What a weekend full of sports! The Olympics have been everything they promised for us sports addicts and I can barely pull myself away from the TV to get all the necessary things accomplished.
For the next couple of weeks (read: until the Olympics are over) I will pop in and give an update for those of you who want to be in the know but can’t be around the tele. Basically, I’m going to give you my version of Olympics Sports Center. So, I hope you enjoy!
Opening Ceremonies
I’m not getting into all of the garbley goop of conspiracies and commotion that surrounded parts of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. Here’s what I absolutely loved: the boats on the Seine…you can’t get that anywhere else, the pomp and circumstance, the music, and the celebration of these elite athletes who have joined together from across the world to strut their stuff. I couldn’t get enough!
My favorite part, though, was the parade of past Olympians of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and across all sports that ended the torch run and raised that beautiful balloon above the city. My heart could have jumped right out of my chest! Also, Peyton Manning is my all time favorite football player so having him as a commentator didn’t hurt anything either!
But now…the Medals!
Highlights
I caught the last match of the Women’s Fencing as well as the last leg of the Women’s Cross Country Mountain Bike. Those are definitely worth going back for a replay. If for no other reason than these are competitions we don’t usually get to see of television! Take this opportunity to learn a little something new about an activity you didn’t know anything about…or maybe didn’t even know existed as an Olympic sport!
I have always loved watching the swimming portion of the Olympics. These athletes are so competitive and boy, they get into it! I actually can’t believe I left this one out of my last “list o things to watch this weekend”. My favorite race so far has been the Men’s 4×100 Freestyle relay. They had me up in my living room hooting and hollering them on to victory!
But, really, you can’t go wrong catching the highlights from anything this weekend.
This week I am scheduling my life around these events:
Gymnastics – Simone is doing her thing. Don’t miss it!
Beach Volleyball – the men and women are all hot on it
More Swimming – more medals to be won here for sure
Basketball – again…obviously!
Until next time…that’s how the ball bounces.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.