As someone who has never come even close to being in the Olympics, I tend to get really excited about watching this sporting event that only comes every four years. Of course, this also means that the Olympics are the only time that I watch certain sports (*cough Gymnastics *cough). Nevertheless, I find myself commenting on the performance of athletes like I am an expert or something. Below are some of my habits that I have caught myself doing while watching the Olympics.
1. I become a judge:
I often find myself judging the performance of athletes like I am a professional in that sport:
“That girl did not hit vertical on the uneven bars. That is going to cost her!”
“Why did he pass back? His left mid was obviously open!”
“That flip turn was so sloppy.”
Even though sometimes I don’t even know the rules for the sport, I provide constant commentary. But, sometimes my lack of understanding wins out and I become an astounded spectator.
2. The spectator:
Sometimes while watching the Olympics I see an athlete perform so well that I believe there is no way that he/she will not win gold. However, I am often brought out of that mindset immediately by the judge’s commentary:
“Oh, another devastating mistake!”
Wait, what?
3. The Proud Cal student:
Every time I see the Cal logo I feel so excited on behalf of my fellow golden bear that I have to point out to everyone present that Cal is sending the most athletes of any university this Olympics. I also announce that fact whenever I see the Stanford logo. So, take that, Stanford!
4. The “This is an Olympic sport?”
I’m not going to bash any sports because obviously if you are in the Olympics you must have spent countless hours training for whichever sport you are there for. That being said, sometimes I am just baffled as to the amount of sports that athletes can compete for. I will let you guys decide which sport you find the most out-of-place.
5. The “That doesn’t look so hard. I bet you I could do that.”
I can’t. No matter how easy something looks, it only looks easy because the best in the world are doing it. Sit down, Caitlin.
6. The “OMG they’re how old?”
Especially when I watch events like gymnastics and swimming, I am surprised to find out how young some of the competitors are. The youngest member of team USA is 16. Like, when I was 16, I was trying to figure out ways to stay in bed for as long as humanly possible.
These are just a couple of the moments that I have experiences while watching the Olympics. Let me know if you have experienced any of these or if you have any that I did not list.
