Olympic Events

The Summer 2012 Olympics have just concluded in London, and we had our own taste of the Olympics while in Nebraska this month. While back for the hometown festivities, we took part in several events.

The opening ceremonies (parade) were as grand as usual. Athletes and flag bearers only had to walk four blocks. This isn't a bad thing, it helps them save their energy for the competitive events to come. Mom, Niki, Adlyn, Avery, and Andrew represented the Frates Nation. While they didn't have their county flag, they did have several crazy decoys that adorned their mode of transportation (4-wheeler? Polaris? Golf Cart?). I'm pretty sure Adlyn's clothing was made in China, just at the uniforms of the USA Olympians were. Zach, Brooks, and I feel that we are very lucky to have had tickets to watch the opening ceremonies. Grandpa wasn't in attendance, as he as back at Olympic Village, feeding the athletes a pancake and sausage breakfast.

I should mention that their was an Olympic 5000 Meter Race that took place prior to the opening ceremonies. There wasn't a track within 9 miles of this town, so they had to take the race to the streets. Zach took home the bronze in the men's division, and Anne took home the coveted gold medal in the women's division. NBC documented that this was Anne's first athletic win in her entire career, and she surprisingly ran what is believed to be her fastest 5000 Meter Race ever. The Tough Mudder training is paying off. Eloise, Official Olympic Photographer, took a photo after the race. That in itself was an Olympic feat.

At high noon, there was a penny scramble. This was more for the kids, and I'm not really for sure what type of category this event falls into. Maybe it is something more like rhythmic gymnastics, or badminton. Something that not every nation does, and unless you've seen it in action, it doesn't make any cents.

Brooks and Adlyn had several failed attempts/false starts at the 100 Meters, the Gunny Sack Race, and the 3-Legged Race. They suffered from pre-race jitters, and utter-confusion as to what in the world was going on. Never before had A&B observed, let alone participated in, these Olympic Events.

Anne also took home the gold medal in the women's slipper kick (division 20-29). She won 75 cents for her efforts. The money will go towards her winter coat fund. If you need more information on this cause, please let her know.

The bike races were a different story. They have been in training for the past 14 months. It all came down to a "ready, set, go". Brooks went, but stopped part way through the race to wave to Dad on the sidelines. Adlyn wanted to move the start line back about 15 feet to the orange traffic cones for the girls division. This is how she had practiced it for the past 15 minutes, and why would anyone want to start at the actual start line? She did the race, and we were proud of her.

Anne and Zach did not do well in the egg toss. Zach did not defend his grand champion title with his brother-in-law from a few years back. Anne was so close to being the all-around champion, but she dropped it, literally, in a matter of a few rounds into the egg toss.

The closing ceremonies included a BBQ in the backyard of Grandma and Grandpa's, and included the finest sweetcorn in the USA. It was a long day. In 12 months, we'll have the opportunity to do it all again.