Track and Field Madness!

The Main Blurb

Track is awesome. I wish I could be at the Olympic Stadium this week to watch it. I am enjoying the evening feed online, because it is bouncing everywhere! Take tonight: I was able to watch it in my classroom in its entirety – from 11am till it was done. I saw decathlon high jump, decathlon 400m, men’s 110m hurdle semifinals and finals, women’s 200m, women’s 400m hurdles, men’s 200m semifinals, women’s long jump, men’s javelin throw, and the men’s 800m semifinal! Boom! We’re on the track! Boom! We’re watching long jump! Boom! We’re back on the track for the first semifinal! Boom! We’re watching javelin! Boom! There’s another semifinal on the track! Boom! There’s that Chariots of Fire music signaling another medal ceremony! Boom! There’s that really cute mini remote-controlled Mini Cooper fetching the field items like hammer throw and shots!

You really miss out on that when watching the NBC TV coverage. They make you watch one event at a time, take frequent breaks, and doesn’t allow the track meet to flow. Then they put qualifying rounds of field events on late night and only show a few participants that factor in the medals!

The announcers are also great. I don’t know who they are, but they are able to let the event unfold and don’t try to be impressive. They just give us the events and keep us in the loop.

It helped that tonight the Americans really took care of the medals. Two in women’s long jump, two in men’s 110m hurdles, two in 200m, and one in women’s 100m hurdles! And if that isn’t enough, Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee had a fabulous first day of decathlon events and are currently 1-2.

Be sure to watch tomorrow (preferably live, if possible) as the decathlon finishes up. Tonight and tomorrow are the largest days on the track – because of the five additional decathlon events, plus qualifying, semifinals, finals, and even the first round of relay events! It makes it really hard to fit in other important events as they’re aired – like the women’s water polo and women’s soccer gold medal matches tomorrow. But I’ll make do. I just realized my two classroom computers can air the Olympics online coverage, so now I have THREE computers with which to watch events!  It can’t get any better.

Mini Blurbs

New Event Alert! Qualifying in the BMX cycling was today. Individual time trials – the real fun starts tomorrow with eight bikers on the track. It’s snowboard cross with wheels. Awesome.

New Event Alert! Rhythmic gymnastics start on Thursday! …wait – you don’t care? Okay.

I am so proud of Alyson Felix for finally getting her individual gold medal. I just wish she could have had more flashy socks. If you watch her in the Olympic Trials, her socks were bright green. Someone get her some stars and stripes! Erik Kynard, get on that for her relays!

I was pulling for Kessy/Ross to win gold today, but it wasn’t meant to be. I just hope they can improve even more and crush the competition in Rio.

Man, those American male teams were disappointing. Men’s volleyball was swept in the quarterfinals, and men’s water polo was beat as well. At least men’s basketball is dominating – and I finally got to watch the game! I do believe what everyone’s been saying: it’s a woman’s Olympics. But it’s the men (track, gymnastics, and swimming especially) that are being the better sports. You can be dominant and be nice, ladies! (But the basketball guys need to shape up. Low blows? Really? Are we in grade school again?)

Kobe Bryant scored six three-pointers in the second half of the USA's win over Australia in basektball and finished with 20 points. He definitely made his presence known today!

Czech Republic Gold Medal Watch: Zuzana Hejnova got…bronze in the 400 hurdles. But I kind of called it that she would medal.

Today’s roundup - Because I had two computer screens going today, I was really reveling in the Games: taekwondo, sailing, water polo, volleyball, long jump, javelin, decathlon, running events, BMX cycling (both men’s and women’s), basketball, beach volleyball, equestrian jumping, diving! Woot!

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Posted by: Tukiyooo Track and Field Madness! Updated at : 10:35 PM

Wednesday, August 8, 2012