The End of Another Olympic Era

OK, not an era really but my guess is there are a number of gold/silver/bronze medal winners this year who will not be back. Still...good luck to anyone trying to beat Apolo Ohno's total medal record of 8! Good luck to anyone who thinks they are ever going to think up a new stunt before Shaun White does. Good luck to anyone trying to beat Norway in the Nordic events. Good luck to anyone who thinks they can out ski jump the Austrians.

Then, of course, there's the huge Curling event. Who would have ever thought there would be cheering for a bunch of people huddled around big round stones sliding down the ice slowly toward a stationary target? Sorry, I still can't bring myself to cheer for that one. Probably because the participants don't look like they are any more excited than someone who has to drink that foul-tasting crap prior to a colonoscopy.

Still, you get sort of addicted to watching people who are the best at something, with some obvious exceptions like tennis, golf and bowling. Then, when after a few weeks all of a sudden it's over, you feel lost. It seems like you've been cut loose, sort of like your toys have been taken away. You turn on the tv and there's nothing on, or at least nothing that compares to all that happens in an Olympic season. The miracles are always amazing.

So, enjoy the last 24 hours. Next stop, London, England from July 27th to August 12th, 2012.