My First High Definition Olympics
By Ellen Savage
I am an Olympics junkie. Though I’m not much of an athlete myself, I love television, and the Olympics are more compelling to me than Project Runway or The Amazing Race will ever be. The games have all the characteristics of great television. High-stakes competition? Though I’m sure the contestants on HGTV’s Design Star felt pressure, I don’t think it can compare with the stress of trying to win an Olympic gold medal. Attractive characters in peak physical condition? Swimmer Michael Phelps and Gymnast Shawn Johnson put the cast of Heroes to shame.Â
Sensational backstories? It doesn’t get much jucier than the story of French Swimmer Laure Manaudou, who faced off against Italy’s Federica Pellegrini in the Women’s 400m Freestyle. Did I mention that Pellegrini is dating Manaudou’s former boyfriend and was rumored to have helped him leak pictures of Manaudou on the Internet? It’s a story which satisfies fans of Sports Illustrated and Us Weekly – what could be more perfect?
 
These are the first Olympic games that I have watched in HDTV, and the amazing picture quality certainly adds to the drama. I was dazzled by synchronized drummers and lighting of the Olympic cauldron in Friday’s opening ceremonies. Saturday, I found myself engrossed in swimming and beach volleyball. Sunday, enticed by NBC’s tickler at the bottom corner of the screen counting down 28 minutes until Michael Phelps’ next performance,
I stayed up until midnight to watch him in the Men’s 4×100m relay. Phelps and his teammates beat the heavily favored French team by .19 seconds, and I woke my son up as a cheered at the amazing finish.
So, now you know how I’ll be spending the next 13 days. Do you find yourself swept up in Olympic fever? What are your favorite events?           Â
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August 12th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Did someone say “Olympics”??!? Am I a fan of them? Please. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from my TV. It’s my standing date for the next 11 nights or so.
However, I have an axe to grind with the IOC: I’m lobbying for an age minimum of 18 in women’s gymnstics because I’m having an increasingly hard time watching little girls compete in the sport. There’s a reason why the word “women” is in the sport name; it’s because the venue is for adults, not child prodigies or teenaged sacks of raging hormones. Do you see anyone under the age of 16 in the men’s competition? No. One would think that the same logic for men (more time to grow, bulk up, and achieve strength) would apply to women: that once maturing is done, their bodies aren’t quite as awkward as they were when they were 13, and that it’s a fairer competition because of that very maturity.
But no; that logic might seem too, well, logical. So the IOC turns a blind eye from all athletes who appear to be underage and don’t ask for proof of their birth dates. If there is a Chinese woman who had the courage to out herself as a 14-year-old athlete competing in the Sydney games in 2000, then you can count on there being more violators, and not just from China.
But as much as I have kvetched since the commencement of the Games, I will still be found tonight on my living room floor, surrounded by pillows…watching every move of the women’s, er, young person’s gymnastics competition.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
This is my first high def Olympics as well, having just installed an HDTV in my living room, and I am loving it!! The swimming has been amazing and I’m a total Phelps phanatic. Having been a swim rat as a kid, I am amazed at how easy he makes it look. Swimming and gymnastics are my two favorite sports and my sons love watching the medal ceremonies and hearing the US national anthem. Its great being able to DVR the Olympics and watch at my convenience.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I also grew up a pool rat and swimming has always been my favorite Summer Olympics sport. There is nothing like watching it in high-definition. HD changes everything! I love how crisp the under-water shots are. HD could actually change the sport in the long-run because it is easier to see the subtle techniques used by Olympic swimmers. Espcially Phelps. Amazing!