Will Chapman Publisher

Local people seem to be paying attention to the Olympics, at least as evidenced by the numerous comments I’ve heard from a variety of locals about various Olympic events they’ve watched.

I doubt most of us spent much time watching gymnastics before the Olympics, but I’ve heard lots of people talking about performances involving floor routines, pommel horses, parallel and uneven bars and other gymnastic events in recent days, as people had tuned in to watch the Olympic coverage.

Advertisement

For sure there’s been lots of talk about Michael Phelps and his eight gold medals, including one where he must have won by an unclipped fingernail over the guy who came in second.

I think Dara Torres’ story is incredible. It’s amazing that she’s in her fifth Olympics, much less competitive at age 41, and a mother.

I think she came in second the other night to a 16-year-old competitor, way more than half her age.

I’ve certainly heard Dara getting a lot of tongue-time from local Olympic commentators.

Lots of locals, especially men, have expressed admiration for those who play beach volleyball, especially at the high level of Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor.

I’m not sure of my terminology but I think you play two out of three sets to win a beach volleyball match.

These American women have won nearly 500 sets while only losing fewer than 20 in the past couple of years and haven’t lost a set in more than a year.

They got a real challenge the other night from a team from Belgium. The Belgium women only needed one point to win the set, which would have been a major upset, but Walsh and May-Treanor fought back from several points down and then, after several ties, won the set, and then the next, to take the match.

I heard lots of men talking about their competitiveness and their athleticism, chasing down errant balls, digging them out just inches above the sand, how they can run so fast and jump so high, all in sand.

“I have a hard time just walking on the beach” several men commented in praising these great beach volleyball players.

I doubt I’ll ever become a regular at watching men’s water polo, but I’ve enjoyed and have heard from other locals who have enjoyed seeing them compete, and hearing how they’re exceeding the experts’ expectations thus far.

What’s really fun is watching the winners in the sports you seldom hear much about, whether that be rowing or archery or field hockey or fencing, and seeing how hard they compete and then how much it means to them to be a medalist.

Who isn’t touched when they see the pride in the face of the winners as their national anthems are played, the big smiles on their face and often the free-flowing tears of joy and pride and happiness?

They’re not in it for the money. Most are just happy to be there for the experience and pride in being at an Olympics, with no thought of financial gain because of their accomplishment.

And that’s what makes them so much fun to watch.

WILL CHAPMAN is publisher of The Daily Iberian.