidays, marriages, even education sometimes, the only aim is to be the best in the world.

I saw one pair almost make the first spot when one of then stumbled. After many years of skating together they lost their dream in a few seconds. Yet, they carried on and never stopped smiling even when they saw their points at the end.

What fortitude! I think I would hate to be a judge in the pair dancing routines. There was one particular time when the Russian pairs stumbled and fell  twice in their routine but they were given more points than one or two excellent dancers, who didn’t fall at all, which I didn’t think was fair.

Of course, I don’t know what to look for when it comes to judging their moves but I think I might have judged more fairly in that instance. And there’s a lot of ice skating to see: short programs, long programs, pairs, singles, plus team events.

Then there’s the Nordic Combined. Around forty skiers, I think, travel up-hill, down-hill for I don’t remember how many miles, trying to be the first at the finish line. No wonder they fall flat on their backs when they cross that line. They can hardly catch their breaths. I could hardly catch mine! Germany came in first in that race.

And what is curling? I tried to watch that and it looked boring. Then I thought, well, I don’t know what the aim is, so I looked it up on Google. Curling is related to bowls, boules, and shuffle boarding. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks, across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a circular target marked on the ice. The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the center of the house. The paths of the rocks may be influenced by two sweepers with brooms to alter the state of the ice in front of the stone.

Curling was first introduced in the Olympics in 1998. Well, I think they put curling in there so we can relax from the exciting events of ice skating, skiing, and speed skating. There’s a lot more events coming up this week. Watch and enjoy!

Thought for the day: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

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